The unforgettable line in the 1967 classic movie The Graduate comes from Mr. McQuire when he sums up for Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) what he sees as the key to the world.
“I just want to say one word to you -- just one word,” McGuire (Walter Brooke) says solemnly.
“Plastics.”
Here at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, the word of the day seems to be plastics.
We’re learning more about the dangers of plastics every day, including BPA in our food containers. As the Washington Post reported this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finally considering a ban on BPA in infant formula packaging (although good luck getting it out of anything else).
The problem of plastic pollution in our oceans, meanwhile, will be highlighted in a series of panel discussions and conferences on Saturday. About 80 percent of the pollution that ends up in our oceans is plastic, including sandwich bags that choke sea turtles and monofilament fishing line that ensnares sea lions and seals.
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