FergusonMemo1redux

I kept around some of the questions from others that might be useful in understanding both me and my ideas.

//You hate plastics and consumption. What do you love instead?// Community, family, collaborative learning, tinkering and dabbling, socializing over video games, beer (for a short period I was thinking about looking at microbrewing as a topic of inquiry, its still kicking around in my brain and would be an interesting extension from the bioplastic topic), food, sports, acting like a kid (which I don't do as much as I'd like), a good story and storyteller, Oaxacan and New Mexican cuisine, sci-fi and fantasy novels, cartoons, documentaries, hiking, and music festivals.

//Which are the "critical" stakeholders? What criteria will you use to judge?// I suppose critical will be defined during my interaction with the people that I encounter. In this regard critical contains two criteria, how embedded are they in the systems I'm investigating and how useful they are to me for understanding these systems.

//Are you interested in know this "know" is created and spread around?// I never really delved into this but yes you seem to hit it about right. I want people to know themselves and their actions more than they do presently. Like Ross I don't think marketing and advertising are giving people what they need to make good decisions, schools are a waste in this regard, and U.S. culture isn't real interesting in self discovery and reflection.


 * Topic || Data Sets || Social Theoretical Questions? || Why Now? || How Prepared? || Bias? || Fields of Work? || Funders? ||
 * -Bioplastics A: horizontal across industry || __**Interviews**__

1. Steven Levine Part Owner and Director Excellent Packaging & Supply 3220 Blume Dr. Suite 111 Richmond, CA 94806 Home office 707-253-1437 Cell Phone 707-363-5515 Fax 707-261-9741 steve@excellentpackaging.com

Excellent Packaging has been in the packaging business for several generations, and about 8 years ago started offering bioplastic options due to market availability, consumer interest, and (mostly) concerns about environment and local first. It seen like I will be taking a trip out to the Northwest as many companies and groups are working on bioplastics. Excellent Packaging would be an important stop as it lies at the juncture of the raw product, manufactured good, and consumer market.

2. I'd like to speak with a few of the individuals that represent the European Bioplastics consortium. This organization is an industry funded group that is working on producing and promoting bioplastics, waste collection, and composting in the EU. The headquarters of the consortium is in Berlin, Germany.

3. The Institute for Local Self Reliance focuses on local economies and most recently on a carbohydrate economy. They have a sustainable bioplastic division which would be a good starting point for getting a feel for the landscape.

4. In a similar vein the Sustainable Bioplastics Collaborative is an advocacy organization focused on EJ issues, waste, environmentalism, etc. surrounding bioplastics.

5. I'd like to get in touch with a number of recycling industry and waste hauling companies to determine what the status is on concerns of collection, composting, etc. without the initial inquiry I won't know exactly whom to focus on. I'd start with the American Recycler's group that has already expressed concern over the introduction of bioplastics into the market.


 * __Sites and Case Studies__**

1. Novamont Novamont produces a particular type of plastic called Mater-Bi. They are interesting as, from the beginning, decided to go for the most compostable and biodegradable certifications. Their claim is also that no GM based starch feedstocks are used in the products. It would be a bit of a trip as the company headquarters is near Milan, Spain.

2. Natureworks LLC Natureworks is the largest producer of corn starch based plastic, branded as Ingeo. With this one I have a company devoted to their local community, everything is sourced within 30 miles of their plant, but has no interest in the GM debate. They use no.2 feed corn because it is cheap and abundant, but the process could use any sugar (dextrose) source. The product can only be composted in large, well maintained facilities or incinerated. They acknowledge the conflict with existing recycling and are taking steps to work with these institutions. I'd like to talk with people that work in the manufacturing facility as well as the individuals working in the regulatory affairs department. The latter would start with a inquiry with the office of Glenn Johnston, Manager of Global Regulatory Affairs.

