How Plastic Made Things Too Cheap | Planet Money | NPR
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This is the story of the moldable, affordable, miracle product of the modern age - Plastic.
The story starts with some frustrated electrical scientists and a clever chemist named Leo Baekeland.
A century ago stuff was expensive. Back then, people relied on nature to make things: toothbrushes were made of silver, combs were made of tortoiseshell and clothes were made of cotton (well, they're still mostly cotton, but you get the point.)
Then, in 1907, a chemist named Leo Baekeland found a way to turn useless oil gunk into plastic. Things haven't been the same since. It opened up a whole world of affordable products. Suddenly everyone could get one of everything. This is the story of how plastic was first made, and how maybe we went too far with it.
Listen to the original Planet Money podcast episode here! https://n.pr/2YP5twt
Subscribe to our video series here http://bit.ly/2o5dHjo
And, while you're at it, subscribe to our podcast - http://n.pr/2Eq8WMl
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The story starts with some frustrated electrical scientists and a clever chemist named Leo Baekeland.
A century ago stuff was expensive. Back then, people relied on nature to make things: toothbrushes were made of silver, combs were made of tortoiseshell and clothes were made of cotton (well, they're still mostly cotton, but you get the point.)
Then, in 1907, a chemist named Leo Baekeland found a way to turn useless oil gunk into plastic. Things haven't been the same since. It opened up a whole world of affordable products. Suddenly everyone could get one of everything. This is the story of how plastic was first made, and how maybe we went too far with it.
Listen to the original Planet Money podcast episode here! https://n.pr/2YP5twt
Subscribe to our video series here http://bit.ly/2o5dHjo
And, while you're at it, subscribe to our podcast - http://n.pr/2Eq8WMl
------------------------------------------------------
Follow NPR elsewhere, too:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/npr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NPR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npr/
Tumblr: http://npr.tumblr.com/
Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/npr
ABOUT NPR
NPR connects to audiences on the air, on demand, online, and in person. More than 26 million radio listeners tune in to NPR stations each week and more than 36 million unique visitors access NPR.org each month making NPR one of the most trusted sources of news and insights on life and the arts. NPR is also the leading publisher of podcasts, with 36 original shows and an average of 4 million listeners per week. NPR shares compelling stories, audio and photos with millions of social media users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat; NPR News and NPR One apps, online streaming, podcasts, iTunes radio and connected car dashboards help meet audiences where they are. NPR's live events bring to the stage two-way conversations between NPR hosts and the audience in collaboration with the public radio Member Station community. This robust access to public service journalism makes NPR an indispensable resource in the media landscape.
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- Autumn Banned Added Super interesting!