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Thursday, November 30, 2017
Glitter Called A Global Hazard, Ban Urged By Scientists
CBS Philly: Arts and crafts enthusiasts have known for years that glitter tends to attach itself everywhere and never seems to come off. Scientists now say that the sticky decorations are also an ecological hazard that needs to be banned across the globe.
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I can restate that I really hate glitter from a tech perspective. It’s hard to clean up, gets everywhere, is hard to clean up and can damage or clog sensitive machine parts. It’s nice to see that now it is being discussed more so for it’s environmental impact. There are a number of chemicals that we use in the scenic production process that have a similar impact, but we dispose of them accordingly (in most cases) and that helps mitigate any environmental damage. Glitter and other substances like it can be very dangerous and is one of those things that only now are being realized as being a danger. I wonder what else is out there that is just as dangerous that we just don’t know about yet. As a child I fondly remember that every craft project somehow involved glue and glitter in a variety of colors. I also remember washing my hands in the sink without any realization as to where the glitter was going. I think so too parents and teachers were the same way. It takes years, decades sometimes to learn the real impact of something. This is just the start.
This just goes to show how obliviously destructive we as humans really are. Who ever thought that something as harmless as glitter could cause a huge environmental impact. The same with polyester sweaters: when you wash those, tiny particles get washed away and end up in the water systems creating huge problems for the natural world. Everything we do is destructive to this world. I think this is why climate change is such a controversy, because to correct it, we would literally have to change every single aspect of life as we know it, and that is simply too daunting for many people to wrap their heads around. It is going to take some serious cultural change for our species to even have a hint of chance of surviving more than the next few hundred years. I only hope that science can advance enough to figure out what the hell needs to be done.
I’m not entirely sure why, but my first thought when I read this was “I wonder what LUSH cosmetics is doing regarding this?” I don’t know why that was my first thought. I’ve never bought any products made by LUSH. I went in a LUSH store once a couple years ago out of curiosity. But, I know they are committed to low environmental impact, and I know a lot of their products contain a lot of glitter.
So, I looked to see if LUSH had made a statement on glitter, and sure enough, they had. And they’ve been using socially responsible and biodegradable glitter since before 2014 (not sure how much before.) So this problem with glitter isn’t something we’ve just discovered, it is just something we have been ignoring. And it doesn’t mean an end to glitter, it just means when need to start being more conscious of what we use to make glitter.
Also, good job LUSH, both for being socially responsible and for making me, some random person who has never used their products, think of them as the obvious intersection between social responsibility and glitter.
Yes! The rein of terror will be ended! Seriously, glitter is the worst. Who ever invented and marketed it should receive a firm slap to the face. At my old job, we put on a variety show. One of the few rules included in agreeing to use our space is that glitter is absolutely banned. Glitter can never be fully cleaned up, and it sticks to everything, performers, technicians, audience seats, the set, soft goods. Really, you name it, and there is glitter on it somewhere. Any glitter that gets flushed down a drain makes it to a source of water, and collects and settles like some poisonous sediment. I like Julian's comment above; I use LUSH products and I honestly never thought too hard about the glitter in my bath bombs. With Julian's research, I'm soothed that the absurdly expensive bath bombs I use are hurting my wallet, but not the environment.
I absolutely hate glitter because it gets everywhere and never goes away no matter how much you think you cleaned it up. I can understand why cosmetic industries and art industries would be upset on banning types of glitter. I do think that their is some medical issues with it because of the metallic pieces in it, and the fact that it is an environmental hazard is not surprising in the least. I never understood the fascination with glitter in cosmetic products, especially LUSH, in Julian's comment above it seems that their are types of glitter that could survive as they are eco friendly. I wonder how someone in a glitter making factory lung's are doing? If sand is something that is terrible to be breathing in and around, I bet metallic glitter would be pretty bad too. I also am going to forward this article on to my mother who is obsessed with tinsel at Christmas time. I still find strings of tinsel in my socks even here in Pittsburgh.
