Is PLASTIC, AHOY! made with plastic? #3rdchat #4thchat #5thchat #6thchat

Hello Patricia! I got your book, PLASTIC, AHOY! and like  the fact that you’re bringing awareness about plastic to kids around the world!  Just what I’ve always wanted! (No, really!) The book is wonderfully written. (I  love the Soda Machine) However, as I set the book down, I noticed  that the cover has a plastic case around it. This seems very strange,  considering what the book is about! Please think about changing this! Thank you very much for your time (and books!), Charles

So I did a little research (something nonfiction authors never tire of!) before responding to Charles:

The book carries a reinforced  binding which makes it suitable for school and public libraries, and therefore,  requires a hard cover. Assuming you are not reading a library copy (which is  sometimes protected by an extra acetate covering), I queried my editor who  queried the production manager. Here’s what we found out from the production manager:  “Regarding the book’s  cover, it’s a petroleum/nylon based product.  All hardcovers have a film laminate applied by squeezing the paper and  plastic through a heated roller.  The  plastic is applied as a wet coating and dried by ultraviolet light so that it  hardens on the printing and protects it from scuffs.  The industry hasn’t developed any  environmentally friendly alternatives to the coating we use to make the books  last.  We can print with soy based inks  and make sure our paper is FSC certified, but the ink would just scratch off  without the laminate or UC coating.”

So, unfortunately, yes the book is coated in a thin film  of laminate for which there is currently no alternative. I guess the good news  is books aren’t usually considered single-use items that are tossed as soon as  they are read (at least I hope so!) I also someday the industry will come up  with a more eco-friendly way to protect books.

My plastic consumption for three weeks. Milk containers, tennis ball cans, yogurt cups, contact lens solution bottles, pasta bags, strawberry containers.  Cereal box liners. Yikes! Where does it end?

Thank you for your concern–and for providing me with  material for an interesting blog post!

Nearly everything we use has some plastic in it. My goal in writing Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was to help decrease the amount of plastic we use one time before tossing (or hopefully recycling). Plastic for single-use water bottles. Styrofoam used for school lunch trays. Plastic “doggie bags” in restaurants. Plastic cutlery. In order to change habits, we need to create awareness.

I would love to hear what you are doing to decrease your plastic consumption!