Boulder Teenagers Join Think Tank Workshop To Help Ban Polystyrene & Sing
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Some concerned kids in Boulder want to ban polystyrene and single-use plastics in the city. In order to do that, they will need to change state law.
Saturday morning they held a workshop with State Rep. Jonathan Singer.
"I think it's important for us to share our ideas, and if we had already done that a while ago, this world would be a much different place," said 5th grader Amalia Rose Battle.
She was part of a group of kids with a lot they want to accomplish.
"What our goal is right now is to try to stop Styrofoam and single use plastics from being legal," said Amalia.
"There is a law right now at the state level saying that plastics and Styrofoam can't be banned in individual communities, so our goal right now is to overturn that so we can pass a ban in Boulder," said Fairview High School Junior Morgan Bauer.
They have been brought together for this workshop through the organization Dream Tank.
"Dream Tank really is here to help and facilitate and provide skill sets and mentors and connections to help the kids do it," said Heidi Cuppari who founded Dream Tank three years ago, seeing the potential in the upcoming generation and helping them to see it too.
"I feel like kids have fresher ideas, they have a fresher concept of the world," said Amalia.
Dream Tank connected the kids with Singer who tried to pass a similar bill in the last legislative season, but failed when faced with opposition from the Restaurant Association and chemical companies which make polystyrene cups.
"We can talk about the health effects, the economic effects, what it's going to do in terms of climate change, but what really makes a difference in my life is seeing 12, 13, 15 and 16 year olds standing up and talking truth to power," said Singer.
This think tank workshop could very well lead to passing new legislation.
"I think it's very, very cool that there's so many young people here working on this, and it's really inspiring," said Morgan.
Any change to current State law wouldn't automatically ban polystyrene products and single-use plastics, but would allow cities to make that determination for themselves.