Well here we are again with the Glitter Crisis. I still stand by my original statement: we are fully responsible for the harm we bring to this planet, and it is our responsibility to avoid that harm at all costs. If people saw what glitter can do to an “ecosystem” of a theatre as a model for what glitter does to our entire environment, maybe they’d actually stop using it because honestly its awful. I will not avoid my own guilt in the crisis, I certainly had my fair share of glittery bows and tutus as a toddler, but seeing the way glitter is implemented in big musicals is honestly jaw dropping and so truly unnecessary. I think that this is one of those scenarios where we need to completely abstain from the use of glitter until someone comes up with an actual alternative to the substance There is no acceptable amount or kind that does any less harm. I vote that we as a community at CMU do our part by avoiding glitter too.
Glitter is one of the most essential parts of a completed look. It breaks my heart to know that glitter is bad for the environment, but I think that we have to figure out a way to make it work. I personally have been looking online for eco friendly glitter and i found several that I decided to start using. Its time for glitter to revolutionize, as CMU design students, we need to be on the forefront in using a glitter alternative in our productions and in our pieces. Glitter doesn't deserve to be abandoned just yet, we need to figure out how to make it work for all types of people and the environment. Its one of the most important parts of drag shows, and many craft projects and if the reign of glitter ends now, many drag queens will be stuck without an essential makeup component that can make or break a look.
I have such a love hate relationship with glitter. Iove the way it looks, and when I worked as a body artist at an amusement park this summer used so much sparkle powder on kids' face paint designs, so I'm not unfamiliar with it. On the other hand, I've always been painfully aware of its awful environmental impact. As mentioned above, biodegradable glitter does exist, and I'm confused as to why it hasn't been adopted into the mainstream yet. The same goes for things like plastic plates and utensils; biodegradable versions have been created and tested. Why don't we use them? This applies to theater in every way. I think the efforts to reduce an environmental impact in theater should me made a priority. Theater is one of the most environmentally harmful forms of art out there, but we have ways to fix it and should! Glitter is the first step towards getting rid of the carbon footprint left behind by this industry.
So finally the world is coming to the realization that glitter is the devil. Though I can honestly say not for the reason that I thought (that fact like herpes glitter is impossible to get rid of) but rather people are thinking more so about the harmful impact that it had on the environment. Dr. Trisia Farrelly of New Zealand’s Massey University states “I think all glitter should be banned, because it’s microplastic,” The reason behind why microplastics are viewed as being so harmful to the environment is due to the fact that they quite easily find there way in water sources and than into the bodies of wild life. This fact is pretty damn horrifying and only manages to make me hate glitter even more a thought that I had believed impossible. I think it's time that we all agree to stop using glitter on things cause it is the devil.
Glitter is just bad. As I said before, I will never willingly use it in any way. This is due to my experiences with it is mostly theatre. My reasoning is usually due to the lack of natural cleanup and the fact that one can never get all of it, it never goes away and will follow you until the day one dies!!! I am glad to see the level of traction this idea of a total ban on non-biodegradable glitter is getting these past few weeks. For me, it has always been one of those things that I thought just turned to dust since it was so close already. The fact that this has such an impact on the environment and we don't know what to do other than ban it is a little unsettling. I was surprised that something so small could be causing such problems. However, the first step is to get people to stop using it. From there we can decide what needs doing about the clean-up.
As someone who loves glitter as much as the next Ru Paul's Drag Race viewer, this article was extremely disheartening to read at first. However, the more I read about the damages it had to wildlife and the environment, I realized how ridiculous protesting a ban on glitter sounded. Our care for the environment should greatly surpass our need for arts and crafts and children's halloween costumes. Without the health of our planet, similar to the health of our own bodies, we as a species have nothing. Unfortunately we are on a speeding track right now to destroy the world's resources until eventually there is nothing left and our efforts to make less of a footprint on the earth will be overtaken my the drastic effects of climate change. However, in many ways I am still hopeful. Having gone to an extremely environmentally conscious high school I've witnessed how seemingly minuscule changes in everyday things like simply adding compost bins in the hallway can have a huge impact.
