{"id":1587,"date":"2011-08-23T14:07:37","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T21:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ensobottles.com\/blog\/?p=1587"},"modified":"2011-08-23T14:07:37","modified_gmt":"2011-08-23T21:07:37","slug":"acc-demands-positive-marketing-towards-plastic-bags-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/?p=1587","title":{"rendered":"ACC demands positive marketing towards plastic bags"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Group alleges ACC influenced comments about plastics in Calif. curricula<\/span><\/h2>\n

PLASTICS NEWS REPORT<\/strong>
\n Posted August 22, 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON (Aug. 22, 2:35 p.m. ET) \u2014 An investigative reporting team alleges that the American Chemistry Council pressured educational officials in California to revise a section of an environmental curriculum to present positive information about plastic shopping bags.<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington-based ACC says the allegation \u201cdistorts and misrepresents\u201d what took place during a public comment period.<\/span><\/p>\n

The California EPA also issued a statement, saying that all revisions to the Education and Environment Initiative curriculum were made for \u201caccuracy and educational value\u201d and \u201cthoroughly vetted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

California Watch, a reporting initiative of the Center for Investigative Reporting, claims that Gerald Lieberman, a private consultant hired by California school officials, added a new section to the 11th-grade teachers\u2019 edition textbook called \u201cThe Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags,\u201d with the title and some of the textbook language inserted almost verbatim from letters written by the chemistry council.<\/span><\/p>\n

California Watch posted the report on its website on Aug. 19.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group also alleges that Lieberman added a workbook section that asks students to list some advantages of plastic bag, and that the correct answer in the revised teachers\u2019 edition is that \u201cplastic shopping bags are very convenient to use. They take less energy to manufacture than paper bags, cost less to transport and can be reused.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The claim by California Watch \u201cdistorts and misrepresents public process and the role the ACC played in it,\u201d said Steve Russell, ACC\u2019s vice president of plastics. \u201cWhen CalEPA developed its curricula, the agency \u2026 posted an invitation [for public comment] on draft versions of the curricula.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe submitted comments in response to the state\u2019s public solicitation for input,\u201d Russell said. \u201cThe purpose of our comments was to correct factual inaccuracies and to present a more complete view of plastic bags\u2019 environmental attributes, including their benefits, which were absent from the draft. Our comments, and those of all other stakeholders, were submitted via email and through an online form on CalEPA\u2019s website.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lieberman is director of the State Education and Environment Roundtable, a nonprofit group developed by 16 state departments of education to enhance environmental education in schools. He declined to comment on his role in editing the textbook, and referred Plastics News to CalEPA, which defended the EEI curriculum.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand by the integrity of the EEI Curriculum and the open and transparent process in which it was created,\u201d said Lindsey VanLaningham, director of communications for CalEPA. \u201cThe curriculum was thoroughly vetted by all appropriate state agencies and was ultimately approved (unanimously) by the California State Board of Education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the development process, the state made revisions to the curriculum based on two primary factors: (1) accuracy; and (2) educational value,\u201d said VanLaningham. \u201cTeacher feedback supports our belief that the EEI engages students on issues of vital importance to them and their environment, including the role of plastic in our society.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless, state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Santa Monica, author of the 2003 legislation that requires that environmental principles and concepts be taught in the state\u2019s public schools, plans to write ask CalEPA officials to tweak the current text to remove language that portrays plastic bags in a favorable light.<\/span><\/p>\n

The curriculum covers science, history, social studies and the arts, and weaves in environmental principles and concepts. It is currently being tested at 19 school districts that include 140 schools and more than 14,000 students. And an additional 400 school districts have signed up to use it, according to Cal-EPA.<\/span><\/p>\n

In its letter to CalEPA dated Aug. 14, 2009, ACC said that it felt the lesson plan on Mass Production, Marketing and Consumption in the Roaring Twenties was \u201cextensive in its inaccuracies and bias about plastic and plastic bags.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ACC takes exception to the overall tone, instructional approach and the lack of solutions offered \u2014 most especially, the lack of mention of the overall solution of plastic recycling,\u201d wrote Alyson Thomas, a senior account executive with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, who submitted the letter on behalf of ACC.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recommend that the list of concerns related to plastic bags be balanced with a measured response regarding efforts \u2026 to promote the recycling of plastic bags,\u201d ACC said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic bags are referred to as \u201clitter\u201d in the text, ACC said. \u201cTo be clear, plastic bags don\u2019t start as litter. They can become litter through behavioral actions leading to inappropriate disposal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The new text incorporated that view, as it now says that plastic bags \u201ccan become litter,\u201d instead of calling them litter as the original version.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to California Watch, the first teachers\u2019 edition also had been highly critical of plastic shopping bags, noting the long decomposition rate of the bags and their threat to marine life and ocean health.<\/span><\/p>\n

That information remains in the text, but a section on the benefits of plastic bags was added, after ACC made its comments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo counteract what is perceived as an exclusively negative positioning of plastic bags issues, we recommend adding a section entitled \u201cBenefits of Plastic Shopping Bags,\u201d ACC said in its letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

It suggested that the text point out that plastic grocery bags require 70 percent less energy to manufacture than paper ones, that lightweight plastic bags save space and fuel in transport, and that paper bags are reusable, and also can be recycled and made into new plastic bags, and plastic lumber for decking, park benches and picnic tables.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recommend adding text referring to the second life of plastic products, and the increase in the recycling of plastic bags,\u201d ACC said. \u201cRecovered plastic bags and wraps can be recycled into many products, including backyard decking, fencing, railings, shopping carts and new bags.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Group alleges ACC influenced comments about plastics in Calif. curricula PLASTICS NEWS REPORT Posted August 22, 2011 WASHINGTON (Aug. 22, 2:35 p.m. ET) \u2014 An investigative reporting team alleges that the American Chemistry Council pressured educational officials in California to revise a section of an environmental curriculum to present positive information about plastic shopping bags. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[736,738,3,4,246],"tags":[1206,1207,1208,463,459,455,456,462,303,28,79,12,31,13,466,461,1209,460,464,80,458,465,437,1210],"class_list":["post-1587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environmental-news","category-green-marketing-2","category-latest-blogs","category-latest-news","category-plastic-news","tag-acc","tag-acc-corrupt","tag-acc-green-washing","tag-bahama-sunet","tag-biodegradable-plasics","tag-california-news","tag-california-plastics-curricula","tag-california-sunset","tag-compostable-plastics","tag-enso-additive","tag-enso-biodegradable-plastics","tag-enso-bottles","tag-enso-brand","tag-enso-plastics","tag-environmental-plastics","tag-gorgeous-sunset","tag-green-washing-products","tag-mosaic-artwork","tag-mosiac-sunset-art","tag-pla","tag-plastc-news","tag-shopping-bags","tag-single-use-plastic-bags","tag-tags-american-chemistry-council"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1587\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}