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This week was rough because of *gestures broadly* but we’re still here to burst your bubble! But really though. We cover the juicy secrets of the “gum base” in your chewing gum and the truth behind “biodegradable” balloons. Then we find ways to still have a fun party and how to use design to change the way we consume plastics.
Olivia mentioned Leena Norms’ A Guide to Positive Panic series as a good way to process climate anxiety and the climate crisis. Elise has been liking the climate podcast Drilled and how it connects the unusual ways Big Oil is present in our lives.
Story #1 (Elise) : Chewing Gum
Sources:
History Channel, Aug 22, 2018, Chew On This History of Gum
Smithsonian Magazine, June 16, 2009, A Brief History of Chewing Gum
Science Focus, What Is Chewing Gum
Deccan Chronicle, June 1 2017, Here’s The Unusual Ingredient In Gum You Didn’t Know About
Wikipedia, Chewing Gum
BBC, March 6, 2018, World Hacks: A Surprising New Afterlife for Chewing Gum
Plastic Free Gum Alternatives:
Simply Gum
Glee Gum
Want to shop products made from used chewing gum or get involved in the recycling process? Check out Gum Drop LTD here.
Story #2 (Olivia) : Balloons
Sources:
Detroit Free Press, Global helium shortage is a growing threat to graduation parties and scientific research
CNBC, The worldwide helium shortage affects everything from MRIs to rockets
Science World’s resource on Balloons
Balloon Debris research by Lara O’Brien
BalloonsBlow.org, especially their Backyard Biodegradability Test
The Atlantic’s video The Doomed Cleveland Balloonfest of 1986
The Conversation, We Composted Biodegradable Balloons. Here’s what we found.
Physics Today, Helium shortage has ended, at least for now
There were some fun, environmentally-friendly balloon alternatives on Balloon Debris.org and Balloons Blow. We especially liked the idea of DIY Bubbles or Floating Wishes, but there are a lot of suggestions for different types of events!
The Dump
We’ve been watching a lot of good TV this week: Great News, Undone, Border, and The Wedding Planner. We hope you’re hanging in there and that this episode made you feel better, especially if you’re feeling bogged down by the US news cycle like us.
Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.
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Thanks for listening!
World Is Burning 