11 comments:
I can restate that I really hate glitter from a tech perspective. It’s hard to clean up, gets everywhere, is hard to clean up and can damage or clog sensitive machine parts. It’s nice to see that now it is being discussed more so for it’s environmental impact. There are a number of chemicals that we use in the scenic production process that have a similar impact, but we dispose of them accordingly (in most cases) and that helps mitigate any environmental damage. Glitter and other substances like it can be very dangerous and is one of those things that only now are being realized as being a danger. I wonder what else is out there that is just as dangerous that we just don’t know about yet. As a child I fondly remember that every craft project somehow involved glue and glitter in a variety of colors. I also remember washing my hands in the sink without any realization as to where the glitter was going. I think so too parents and teachers were the same way. It takes years, decades sometimes to learn the real impact of something. This is just the start.
This just goes to show how obliviously destructive we as humans really are. Who ever thought that something as harmless as glitter could cause a huge environmental impact. The same with polyester sweaters: when you wash those, tiny particles get washed away and end up in the water systems creating huge problems for the natural world. Everything we do is destructive to this world. I think this is why climate change is such a controversy, because to correct it, we would literally have to change every single aspect of life as we know it, and that is simply too daunting for many people to wrap their heads around. It is going to take some serious cultural change for our species to even have a hint of chance of surviving more than the next few hundred years. I only hope that science can advance enough to figure out what the hell needs to be done.
I’m not entirely sure why, but my first thought when I read this was “I wonder what LUSH cosmetics is doing regarding this?” I don’t know why that was my first thought. I’ve never bought any products made by LUSH. I went in a LUSH store once a couple years ago out of curiosity. But, I know they are committed to low environmental impact, and I know a lot of their products contain a lot of glitter.
So, I looked to see if LUSH had made a statement on glitter, and sure enough, they had. And they’ve been using socially responsible and biodegradable glitter since before 2014 (not sure how much before.) So this problem with glitter isn’t something we’ve just discovered, it is just something we have been ignoring. And it doesn’t mean an end to glitter, it just means when need to start being more conscious of what we use to make glitter.
Also, good job LUSH, both for being socially responsible and for making me, some random person who has never used their products, think of them as the obvious intersection between social responsibility and glitter.
Yes! The rein of terror will be ended! Seriously, glitter is the worst. Who ever invented and marketed it should receive a firm slap to the face. At my old job, we put on a variety show. One of the few rules included in agreeing to use our space is that glitter is absolutely banned. Glitter can never be fully cleaned up, and it sticks to everything, performers, technicians, audience seats, the set, soft goods. Really, you name it, and there is glitter on it somewhere. Any glitter that gets flushed down a drain makes it to a source of water, and collects and settles like some poisonous sediment. I like Julian's comment above; I use LUSH products and I honestly never thought too hard about the glitter in my bath bombs. With Julian's research, I'm soothed that the absurdly expensive bath bombs I use are hurting my wallet, but not the environment.
I absolutely hate glitter because it gets everywhere and never goes away no matter how much you think you cleaned it up. I can understand why cosmetic industries and art industries would be upset on banning types of glitter. I do think that their is some medical issues with it because of the metallic pieces in it, and the fact that it is an environmental hazard is not surprising in the least. I never understood the fascination with glitter in cosmetic products, especially LUSH, in Julian's comment above it seems that their are types of glitter that could survive as they are eco friendly. I wonder how someone in a glitter making factory lung's are doing? If sand is something that is terrible to be breathing in and around, I bet metallic glitter would be pretty bad too. I also am going to forward this article on to my mother who is obsessed with tinsel at Christmas time. I still find strings of tinsel in my socks even here in Pittsburgh.
