Reducing single-use plastic at the local level | Keith Tharp | TEDxPortsmouth

Keith Tharp makes the quick case for how small, local efforts and organizations can combine to make a large impact. Keith co-founded Sustainable Seacoast with his wife, a nonprofit organization with the primary goal of eliminating single-use plastic in their local restaurant industry. The results are actual reduction in plastic use and shifts in mindset for businesses and residents.
Keith Tharp has two great kids who constantly make him proud. He enjoys a wonderful life with his wife Kate Harris and a Lagotto Romagnolo named Kalee. When he’s not roaming the globe for work and pleasure, he calls Kittery home. As co-owner of Kate & Keith Photography he enjoys traveling, working with amazing people and dancing on weekends. In November of 2017 Keith co-founded Sustainable Seacoast with his wife, a for-purpose organization with the mission of reducing the Seacoast’s impact on the environment through its primary goal of eliminating single-use plastics from the restaurant industry.
sustainableseacoast.org/
Keith Tharp is co-founder of Sustainable Seacoast, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the Seacoast’s environmental impact by eliminating single-use plastics from the restaurant industry. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@susanhunt1033]

Keith Tharp and his wife Kate are not only incredibly talented as photographers but are passionate advocates of living a healthy and sustainable life. They walk the their talk daily. Sustainable Seacoast is making a difference. It all starts with one community and they are clearly changing their's.

[@Mr_Chris__]

In the old days (before plastic bags became so commonplace), people were more resourceful and less wasteful. Cardboard boxes were often reused to put your groceries in, fish was wrapped in newspaper and bags were often made of straw or paper. Whenever I go food shopping, I take a cardboard box off the shelves to put my shopping in. I will then repurpose some of the boxes to be used as parcels.

[@haifaaalfetyan4304]

I like your way in teaching AESOL.

[@egildeseravalli12]

Am very impress by your effort to reduce plastic items and will do the same at my place while spreading the problem in my community. Bravi Keith & Kate and a lot of luck to succeed in your en-devour very much need. Dedi

[@marianellaramirez3786]

@Egilde Seravalli This was great, thanks, I been tryin to find out about "alternatives to plastic bottles" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Denadison Simplified Dominance - (should be on google have a look )? It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to find a great alternative to single use plastic minus the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my partner got excellent results with it.

[@giadabianchini6586]

In Italy, we simply did not have takeaway restaurants until the Anglophone cultures kicked in. Hopefully, most people still sit at the restaurants and cafe shops to consume their orders. Unfortunately, much of the plastic comes from packaging, utterly unnecessary packaging! All over the world most products could be stored in big containers and refilled in small reusable pots when necessary. But possibly multi-national companies are not too interested in that option! Hence, people must boycott plastic, ask for alternatives and switch to a different lifestyle even if that takes a bit more sacrifice it will surely pay off in the long run! And please let's support small local businesses which are often the most sustainable one and a key part of communities...

[@stickmation656]

yes

[@Lepidopterous.]

The audio on this video is very low. The video before and after it blasted my speakers in comparison. I wonder if there is a way to increase its max volume.

[@jackkneubuhl9443]

Edible Spoons Baby

[@svetlanikolova7673]

I WENT ZERO WASTE AND SO.CAN YOU!

[@craigdaubbeats-rapinstrume9185]

This guy isn't old enough to remember when the majority of soda was in glass bottles.

[@jloren4647]

Or... You could trace them all back to a source and control it there. If only there we're a name, like a brand and a registry....

[@svetlanikolova7673]

REFUSE REDUCE REUSE REPURPOSE AND Compost( ROT) Dont trust anyone to recycle !

[@craigdaubbeats-rapinstrume9185]

Hemp plastic is an option.

[@duggydugg3937]

bamboo coffee stirrers... bamboo take out knives..forks .. spoons.. pressed paper lidded container s biodeg film....

[@efrenadom6273]

R u pro or con

[@ericvaughn]

Need good alternatives - where are they?. There's a reason we use plastic.

[@svetlanikolova7673]

lol no there isn't. Plastic didn't exist a while ago and nobody died

[@deannar1155]

It's not about getting rid of all plastic but single use plastic. And reusing plastic.

[@ericvaughn]

@@deannar1155 is recycling profitable? as far as i know it actually loses money to recycle plastic. need good good alternatives (and easier to reuse wood, metal, steel, etc).

[@deannar1155]

@@ericvaughn Reusing plastic and recycling plastic are not the same thing. Obviously we can't get rid of all plastic consumption but we do need to reduce the consumption of single use plastic. Plastic bags, plates, forks, spoons, straws, and take out containers ect. As they have a the highest carbon footprint even more so than motor vehicles.

[@ericvaughn]

@@deannar1155 Really? You want people to wash their plastic take-out container and bring it back to the restaurant for reuse? No, the most you can ask for is recycling that container. But even then, it won't actually be recycled because it's not profitable to the waste management company. The only answer is good alternatives. Where are the good alternatives?