logo
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Northside Community Meetings
    • Community Calendar
    • Government
    • Features
    • Local Business
    • Pittsburgh Police Blotter
    • Public Safety
    • Sports
  • Arts + Culture
  • Moments
  • Real Estate
  • Classifieds
  • Marketplace
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • News
      • Northside Community Meetings
      • Community Calendar
      • Government
      • Features
      • Local Business
      • Pittsburgh Police Blotter
      • Public Safety
      • Sports
    • Arts + Culture
    • Moments
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Marketplace
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
Straw Forward at Cafe Sci asks burning questions about plastic waste
Education, North Shore
admin on
March 11, 2019
Straw Forward at Cafe Sci asks burning questions about plastic waste

The Carnegie Science Center’s Cafe Scientifique: Straw Forward included a film on the shocking impacts of plastic pollution to marine life and a panel of experts who discussed anti-plastic activism.

Story and photos by S. Rose Eilenberg

An interesting mix of generations milled around the lower level of the Carnegie Science Center on Monday, Feb. 4, eating, drinking and chatting. They were all there for Cafe Scientifique, a monthly program dedicated to creating a space for adults interested in science and technology to hear from experts, without the jargon, and ask
questions.

Ralph Crewe is the program development coordinator in charge of organizing Cafe Sci. He wants everyone to feel like they can engage in science.

“It’s important for us to reach a broad audience—to make it so access to science isn’t limited to those in an ivory tower,” he said.

February’s special edition topic was one that has been gaining a lot of media attention: plastic straws. It coincided with the Straw Forward campaign led by the Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants program, an organization helping restaurants in the region assess their impact on their employees and the planet and commit to reducing it.
Straw Forward was formed by the collaborative efforts of restaurants, businesses, and nonprofits to collect used and littered plastic-based items and turn them into a work of art in order to raise awareness and foster meaningful dialogue around the global-scale issues of single-use plastic waste and plastic pollution. Several other Pittsburgh institutions partnered with Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants for the exhibit,
contributing their time and resources.

Materials for the Straw Forward art installation were contributed by Allegheny CleanWays from a river cleanup, Construction Junction, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse and many local restaurants. Shift Collaborative, a creative agency based in East Liberty, built the sculpture and collected the more than 25,000 straws from participating restaurants. Other partners included First Mile (of Thread International), which makes yarn from plastic bottles, the Pennsylvania Resources Council, and Best Buddies Pennsylvania.

Straws that made up the Straw Forward art installation on display in the Carnegie Science Center. Photo by S. Rose Eilenberg

The Program began with a short documentary “A Plastic Ocean,” detailing the shocking impacts of plastic pollution on marine life. In one scene, pieces of plastic are counted in the stomachs of dead seabirds that starved to death because their stomachs were too full. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the North Pacific Gyre off the coast of California and is the largest ocean garbage site in the world. This floating mass of plastic is twice the size of Texas, with plastic pieces outnumbering sea life six to one. According to the film, one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed each year by ocean plastic.

After a brief intermission, the program resumed with a panel discussion. The panel was composed of leaders from several of the partner organizations: Captain R. Evan Clark with Allegheny CleanWays, Nicole Kenny with Thread International, Justin Stockdale, western regional director of the Pennsylvania Resource Council, and Terry Wiles with Construction Junction, as well as Dr. Cathi Lehn, the manager of Sustainable Cleveland. The panel was moderated by Dr. Joylette Portlock, the executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh.