Corporate Headquarters NatureWorks LLC 15305 Minnetonka Boulevard Minnetonka, MN 55345 USA

Manufacturing Facility NatureWorks LLC, Manufacturing 650 Industrial Road, PO Box 564 Blair, NE 68008 USA

As alternatives in case the above don't turn out we have:

Companies

 * [|BioBag] (USA, Canada)
 * [|Biosphere Industries] (USA)
 * [|BioTuf] (USA)
 * [|Cereplast] (USA)
 * [|Earthcycle Packaging] (Canada)
 * [|EarthShell] (USA)
 * [|Econeer] (Korea)
 * [|Innovia Films] (International)
 * [|Metabolix] (USA)
 * [|NatureWorks LLC] (USA)
 * [|Novamont, Mater-Bi™] (Italy)
 * [|Plantic] (Australia)
 * [|Tianan Biologic Material Co.] (China)

Biodegradable Product Associations

 * [|European Bioplastics]
 * [|The Biodegradable Products Institute], BPI (North America)
 * [|The BioEnvironmental Polymer Society], BEPS (USA)

Bioplastics Industry Associations
How do existing institutions enable and constrain innovation/change amongst existing institutions and newly forming institutions?
 * [|Plastics Environmental Division, Society of Plastic Engineers]
 * [|Japan Bioplastics Association]
 * [|Australasian Bioplastics Association] || A (social/theoretical).

A (focused) How have existing institutions enabled and contrained the development of the bioplastic industry?

B (Social/theoretical).

Are newly developing company's products, decision making, and intentions different than those coming from established industry?

C (social/theoretical). How does the sociocultural backdrop of institutions shape their development?

C (focused). How has the sociocultural backdrop of the EU and the U.S. shaped the institutions forming around bioplastics?

Relevant institutions: 1. Recycling: community based and private industry 2. Composters 3. Waste Collection 4. EPA 5. USDA 6. || I know that institutionalism is a pretty big deal right now, particularly in STS. Many groups are talking about biofuels and how much of a mess these can be, I haven't seen anywhere near as much attention paid to bioplastics. Since the industry is still young I want to understand it as early as possible to hopefully keep some pathways open long enough to take hold. || presently working with an individual that is attempting to put together the beginnings of a bioplastic market in New York. -have been working with Abby on the topic for the last 6 months or so writing bi-weekly memos on books, articles and other thoughts as they come up. || -biosketch: I am a caucasion, male, who comes from a pretty conservative extended family and a more liberal core family. I've lived both more and less privileged on an economic scale and in a variety of socioeconomic environments, which likely makes me hyper aware of poverty and institutionalized violence against people. I was raised solely by my mother from the age of 14 whom had very little control over me and I disliked my dad, which likely has made me distrustful of authority. I've worked all my life and treat labor as critical to human experience. While I have never worked on a farm or come from a community that is more Ag oriented I appreciate the people who do. I don't know where this occurred, but I'm something of an economic isolationist and cultural voyuer (aka local first and I like to travel)

I hate plastics and consumption. I'm also deeply skeptical of large multinationals taking over this industry like they did with recycling and making it less than desirable. Best bumpersticker "the more you know the less you need" || -Industrial ecology -Local first -sustainable development -Comparative policy studies -State policy and intervention -Agriculture policy -Sociology of institutions

-I'd like to be setup in such a way as to be able to be an academic and have the opportunity to influence policy making. There is also the potential if jobs are scarce to do consultancy work with companies attempting to get into this market. || -NSF -perhaps some industry money -HASS -Resources for the Future has a variety of relevant fellowships and grants related to environmental policy and resource usage. ||
 * -Bioplastics B: vertical from cradle to cradle/grave || -Likely I'd do a comparison between two states or a state (most likely California) and a smallish country (most likely Italy). The comparisons would require a short sociohistorical look at using ag feedstocks for industry, cultural components surrounding farming, food, environmentalism, sustainability, security from global markets, waste, consumption, and recycling among other items. After this I'd have to interview and interact with the stakeholders from each tier of the commodity chain.

-I want to talk with some folks from New York's (and the California equivalent) Agricultural and Markets Agency and the State's Extension Services located in university systems. The extension programs are one of the primary linkage points for translating between farms, industry and research institutions.

