NPR News

Green Resources

WVPE is your gateway to green and sustainable resources in Michiana. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is accomplished by finding a balance between businesses, the environment, and our society (people, planet, and profit).State, National and International resources on sustainability include:The Environmental Protection AgencyThe Natural StepSustainability Dictionary45 Sustainability Resources You Need to Know Explore ways to support sustainability in the Michiana area through the Green Links Directory.Sept. 17, 2019 from 2-3:30pm"Global Warming: A Hot Topic"Sept. 17, 19, 24, and 26All sessions are from 2-3:30pmGreencroft Goshen Community Center in the Jennings Auditorium1820 Greencroft Blvd.Goshen, IN 46526The event will look at possible solutions and suffering as well as consequences beyond warmer weather. The event will examine what other civilizations have or haven’t done when faced with environmental problems. Plus there will be an exploration of the biggest unknown in the climate system: What will the humans do? Paul Meyer Reimer teaches physics, math and climate change at Goshen College. The events are presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute. The Institute can be reached at: (574) 536-8244lifelonglearning@live.comhttp://life-learn.org/

Marriott Follows Starbucks In Dropping Plastic Straws

By Avie Schneider

Published July 18, 2018 at 11:28 AM EDT

Marriott International became the latest company to announce it will stop using plastic straws, saying it would remove them from its more than 6,500 properties by next July.

The days of plastic straws are drawing shorter.

Marriott International on Wednesday became the latest big company to announce it will stop using plastic straws, saying it would remove them from its more than 6,500 properties by next July. The giant hotel chain said it will stop offering plastic stirrers, too.

It said the environmentally friendly move could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws and about 250 million stirrers per year. Marriott said its hotels will "offer alternative straws upon request."

Earlier this month, Starbucks said it would drop plastic straws from its 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020. McDonald's is phasing out plastic straws at about 1,300 restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. And Alaska Air said in May that it's replacing plastic straws on its flights with "sustainable, marine-friendly alternatives."

As an alternative to plastic straws, Starbucks has said it developed a strawless lid, which some on social media dubbed "an adult sippy cup." And this week, Starbucks and McDonald's said they're working together to develop a recyclable or compostable cup.

The project has a futuristic name — the NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge. It invites "innovators, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and recyclers to submit their ideas for the next generation of recyclable and/or compostable cups," the companies said.

"McDonald's is committed to using our scale for good to make positive changes that impact our planet and the communities we serve," Marion Gross, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer for McDonald's USA, said in a news release.

Starbucks said it wants other companies to join the project, which is being coordinated with Closed Loop Partners — a group that invests in sustainable consumer goods and advanced recycling technologies.

"A better cup will benefit the entire industry and we invite others to join us as we move these efforts forward," said Colleen Chapman, vice president of global social impact for Starbucks.