Economics Homework Help
Environmental Economics Essay
The topic is going to be plastic pollution in particular about plastic straw pollution. Wheat straw product is a great plastic alternative. The position would be to encourage large firms and companies to use wheat straw product as plastic alternative.
For the essay, make sure to form an argument/position/opinion on an environmental issue and then defend your argument/position/opinion using 1) the research you have done on the topic and 2) what you have learned about environmental economics from the lectures.
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Script for presentation
Hello, I’m Alex and today my presentation is going to be about the severity of wheat straw pollution, and to try to minimize the environmental impact by encouraging companies to use straw straws instead of plastic straw. Economics Homework Help.
After harvesting wheat in the field, the leftover wheat straw has become a serious problem. Research shows that there is a strong relationship between farmers’ education level and environment friendly actions. (1) Due to the lack of awareness of environment friendly behaviours, many farmers choose to burn the straws which leads to severe environmental pollution.
Greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere from burning the straws, for example, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and others. Not only the gases, but also PM 2.5 is being release into the atmosphere which cause the air quality to decrease by a large amount. Since the harvest of wheat is seasonal, nearby residents are suffering from seasonal air pollution which can lead to various health problems. (2)
There are various solutions for this problem, including turning the straws into feeds for livestocks, combustion for electricity or fuel, pulp making and so on. However, all of them encounter various difficulties, whether it’s high transportation cost, inefficient utilization, pollution or high production cost. (2)
While I was searching for solutions, I saw the “straw straws” which is a type of eco-friendly straws and works as plastic straw alternative. With the rising awareness of plastic pollution, many countries have announced protocols to minimize the use of plastic straws and encouraged companies to provide biodegradable straws for customers instead of plastic straws. One of the common plastic straw alternatives is paper straw. However, it gets soggy and difficult to use after a while in my personal experience. Besides, in the process of producing paper straws from trees, there are pollution happening in the factories. Economics Homework Help. For glass, metal and silicone straws, even though they are reusable, they are harder to carry, and people need to purchase a second tool in order to clean them, it is relatively expensive for the consumers.
Wheat straw is naturally hollow in the center and the lignin in it makes it sturdy and straight. It is never getting soggy, suitable for both cold and hot drinks, it is completely natural and compostable. Since wheat straw is always consider agricultural by-product and waste for the farmers after harvesting the grain.
Due to the lightweight of wheat straws, it would have a relatively low transportation cost. In my point of view, the farmers would be happy to sell the straws for a low price since it’s just waste to them. It is better if the factory of making wheat straws is close to the farmer, therefore they could minimize the transportation cost to the greatest extent.
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Wheat straws can usually decompose in about 3-6 month naturally, with the help of other programs, it can be decomposed within 2 months. Therefore, it is relatively time efficient.
Due to the low cost of production, it would have a low market price.
All in all, using wheat straw as plastic straw alternative brings lots of economics and environmental benefit, it can effectively reduce both air and plastic pollution, also, it is a great example of waste utilization. This is such a win-win situation, it is not only good for the farmer but the environment as well. And due to its low production cost, I believe that companies would be happy to use it in the future. Economics Homework Help.
Reference:
- Fatmawati, Lahming, Asrib, A. R., Pertiwi, N., & Dirawan, G. D. (2018). The effect of education level on farmer’s behavior eco-friendly to application in gowa, indonesia. Journal of Physics. Conference Series, 1028(1), 12016. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1028/1/012016
- Cheng, G., Zhao, Y., Pan, S., Wang, X., & Dong, C. (2020). A comparative life cycle analysis of wheat straw utilization modes in china. Energy (Oxford), 194, 116914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.116914
- Victoria Allen Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail. (2018, July 04). Environmentally friendly plastic made from Straw has been invented by UK scientists. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5919321/Environmentally-friendly-plastic-straw-invented-UK-scientists.html
- What is Wheat Straw Plastic and Is It Eco-Friendly? August 30, 2019 [Web log post]. (2019, August 30). Retrieved February 27, 2021, from https://keepingourplanetalive.ca/blogs/blog/what-is-wheat-straw-plastic
Reference for images used in presentation:
- https://globalpunjabtv.net/wheat-straw-burning-cases-in-punjab-hit-seasons-high
- https://www.greenpack.com.au/eco-straws/wheat-and-bamboo-straws/wheat-straw-regular-200mm,-pack-of-100pcs-detail
- https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2020/10/01/England-bans-plastic-straws-and-stirrers
- https://phys.org/news/2019-04-wheat-straw-green-chemicals.html
- https://antinapromotions.wordpress.com/2015/03/23/spread-awareness-with-eco-friendly-promotional-products/
- https://science.thewire.in/environment/stubble-burning-punjab-haryana-rice-harvesting-wheat-sowing-delhi-air-pollution/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/air-pollution-may-affect-the-lethality-of-covid-19
- https://cerasis.com/manufacturing-costs/
- https://maxpeoplehr.com/thinking-out-side-of-the-box/
- https://www.mixedeco.com/wheat-straw-benefits-and-applications/
- https://www.bentoli.com/livestock-nutrition-improve-feed-quality/
- https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/to-counter-climate-change-we-need-to-stop-burning-things
- https://www.intechopen.com/books/global-wheat-production/wheat-straw-pulping-for-paper-and-paperboard-production
- https://yourstory.com/2016/06/10-real-problems-india-startups-can-aim-solve/
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- https://www.bioexplorer.net/greenhouse-gases.html/
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/air-pollution-what-are-we-breathing-and-how-bad-is-it-for-us-102115
- https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/particulars-pm-25
- https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/inhalable-particulate-matter-and-health
- https://texasfarmbureau.org/wheat-harvest-yields-mixed-results/
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1
- https://leafgreenerme.com/product/wheat-straw/
- https://allthingsbeingeco.ca/products/karmic-seed-natural-wheat-grass-drinking-straws-100-pack
- https://greenthatlife.com/why-plastic-straws-are-a-problem/
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/canada-plans-ban-plastic-straws-bags-cutlery-2021-n1016066
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/08/06/aardvark-only-u-s-producer-paper-straws-acquired-meet-demand/916755002/
- https://www.ecoproductsstore.com/compostable_straws.html
- https://fortune.com/2018/08/07/aardvark-paper-straw-maker-acquisition-hoffmaster/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/cslrql/my_paper_straw_got_so_soggy_in_my_coffee_that_it/
- https://www.centralmaine.com/2017/07/19/jay-mill-to-permanently-shut-down-paper-machine-cut-120-jobs/
- https://www.mcleishorlando.com/blog/psa-5-things-you-should-not-do-when-using-metal-straws/
- https://www.bergodesigns.ca/products/glass-straws
- https://www.strawesome.com/shop/glass-straw-accessories/straw-cleaning-brush/
- https://www.haystraws.com
- https://unsplash.com/s/photos/wheat-straw
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/wheat-straw-burning-cases-drop-by-70-in-ludhiana-district-this-year-pollution-control-board/story-0RHCY35xMVspugarAlUsDJ.html
- https://baletrade.com/wheat-straw
- https://www.longdom.org/open-access/analysis-of-the-wheat-strawflax-fiber-reinforced-polymer-hybridcomposites-2168-9873-1000240.pdf
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/news/wheat-retreats-from-2-month-peak-on-profit-taking/articleshow/74820707.cms?from=mdr
- https://sostenibilidad-es.org/hot-or-cold-which-beverages-do-you-prefer/
- https://www.kygrains.info/blog/2018/3/27/economics-of-baling-wheat-straw. Economics Homework Help.