Dr. Joylette Portlock moderates the Cafe Sci panel of experts, made up of Captain R. Evan Clark of Allegheny CleanWays, Nicole Kenny of Thread International, Justin Stockdale of the Pennsylvania
Resource Council, Terry Wiles of Construction Junction and Dr. Cathi Lehn of Sustainable Cleveland. Photo by S. Rose Eilenberg

Portlock addressed some of the most contentious issues in the world of anti-plastic activism, like environmental justice, or building equitable communities, and the choice of straws as the poster child of plastic waste. The movement to ban straws has met a lot of criticism from activists in the disabled community, who point out that many people who have trouble eating rely on plastic straws, and that metal and paper alternatives don’t always fill their needs. Sustainable Pittsburgh partnered with Best Buddies Pennsylvania to make sure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities had a voice in the conversation about straws here in Pittsburgh.
Panelists also pointed out that while our individual actions do matter, we in the most developed nations are not necessarily the main contributors to plastic waste. People in developing countries often don’t have access to clean drinking water, so they have to drink bottled water. Many of these countries don’t have the infrastructure to deal with waste.

Crewe said, “Anyone can walk off the street, come to Cafe Sci, and ask that burning question that’s on their mind. I think that’s very special. Our impact on the community… is to get people thinking, get people asking questions, and get people curious.”

Cafe Sci happens each month. Admission is free and food and beverages are available for purchase. Click here for details.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

Join The Northside Chronicle's weekly newsletter for the latest Northside news, developments, and more. Delivered right to your inbox every Thursday evening.

* indicates required
Related Posts
PREVIEW: Chamber of Commerce holds annual luncheon
Business, Chateau, Features, Local Business, News
PREVIEW: Chamber of Commerce holds annual luncheon
By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor CHATEAU — It was a time of celebration for the Northside North Shore Chamber of Commerce on May 11, as the organizati...
May 19, 2023
Vikings Make Landfall at Carnegie Science Center
Arts + Culture, News, North Shore, Sponsored Content
Vikings Make Landfall at Carnegie Science Center
Vikings sailed along the coast of North America more than 1,000 years ago, making them the first people to sail in North American waters. But what do ...
April 24, 2023
e-Edition
ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
Northside Neighborhoods
Northside Guides
FORMS + SUBMISSIONS
Events Letters to the Editor News Tips
POLL
MOST READ
August Northside Real Estate Transfers
Real Estate, Real estate transfers
August Northside Real Estate Transfers
September 23, 2023
Allegheny City Central Monterey Street Project LLC to Thomas Skelton Jr. and Lorella Skelton at 1230 Monterey St. for $960,000. Alexander Scott to Tim...
this is a test
PREVIEW: Town Talk: Scratch & Co. — Where everyone belongs!
Business, Features...
PREVIEW: Town Talk: Scratch & Co. — Where everyone belongs!
September 22, 2023
By Anna Yoder | Columnist An abacus, a book entitled “The Drunken Botanist” and a magenta-colored vintage velveteen couch are a few of the items that ...
this is a test
Vote for The Northside Chronicle’s Best Northside Views Photo Contest
Arts + Culture, Features...
Vote for The Northside Chronicle’s Best Northside Views Photo Contest
September 21, 2023
Pick your favorite photo below! The winning photo will be printed in the October issue of The Northside Chronicle. Voting ends at noon on Sept. 27. Lo...
this is a test
NS Leadership Conference gains new director
Allegheny City Central, Editor Picks...
NS Leadership Conference gains new director
September 20, 2023
By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor ALLEGHENY CITY CENTRAL — The Northside Leadership Conference has a new executive director, though one who has a long ...
this is a test
Real Estate Transfers Sept. 10 to Sept. 16
Real Estate, Real estate transfers
Real Estate Transfers Sept. 10 to Sept. 16
September 19, 2023
Allegheny City Central JTM Invests LLC to ART Image America LLC at 1327 Reddour St. for $200,000. Brighton Heights Steven Scotti to Jason Conn at 3524...
this is a test
Neighborhood Community Development Fund
Northside Leadership Conference
Donate

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

* indicates required

The Northside Chronicle

thenorthsidechronicle.com
Phone: (412) 321-3919
Email: editor@thenorthsidechronicle.com

About Us

Stay tuned with us

Copyright Northside Chronicle. All rights reserved.