Environmental Studies Resource Guide: Earth Day 2024

Alejandro Durán uses art to spotlight the ongoing destruction of our oceans' ecosystems. In this breathtaking talk, he shows how he meticulously organizes and reuses plastic waste from around the world that washes up on the Caribbean coast of Mexico -- everything from water bottles to prosthetic legs -- to create vivid, environmental artworks that may leave you mesmerized and shocked.

Plastic is an incredible substance for the economy -- and the worst substance possible for the environment, says entrepreneur Andrew Forrest. In a conversation meant to spark debate, Forrest and head of TED Chris Anderson discuss an ambitious plan to get the world's biggest companies to fund an environmental revolution -- and transition industry towards getting all of its plastic from recycled materials, not from fossil fuels.

India has one of the world's highest rates of plastic recycling, thanks largely to an extensive network of informal recyclers known as "kabadiwalas." Entrepreneur Mani Vajipey discusses his work to organize their massive efforts into a collection system that could put India on the path to ending plastic pollution -- and show the rest of the world how to do it, too.

Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste? Morgan Vague describes her research with microbiologist Jay Mellies on bacteria that have evolved the unexpected ability to eat plastic -- and how they could help us solve our growing pollution problem.

What if we could "grow" clothes from microbes, furniture from living organisms and buildings with exteriors like tree bark? TED Fellow Suzanne Lee shares exciting developments from the field of biofabrication and shows how it could help us replace major sources of waste, like plastic and cement, with sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives.

The National Ocean Service provides a general explanation and overview about what microplastics are and how they impact the environment. The site includes links to videos and articles going into more depth about more specific aspects.

The US Geological Survey provides numbers behinds the waterways' microplastic pollution.

A basic break down of what PFAs (Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) are by the CHEMTrust.

The US Environmental Protection Agency provides a breakdown of what the agency understands about "Forever Chemicals" and possible actions to reduce them.

Nigerian company WeCyclers' incentivized collection program has people excited to recycle; a duo in Liberia with a small-scale project to turn recycled plastic into bricks.

Exposé into the worrying inadequacies of international plastic recycling. With a rise in plastic production, the system simply pushes the problem from our shores, but across the globe plastic is piling up, and it is not going away.

European Inventor Gert-Jan Gruter and his team at Avantium have developed a revolutionary chemical process for converting plant-based sugars into the new building block Furandicarboxylic Acid (FDCA). FDCA can be used to produce a wide range of renewable plant-based materials, but the most exciting application is a polyester known as polyethylene furanoate (PEF). It has several properties that will allow PEF to replace aluminium, glass, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is derived from petrochemicals.

Material Scientist Zoe Laughlin challenges herself to make her version of some the most iconic and best-loved everyday items that we all use: Trainers [Sneakers], Toothpaste and Brush, and Headphones.

Although microbeads from rinse off cosmetics have received a lot of attention lately, the tiny plastics most often being found in our seafood is a different kind of synthetic. We look into marine life in the US and Australia, to find out what plastics escape our household drains and what kind of damage they can do.

The Galápagos Islands are supposedly one of the most pristine locations on the planet, but plastic pollution arriving by sea is threatening this unique habitat and wildlife. Leah Green travels to the islands to see how our reliance on plastic is affecting even the most remote of locations, and to see how the archipelago is hoping to lead the worldwide fight against plastic.

Ahead of World Oceans Day, Eco Solutions explores the devastation that plastic has on our oceans and the people who are championing the clean-up.

Another 10 tons of plastic is produced each second. About 10% of it ends up in the oceans, leading to predictions that, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. Faced with this global scourge, more and more businesses are promising to recycle, including the Coca-Cola Company, a group that sells 4,000 plastic bottles around the world every second. Can we depend on the promises made by these multinational corporations? And is recycling the solution? We investigated the company’s pledges and discovered that their promises are as sugar-filled as their products.

Only five percent of plastics are effectively recycled. Much of the rest ends up in our seas and oceans, where it's eaten by marine creatures and ends up in our food chain. Scientists don't yet know what effects it has on our health.

Did the plastic industry use recycling to sell more plastic? With the industry expanding like never before and the crisis of ocean pollution growing, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics.

When a whale rarely seen in the North Atlantic died in a quiet cove, scientists assumed they would just salvage an unusual skeleton for the local museum. But the discovery of 30 plastic bags in its stomach made global news. How will whales, creatures that we feel such a connection to, survive in our increasingly polluted seas? And will the death of the plastic whale make a difference?

A band of inspired young Australians are deploying a new weapon against a global scourge—the great gobs of plastic polluting our oceans. Europe Correspondent Lisa Millar tells how they’re doing it.

In the 70 years that plastic has been around, humans have created 9 billion tons of it—most of which still exists. Are the existing strategies for tackling plastic pollution—namely reusing and recycling—really making any difference? Amna Nawaz and producer Lorna Baldwin make stops in three states to take a look at some innovative ideas aimed at reducing plastic waste.