Well here we are again with the Glitter Crisis. I still stand by my original statement: we are fully responsible for the harm we bring to this planet, and it is our responsibility to avoid that harm at all costs. If people saw what glitter can do to an “ecosystem” of a theatre as a model for what glitter does to our entire environment, maybe they’d actually stop using it because honestly its awful. I will not avoid my own guilt in the crisis, I certainly had my fair share of glittery bows and tutus as a toddler, but seeing the way glitter is implemented in big musicals is honestly jaw dropping and so truly unnecessary. I think that this is one of those scenarios where we need to completely abstain from the use of glitter until someone comes up with an actual alternative to the substance There is no acceptable amount or kind that does any less harm. I vote that we as a community at CMU do our part by avoiding glitter too.
Glitter is one of the most essential parts of a completed look. It breaks my heart to know that glitter is bad for the environment, but I think that we have to figure out a way to make it work. I personally have been looking online for eco friendly glitter and i found several that I decided to start using. Its time for glitter to revolutionize, as CMU design students, we need to be on the forefront in using a glitter alternative in our productions and in our pieces. Glitter doesn't deserve to be abandoned just yet, we need to figure out how to make it work for all types of people and the environment. Its one of the most important parts of drag shows, and many craft projects and if the reign of glitter ends now, many drag queens will be stuck without an essential makeup component that can make or break a look.
I have such a love hate relationship with glitter. Iove the way it looks, and when I worked as a body artist at an amusement park this summer used so much sparkle powder on kids' face paint designs, so I'm not unfamiliar with it. On the other hand, I've always been painfully aware of its awful environmental impact. As mentioned above, biodegradable glitter does exist, and I'm confused as to why it hasn't been adopted into the mainstream yet. The same goes for things like plastic plates and utensils; biodegradable versions have been created and tested. Why don't we use them? This applies to theater in every way. I think the efforts to reduce an environmental impact in theater should me made a priority. Theater is one of the most environmentally harmful forms of art out there, but we have ways to fix it and should! Glitter is the first step towards getting rid of the carbon footprint left behind by this industry.
So finally the world is coming to the realization that glitter is the devil. Though I can honestly say not for the reason that I thought (that fact like herpes glitter is impossible to get rid of) but rather people are thinking more so about the harmful impact that it had on the environment. Dr. Trisia Farrelly of New Zealand’s Massey University states “I think all glitter should be banned, because it’s microplastic,” The reason behind why microplastics are viewed as being so harmful to the environment is due to the fact that they quite easily find there way in water sources and than into the bodies of wild life. This fact is pretty damn horrifying and only manages to make me hate glitter even more a thought that I had believed impossible. I think it's time that we all agree to stop using glitter on things cause it is the devil.
Glitter is just bad. As I said before, I will never willingly use it in any way. This is due to my experiences with it is mostly theatre. My reasoning is usually due to the lack of natural cleanup and the fact that one can never get all of it, it never goes away and will follow you until the day one dies!!! I am glad to see the level of traction this idea of a total ban on non-biodegradable glitter is getting these past few weeks. For me, it has always been one of those things that I thought just turned to dust since it was so close already. The fact that this has such an impact on the environment and we don't know what to do other than ban it is a little unsettling. I was surprised that something so small could be causing such problems. However, the first step is to get people to stop using it. From there we can decide what needs doing about the clean-up.
As someone who loves glitter as much as the next Ru Paul's Drag Race viewer, this article was extremely disheartening to read at first. However, the more I read about the damages it had to wildlife and the environment, I realized how ridiculous protesting a ban on glitter sounded. Our care for the environment should greatly surpass our need for arts and crafts and children's halloween costumes. Without the health of our planet, similar to the health of our own bodies, we as a species have nothing. Unfortunately we are on a speeding track right now to destroy the world's resources until eventually there is nothing left and our efforts to make less of a footprint on the earth will be overtaken my the drastic effects of climate change. However, in many ways I am still hopeful. Having gone to an extremely environmentally conscious high school I've witnessed how seemingly minuscule changes in everyday things like simply adding compost bins in the hallway can have a huge impact.
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