Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a poor barrier to air and water vapor and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, with the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene is naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging, containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative material for phonograph records.
Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are closely affiliated with the Fund for the Public Interest, which conducts fundraising and canvassing on their behalf.
Parris Nelson Glendening is an American politician and academic who served as the 59th governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. He previously served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982 to 1994 as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1999, Glendening was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) is a non-profit organization that is one of the largest of the state PIRG organizations. It works on a variety of political activities, including textbook trading on college campuses. They also provide internships and work study jobs for students on Massachusetts college campuses. Along with the Massachusetts Service Alliance, MASSPIRG helped create Massachusetts Community Water Watch, an organization that works specifically on environmental political. Student funding of MASSPIRG has been criticized at several schools, where students wish to see MASSPIRG funding cut.
The Monarchy Party was a student political party that formed independently on two campuses across the United States. The first group was formed around 1970 at the University of Maryland, College Park by Greg Canter. The second was formed, without knowledge of the first, on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida in 1989. The latter incarnation received media attention in The Washington Post and The Times of London, and was confronted by other student leaders who would later go on to conventional political careers, such as Trey Traviesa who represented District 56 in the Florida House of Representatives. At one point, Florida State University quarterback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward ran successfully as their vice presidential candidate. There appears to have been a third student Monarchy Party formed in 1997 on the campus of San Francisco State University, but it is unclear how successful they were. The parties received a political endorsement by Mojo Nixon, and would later be mentioned in a song called the "Ballad of Marshall Ledbetter" by former Dead Kennedys singer, Jello Biafra.
Richard Stuart Madaleno Jr., commonly known as Rich Madaleno, is an American politician from Maryland. A Democrat, he was a member of the Maryland State Senate, representing the state's 18th district in Montgomery County, which includes Wheaton and Kensington, as well as parts of Silver Spring, Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Madaleno served as chair of the Montgomery County Senate Delegation from 2008 to 2011. He previously served four years in the House of Delegates.
The Fund for the Public Interest is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that runs the public fundraising and canvassing operations for politically liberal nonprofit organizations that advocate for issues such as environmental protection, consumer safeguards and public health in the United States. FFPI was set up in 1982 as the fundraising arm of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRGs). The Fund has faced lawsuits and complaints over its labor practices.
Bryan Warner Simonaire is an American politician who serves as a Maryland state senator representing District 31, which encompasses much of northern Anne Arundel County's Baltimore suburbs. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the minority leader of the Maryland Senate from 2020 to 2023.
A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform.
Environment America is a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations in the United States. The organization researches and advocates for environmental policies through lobbying, litigation, and the mobilization of public support. Environment America advocates new laws and policies to address climate change, air pollution and water pollution, and is a proponent of clean energy, while opposing offshore drilling.
Mary Lynn Washington is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 43 since 2019. She previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2019.
Shane Robinson is an American politician and a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 39 in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The 5 Gyres Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on reducing plastics pollution by focusing on primary research. Programs concentrate on science, education and adventure. Since 2017, 5 Gyres has been in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The organization's 2015 Expedition was featured in the 2017 documentary "Smog of the Sea," produced by Jack Johnson, who participated in the voyage.
Stanley Chang is a Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate, representing the 9th district. Before entering the legislature, he served as a Honolulu city councilman. He defeated Sam Slom, the last remaining Republican in the Hawaii State Senate, in 2016. Chang faced Slom a second time in 2020, and won reelection.
Missouri Public Interest Research Group (MoPIRG) is a non-profit organization that is part of the state PIRG organizations.
SAVE is a grassroots nonprofit political advocacy organization located in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1993, the organization's stated mission is to "promote, protect and defend equality for people in South Florida who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender."
Steven Mitchell Glazer is an American politician and former political advisor serving as a member of the California State Senate from the 7th Senate District, which includes most of Contra Costa County and eastern portions of Alameda County in the East Bay.
Women Creating Change is a nonprofit organization founded in 1915 by suffragettes in New York City. WCC is still active in the New York community.
John Daniel Bailey is a Republican member of the Maryland Senate from the 29th district, based in Calvert County and St. Mary's County.
In the late 20th and early 21st century, there has been a global movement towards the phase-out of polystyrene foam as a single use plastic (SUP). Early bans of polystyrene foam intended to eliminate ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), formerly a major component.