-Cornell's Applied Economics department has a couple of people I want to talk to:

//Senior Extension Associate// • Agricultural cooperatives • Agribusiness marketing
 * [|Brian Henehan]**

//Professor// //Professor// • Economics of sustainable agriculture and natural resource management • Agricultural and international trade policy • Agricultural research and technology policy
 * [|Nelson Bills]**
 * [|David Lee]**

//Associate Professor// • Innovation • Technological change • Commercialization of new technologies
 * [|Aija Leiponen]**

//Susan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business// • Agricultural biotechnology: implications for farmers and consumers, domestic and international • Operation and ramifications of patents for plants and animals
 * [|William Lesser]**

//Assistant Professor// • Ag-based economic development • Agribusiness management and marketing
 * [|Todd Schmit]**

-Biodegradable Policy Institute

-Robert Reed, public relations manager for Norcal Waste Systems, a solid-waste company based in San Francisco

-There is an International Biomass Conference that occurs every year (this year it is in Portland) and would be a potential site study for determining who is present in this network.

-Bioplastics Recycling Consortium

-Talk with members of Eco-cycle, a non-profit recycling center that is doing it more right than not.

-Work with members of Clean Production Action group CPA (North America) P.O. Box 153 Spring Brook, NY 14140 USA Tel: +1 716-805-1056 alexandra@cleanproduction.org || A (social/theoretical). How have environmental movements influenced the development of traditional industry? || A (focused). How have social movements, consumer groups, and environmental groups been able to shape the framing of bioplastics?

B (social/theoretical). How does the institutionalization of one environmental movement constrain subsequent movements?

B (focused). How has the institutionalization of the recycling movement undermined the original goals and future potential for an obsentensibly related environmental goal of bioplastic production?

C (Social/theoretical). How do different consumer cultures impact the development of industry.

C (focus) How do new technological fixes to social problems propogate the same social problems, e.g. overconsumption of plastics is bad for a) use of petrol and b) pollution; at the same time bioplastics confront a) and b) but leave consumption untouched.

D (social/theoretical) How do environmental identities develop around newly emerging industries?

E (social/theoretical) Can more democratically aligned interactions with agricultural communities create more sustainable cultures? || • Rural land use • Resource economics • Farmland markets and values • Regional economic analysisI'm intrigued by ostensibly similar environmental movements and how they can clash. In this case recycling and bioplastics, potentially both good for the environment don't mix well. Part of this also has to deal with the institutionalization of the pro-recycling environmental movements and how the messages have been lost in the privatization of recycling and what alternatives might be lost in this process. I also think that agriculture is going to become increasingly important as ag goods will be looked at as alternatives to imported feedstocks, fuel and food. || -Social Movement studies

-social movements in Industry

-Policy Analysis

-Institutionalization of social movements

-Discourse analysis of framing

-many of the fields from Bioplastics A also apply || || -Morris K. Udall Environmental Public Policy & Conflict Resolution Ph.D. Fellowship || ||
 * -NSF

I decided I might as well reintroduce what I had worked on last year for a HASS proposal, it actually transgresses the boundaries of sustainability above and democratic governance below. Check it out...

-I might be able to do a quantitative look at the relative 'greeness' of the goods and services between traditional corporations and worker cooperatives. -Site studies of at least two worker cooperatives and two corporations with sustainable goals (ideally these would all be in similar markets) - || A. What are the outcomes of democratic governance in workplaces?
 * -Cooperatives and new economies || -history of cooperatives and ownership

B. Is ownership critical for democratic practice in workplaces?

C. Are cooperatives viable institutions for developing alternative economic systems?

D. Do cooperatives develop technologies that run in alternative pathways to traditional companies? || Localism seems pretty hot right now and cooperatives have a tendency to aggragate together and form alternative markets. The volatility of global markets and failing trust in financial institutiions are opening up avenues for alternative practices. Some very large investment institutions are using democratic practices in workplaces as a criteria for investment. || -very much not prepared. I have some deeper knowledge about democratic theory and workplaces with Ned, but not with this particular lens. || Too few people own too much. I don't like the alienation from ones work and workplace. I've worked in a number of different settings and I've seen better decision making when workers expertise and experiences are included in management decisions. I'm a socialist of sorts. ||  || -NSF -Ford Foundation Fellowship on Asset Building and Community Development -HASS -maybe Kettering Research Position for Doctoral Candidates ||