The history of plastic goes waaay further back than you might think. Let’s find out how the former miracle material turned into a toxic addiction. And take a closer look at some awesome innovations in plant-based sustainability.
Quiz Answers
Question 1.
In which country did they invent the first rubber ball?
Mexico
Question 2.
Around how many kilos of plastic have humans made so far?
a) 8 billion
b) 6.2 million
c) 8 trillion
8 billion
Question 3.
Which university is making leather from kombucha?
Iowa State University
Question 4.
List two benefits of using mushroom bricks to build a house
Zero carbon emissions, fire resistant, can kill termites
Question 5.
Who invented the first synthetic billiard ball?
John Wesley Hyatt
Question 6.
What was the first oil-based plastic called?
Bakelite
Question 7.
In which country are they about to ban single-use plastics entirely?
New Zealand
Sources
‘Will My Plastic Bag Still Be Here in 2507?’ by Juliet Lapidos, Slate, June 27, 2007.
‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch Now Three Times the Size of France’ by Marian Liu, CNN, March 23, 2018.
‘Hobart the First Australian City to Ban All Single-use Plastics’, SBS, March 5, 2019.
‘Jacinda Arden Says New Zealand Will Ban Plastic Bags’ by Kate Lyon, The Guardian, August 10, 2018.
‘Conflicts in Chemistry: The Case For Plastics’, Science History Institute.
‘We Made Plastic, We Depend on It, Now We’re Drowning in It’ by Laura Parker, National Geographic, August 2016.
‘Avocado Seeds Into Plastic: A Mexican Chemical Engineer Aims at $5.8 Billion Market’ by Elizabeth MacBride, April 30, 2015.
‘Mushrooms Could Solve the War on Plastic, says Kew Gardens’ by Jamie Johnson, September 12, 2018.
‘Aztecs, Maya were Rubber-making Masters?’, Rachel Kaufman, National Geographic, June 30, 2010.
‘Lego Builds a Sustainable Future, One Brick at a Time’ by Brian Barret, Wired, March 11, 2018.
‘Emerging Materials: Mycelium Brick’ by Ilvy Bonnfin, Certified Energy, September 3, 2018.
Credits
This episode was narrated and produced by Alice Zaslavsky.
The Fungus Butt ad was voiced by Courtney Glass.
Writer: Sam West.
Editor: Sam Lowe.
Recording: Tender Trap Studios, Melbourne.
Curriculum Specialist: Beverley Laing.
Logo design: Love + Money.
Funding: Hort Innovation.
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