Our program featured Lisa Pammer who is the Founder, CEO, and sole proprietor of Green Pond Packaging. The company’s mission is to advocate for the environment by focusing on reducing the negative environmental impact of disposable packaging. Lisa had a full career in the corporate world before starting this venture. She was at an ice cream shop when she noticed that the product was being served in Styrofoam containers that all ended up in the garbage. This is true for a lot of food products. She thought there must be an environmentally safe way to serve food.
Of the 367 million metric tons of plastic made per year, a staggering 42% is used for single use packaging. Only 5-6% ends up being recycled. We manage to dump 33 billion pounds of plastic into the ocean every year. Estimates indicate that in 2025 the oceans will have one pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish. In the United States we use 100 billion shopping bags every year when it is easy to substitute a reusable bag. There are at least seven types of plastic and only two are recyclable. The effective list of recyclable plastics includes water and soda bottles and containers for items like milk, shampoo, and laundry detergent.
Advancement in technology have led to the production of alternative products. Compostable plates can be made from corn starch. Cups can be made from fast-growing bamboo. The cups can have plant-based liners to accommodate hot liquids. Restaurants can use environmentally safe boxes for take-out orders. Households can replace plastic items with reusable bamboo products such as cutting boards, plates, and utensils. Even our garbage bags can be compostable and they will break down in the landfill in less than a year. The problem of course, is cost. Labor costs make production in the United States difficult, if not impossible. It is hard to convince businesses to use the more expensive products.
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