OVS alum Henry Mooney recently gave a lecture at the Ojai Library discussing the global reliance on single use plastics, and the danger to both the environment and the economy that it presents.
Mooney graduated Upper Campus in the class of 2012 and then attended Stony Brook University where he majored in Environmental Studies. He later received a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development, from Stellenbosch University, in South Africa. He is now pursuing his PhD while working for Pax Environmental, a local environmental consulting firm, as a biologist.
Mooney joked about the fact that this was the first time his talk had ventured from Toastmasters. After this comment, the audience erupted in applause for the young environmentalist. He explained to listeners how single use plastics have dominated the market for years, and where those plastics end up after their single use.
“It really takes challenging introspection, to notice which hours of the day we use the most single use plastics,” Mooney said. “It’s just minute lifestyle adjustments.”
His lecture, titled “The Plasticene,” was choreographed to a tee and his expertise was apparent in his extensive knowledge of the intricacies of both the plastics themselves and the environment they threaten.
However, Mooney’s command of the subject was most visible when he opened the floor for questions. Immediately, he was bombarded by Ojai Townies well versed in the effects of single use plastics, quizzing every intricacy of his knowledge; Mooney had a well thought out reply to almost every question that was asked.
Several times throughout the Q&A, Mooney would look down, his expression changing from his typical cheer to a face that held all the dread of a generation tasked with living with climate change.
“This was a big issue when I lived in South Africa,” he explained, his disheartened tone biting through the rest of his talk. “There was a huge wealth disparity, and for people living under $2 a day, what is affordable might be things that are always packaged and shipped using vast quantities of single use plastics.”
Ms. Davis, who was both his classroom teacher and outdoor-ed director while he was at Ojai Valley School, mentioned that she was thoroughly impressed by his professionally designed and delivered talk.
“It was a really good overview. A lot of people get fixated on single item waste but what he really showed was the larger picture and the larger problem,” Ms. Davis said, referring to one of Mooney’s main points.
In the culmination of his presentation, Mooney emphasized that the consumers have control. He hit home that, if the population gets together in voting with their dollars, the fate of single use plastics is entirely in their hands.
“[The presentation was] insightful, educational, on point, and really accessible to everyone,” said OVS teacher Helena Pasquarella, who attended the talk. “I thought he did a really good job reaching the young and the old, even my 10 year old son got it.”