Reflection on Michael SanClements

A couple of weeks ago, Michael SanClements traveled from Colorado to address our school about the use of plastics around the world and to teach us about ways we can start to limit the amounts of single use plastics in our everyday lives. His engaging talk began with a historical context of how humans have used plastics throughout time. He explains that not long ago, people had similar lifestyles to the ones we have today and still didn’t have the same plastic consumption rates that people do today. This part of his talk stuck with me; plastic consumption in the United States only really skyrocketed in the 2000’s, and before then, people still lived similarly. Mr. SanClements explained that this can be an example that despite our mass usage of plastics in today’s world, it is very possible to function without such plastics if we, as a society, set our minds to it. 

In his introduction, he also mentioned that we are currently living in what he called, “The Plastic Age.” He explained that so much of what people use on a daily basis contain plastics in them. From the nylon that is found in clothing and in carpets to the single use plastics that come off of new items to the plastic on our toothbrushes, plastic is everywhere. Because of this omnipresence of plastics in our lives, he explained that we are currently living in the plastic age. Despite this, he urged us to limit the amount of single use plastics that we consume. That is, using plastic bags to contain vegetables from the grocery store, plastic water/drink bottles, etc.

Michael SanClements also busted myths about plastics that are commonly spread in our society, citing fake pictures of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, U.S. trash trading protocols, and other misconceptions about our use and management of plastics. I’m so glad I got the chance to hear from Michael SanClements, especially because the event happened right before the school shut down. I learned so much about the current global plastic predicament as well as ways I can do better on my own.