Seniors “Graduating from Plastics”

When the film, The Graduate, came out in 1967, recent retirees were about 8 years old. In that film the protagonist, played by Dustin Hoffman, had just graduated from college when his father’s friend gave him some career advice. He said, “Plastics!” to which Hoffman asks, “How do you mean sir?” At the time audiences either nodded in agreement that plastics were ushering a new age and would be a good career for him to follow or they smirked at the reference. In these intervening 57 years the same quote has new resonance for us.

Here at the Newburyport Senior Center last week, a gathering of primarily 30 seniors were greeted by the Mayor and presented with slides showing the startlingly detrimental effects plastics have on our world by Sierra Club representative Diane Lehner. The meaning of the quote “plastics” was revisited with a much more sophisticated awareness of what it has come to mean to the earth and its inhabitants.

The audience was stunned to hear that the average person consumes about one credit card size piece of plastic material as micro and nano particles ... wait for it ... per week!!  These micro particles affect our body and degrade our health in stealthy and unknown ways. The production costs of plastics including air and water pollution are not paid by manufacturers but by communities that consume them and pay to dispose of them and by the overall environment we live in.

Gathered around 5 tables, the participants brainstormed ways we might collectively reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our lives, including in our personal choices and in plastics that might be eliminated by local laws or regulations. Shared ideas ranged from using a counter top water filter pitcher to help remove micro-particles of plastic and banning single use water bottles in school cafeterias. Even banning plastic alcohol nips from local package store shelves. Diane noted that someone suggested developing a rating system for platforms like "YELP" reflecting which local restaurants were doing the best job removing plastics from their service items, straws, take out containers, etc.

The session, the fourth in the Senior Center’s new series of ECO-Conversations held in collaboration with ACES, had a certain buzz of activism by the end. Molly Ettenborough, Energy and Recycling Manager for the City, actively participated and noted that the city has been working on waste reduction programs for years including those to manage bulk plastics, eliminate plastic bags in grocery stores, and changeout Styrofoam trays in the schools.  “Plastic waste is a complicated issue and continued and advancement of change is needed at every level, most notable reducing any plastic usage.”  Co-host of the ECO-Conversation, Sara Landry, Executive Director of the Newburyport Senior Center, told us, “This topic is incredibly important to everyone. I plan on working with Diane to offer this training to our Center’s staff this spring!”

Most ECO-Conversation participants would have been aware of the famous lines from the movie, and each in their own way were passing judgment on them. And the likely answer to Dustin Hoffman's question of “How do you mean sir?” would now be “Watch out for plastics, using them too much will harm you and future generations.

ACES believes we can make a BIG difference together. Team members invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on January 17, 2025.