LASA gathered online in April to check in with each other and to learn about the global economic and environmental issues around plastics and recycling. We considered how LA fits into this larger system – and how previous LASA days, like our trip to the Port, are a part of the puzzle.
As we checked in with each other about the realities of online classes, of family members recovering from illness, and creative forms of exercise, we were quite surprised by how much we enjoyed LASA online. Many students reflected after our time together that this was their favorite LASA of the year.
We then welcomed USC’s Joshua Goldstein, Associate Professor of History and East Asian Languages and Cultures. Sarah “was instantly endeared by Professor Goldstein’s unabashed anti-capitalist sentiments and personal anecdotes from when he was our age, and…found the subject matter of plastics especially engaging.” She added, “I’ll remember what he said about the problem of relying on band-aid solutions and how change needs to happen at an institutional rather than a personal level. Topics regarding environmentalism are often difficult to present without letting defeatism or overly demoralizing statistics seep in, but I thought he managed to strike a balance between being candidly informative and still remaining hopeful.”
We always come to our topics with a range of interests and foundational knowledge. This month, thanks to Josh, students fresh the issue and those with previous knowledge and experiences of activism noted how helpful the day proved. Katie shared, “Even though I have done a fair amount of research and reading about this topic, it was still really interesting to hear from Dr. Goldstein about the hypocrisies and inaccuracies of the environmental movement and sort of ‘greenwashing’ in recycling and other large-scale environmental initiatives.” Daniel P. added, “Going into the talk I thought that there was not going to be much to learn about plastic. I had a preconceived notion that I knew most of what plastic pollution had to offer. However, I was gratefully wrong. There are tons of nuances that go into the topic of plastic pollution. For example, I did not know anything about the relationship with the US’s waste and China.
Additionally, I did not realize that single-stream recycling was ineffective and that most of the recycling was not even recycled at all. In the end, the most impactful and surprising lesson that I left with was how recycling is not the solution it is so widely marketed to be and that there is a complex relationship between us and plastics.
They are both amazing and harmful, so it is up to us to be wise in how to use them as well as limit them.” And Charlie reflected, “I haven’t really kept up with environmental issues, so it was great to hear from someone with so much knowledge about the issue. While I also don’t really think about environmental issues a lot in general, I also never really thought about how recycling is so ineffective and that real change will have to come from an institutional change.”
LASA asked Josh about steps they can take – in their schools and communities – to create institutional change. Finnegan and Mariah are already thinking about actions they can take at school “to educate the public more about recycling, compost, the environment” as Mariah framed the work. She continued, “I just wonder how can students like us can reach the public in a manner that they will accept our perspective and be willing to change the way they treat the planet. Also, how do we get underprivileged communities to convert to composting their waste? A lot of those communities may not have the materials and supplies to compost.”
Thanks again to LASA students and adult helpers and to Josh for coming together in this new online format. We look forward to meeting again online in May.