News Report 

1. Title of my News Report and article:
   1. “This State is poised to become the first to ban foam food Packaging”
      1. Found on National Geographic
      2. Written by Laura Parker
2. My citation for my article is as follows:
   1. Parker, Laura. “This State Is Poised to Become the First to Ban Foam Food Packaging.” Maryland Is Poised to Become the First State to Ban Foam Food Packaging, National Geographic Society, 5 Apr. 2019.
3. Here is a direct link to my article:
   1. www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/maryland-styrofoam-food-packaging-ban/
4. The 5 W’s and How:
   1. What: Maryland is anticipated to become the first state to ban the distribution of single-use foam containers for food production (i.e. for take-out orders/leftovers in restaurants and businesses – however, meat packaging would be allowed). The bill is still awaiting approval from the Governor, but apparently only has about six days to decide, and he has made no indication as to what side he will be voting towards. Del. Brooke Lierman has been waiting for the success of the House of Delegates to have enough votes to veto the Governor for the last three years; she was quoted that she feels that the community has reached a “tipping point” and is ready for a change when it comes to helping out the environment.
   2. Who: Del. Brooke Lierman, along with a vote of 100-37 of the House of Delegates in Maryland voted to pass the bill, while they now await Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision on whether to pass the bill or veto it (*hint: either way, they already have enough votes to override the veto).
   3. When: The article came out on April 5th, 2019. It said that the Governor had just six days to make his decision about the bill, however, when I give the News Report presentation (Wed April 10th), he should only have one day remaining, and the official results should be found out very soon. If the bill is passed it will go into official affected the following summer (June/July 2020).
   4. Where: Maryland
   5. Why: The citizens are pushing for this bill, because they feel that the ban on foam, single-use containers is a significant first step toward becoming a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly community. They understand that these products do not go away and thus end up causing pollution elsewhere, and they are striving to be one of the first states in the country to break this cycle.
   6. How: The group of state delegates voted for the bill, and came out with a 100-37 vote in its favor for it to be passed. Now, once it is passed, changes must be put into place by local businesses as they look for take-out food container alternatives.
5. Impact:
   1. For my News Report, I chose to examine how the passing of this ban would have impacts in three ways:
      1. Environmentally
         1. If the containers were banned, the number of non-recyclable and single-use items would decrease in the community
            1. This would mean an overall decrease in pollution/litter not only seen within the state of Maryland, but in the waters on the east coast (as our garbage always makes its way there eventually)
      2. Economically
         1. Because the number of pollutants and litter would decrease, this mean less money would need to be spent by the government and locals picking it up and trying to find ways to dispose of it
         2. The article mentioned that small business owners may struggle if this law was passed because foam is very inexpensive and efficient
            1. Spending more of their costs on an alternative could hurt them
      3. Socially
         1. The law could bring people in the community together
            1. Many see it as a victory, as they have been striving for a common goal, and want to continue to work toward living sustainably
         2. The law could divide people in the community
            1. Small business owners could turn against those that voted in favor of the bill, because they feel they are going to take a hit financially because of the ban
6. Relevance to ENVT 200:
   1. Sustainability
      1. The 3 E’s (Environmental, Social, and Economic)
   2. Systems Thinking
      1. Can look at how the law getting passed has several both pros and cons in different eyes of the beholders
   3. Ethics/Value
      1. Restaurant and business owners are forced to take a look at what they are providing their consumers and make sure they are telling the truth and not breaking the new law if it passes
   4. Policy
      1. Gov. Larry Hogan still remains on the fence (at this point) about the bill and still has to vote (enough delegate votes to overrule a veto)
7. Questions:
   1. What happens if the governor vetoes it?
      1. Does this show he is not supporting what the majority of his citizens are striving toward? How will they react?
   2. Will local businesses comply? What true economic impacts will they feel? What changes and alternatives will they choose to make?
   3. If passed, what will the next environmentally-friendly law look like for Maryland?