PERC co-director Trisia Farrelly, writing for The Conversation, outlines the fallacies associated with current methods of dealing with plastic waste. She describes how plastic recycling and plastic-to-energy schemes are not safe or viable solutions to a matter of serious international concern. She argues a “global, legally binding treaty with clear targets and standards is the real game-changer we urgently need”. …
PERC at the 4th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly
PERC co-director Dr. Trisia Farrelly recently attended the 4th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) in Nairobi, Kenya. Here, several resolutions were considered by member states to address the deleterious impacts of plastic pollution. The first proposition, from Norway, Japan, and Sri Lanka, sought to bolster international cooperation and coordination on marine plastic litter and microplastics. The second …
Association of Commonwealth Universities Blue Charter (Marine Plastic Pollution) fellow: Xiaoyu Lei
PERC extends a warm welcome to Xiaoya Lei, an Association of Commonwealth Universities Blue Charter (Marine Plastic Pollution) fellow from Keele University, UK. During the fellowship, Xiaoya will be working with the PERC team to develop a Keele University website, ‘Hacking Plastic’, and an online conference which focusses on the role of the arts in plastic pollution literacy. Xiaoya will …
PERC in 2018
2018 was a productive year for PERC, with more national and international activities and networking. In conjunction with the Sociology of Development and Change (SDC) group at Wageningen University, we ran our second nearly carbon neutral online conference Feral. Led by Dr Nick Holm, over 43 participants from 8 countries produced about 14 hours of publicly accessible video for the conference. …
Killing for conservation “unnecessary”
Dr. Arian Wallach (University of Technology Sydney) spoke to Radio New Zealand ahead of her keynote presentation as part of Feral: A nearly carbon-neutral conference. Listen:
FERAL – How Humans Frame Nature
Nick Holm joined Bryan Crump on RNZ nights last night to discuss PERC’s latest online conference ‘Feral.’ Listen:
Greenpeace’s take on the Christmas Coke ad
This Christmas advocacy organisation Greenpeace have created a spoof of the traditional Coca Cola Christmas advertisement to draw attention to the vast amount of plastic in Oceans. The ad highlights the fact that Coca Cola are estimated to produce 110 billion PET plastic bottles each year, and many of these end up in landfill, on beaches, and in the ocean. …
From Waste to Zero Waste: Progress to Date, and the Role of Product Stewardship
1-2pm, AH2 PERC Member Johnathon Hannon, from Massey’s Zero Waste Academy and the NZ Product Stewardship Council, is giving a talk on product stewardship for Global Climate Change Week. A Kiwi Bottle Drive is running in conjunction with this event, so bring a bottle or a can! More to come.
Massey University Freshwater Ecologist Honoured
Congratulations to Massey University’s ‘fearless’ freshwater ecologist and PERC ally Dr. Mike Joy, who was recently awarded the inaugural Critic and Conscience of Society Award. Joy was recognised for his work in raising public awareness of water quality in New Zealand, and the impact of intensive farming practise. Professor Steve Weaver, from the University of Canterbury, and a member of …