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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2016)
Polk County Education 16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 23, 2016 Youth robotics team tackles trash By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Paper or plas- tic? A Dallas-based 4-H robot- ics club, Dallas Xtreme Team, wants people to con- sider their choice carefully — or better yet, BYOB (bring your own bag). The First Lego League team has been toiling away on it robots, but chose not to compete in tournaments. Instead, they have been fo- cusing on the research proj- ect each team is required to select and complete. The 2015-16 First Lego League theme is “Trash Trek,” asking teams to re- search and propose innova- tive solutions to deal with the world’s trash. The team members are boys ages 9 to 12, and they decided to take on plastic bags, and plastic garbage in general, as their project. They were shocked by what they discovered: cur- rents have created plastic- laden “garbage patches” in the ocean and fish and ma- rine birds are eating the tiny particles, with consequences for those species and hu- mans. “On Midway Island there are these birds called alba- tross, and they are struggling to stay alive,” said team member Micah Domes. He said researchers have found the birds dead. “Scientists, when they go and they cut open the dead birds, they find garbage sacks and (plastic) lids in- side their stomach, and that’s what kills them,” Micah said. Worse for the health of humans, the boys found that fish are eating tiny plastic pieces, possibly increasing their toxicity levels. The answer, according to the team? Of the three R’s — reduce, recycle, reuse — they decid- ed it is most effective to re- duce. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Half of the team members with assistant coach Kim Conolly, second from left, and coach Korri Miller, right, at practice on March 15. To that end, the team would like to get the Dallas community’s opinion on the question: Should Dallas ban plastic bags? “Corvallis has a plastic bag ban,” said team coach Korri Miller. “What would that mean for our communi- ty if we tried to affect a change like that?” The team has created a four question survey to gauge public support for re- ducing the use of plastic bags in Dallas. The survey asks if people would support a ban or re- quire people to pay for use of all bags, paper or plastic. If the ban followed Corvallis’ example, it would exclude bags used at pharmacies, restaurants or delis. “I think that we should put a 5 cent (charge) on plastic and paper bags or offer cloth bags that are very reusable,” said team mem- ber Nathen Clay. “Or people could bring their own bags,” team mem- ber Trey Darrington added. The most important les- son for the boys — and they hope for others who look into their project — is that trash doesn’t just disappear when you put it on the curb for weekly pick up. Kim Conolly, assistant coach, said Dallas could be a regional leader on the issue. “I think we can all act dif- ferently,” she said. “I think communities around here could look at Dallas, and like Corvallis, we could set a powerful example for Salem or other communities.” “We have produced this trash and we need to be re- sponsible to deal with it and reduce it.” Team conclusions: • The world's largest garbage patch is the “Great Paciic Ocean Garbage Patch.” • Scientists believe 80 percent of marine plastic is discarded from land. • Plastic will never biodegrade, but it does photodegrade in water, becoming tiny chunks of garbage which ish eat. People then eat those ish, which may have elevated toxin levels. • Midway Island, in the middle of the Paciic Ocean, is home to the al- batross. Even with no con- tact with humans, thou- sands may die each year due to eating the plastic, which loats in the ocean that surrounds Midway Is- land. Plastic Bag Survey questions: 1. Are you concerned about the environmental hazards of using plastic bags in today's world? Yes, No or Other 2. When you shop, do you primarily use: Paper, plastic, bring your own reusable bags or other 3. If the City of Dallas were to reduce the use of single- use plastic bags, would you be willing to pay 5 cents for each bag you received if you did not bring your own? Yes, No or Other 4. Would you approve of a single-use plastic bag ban in the city of Dallas, similar to what the city of Corvallis adopt- ed? This would not include restaurants, delis, pharmacies, etc. Yes, No or Other Of note: Those interested in taking the survey can email their responses to DallasXtremeTeam@yahoo.com or mail them to Dallas Xtreme Team, 1693 James Howe Road, Dal- las, OR 97338. To take the survey online, go to: https://www.survey- monkey.com/r/ZRYV86L.
