NEW "GREEN PLASTICS" LAB AT THE NATIONAL PLASTICS CENTER

LEOMINSTER, MA (November 12, 2004) – A new chemistry lab, based on ‘green' plastics, made its debut with local high school students at The National Plastics Center on November 12, 2004. Forty six students from Tewksbury Memorial High School participated in the Center's first educational lab featuring plastics made from renewable sources. During the Green Plastics lab students conduct hands-on experiments that provide direct experience with biodegradable plastics. Students make plastic using agricultural materials such as soybean, corn, seaweed, and gelatin.

  Unlike traditional plastic made from petroleum products, plastics made from plants are a new generation of biodegradable and recyclable polymers derived from renewable raw materials. Advances in research and technology have illustrated that these materials can be made from abundant agricultural sources. They preserve non renewable resources and do not contribute to the growing problem of waste management.

  Demand for materials like plastic is continually growing. Today the plastics industry is a significant component of our economy. The U.S. plastics industry includes more than 20,000 facilities that produce or distribute materials and products which employ more than 1.5 million workers. The pressures of increasing waste and diminishing resources have lead to scientists' attempts to rediscover natural polymers to replace traditional ones.

  In addition to the new Green Plastics lab, the National Plastics Center offers hands-on science programming designed to foster an understanding of conventional and unconventional plastic products. The educational labs support the Massachusetts science, technology, and engineering curriculum framework and are offered in polymer chemistry, processing, and engineering for local schools and organizations. The Center also offers the PlastiVan™ program, an internationally acclaimed outreach program that educates students and adults throughout North America , teaching the public about the chemistry, history, processing, and environmental issues involved with plastics. The National Plastics Center is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the past, addressing the present, and promoting the future of plastics through public education and awareness. The Center's mission is to provide sound scientific and educational programs which increase the public's knowledge of the valuable contributions that plastics make in the quality of our lives.

About NPC

The National Plastics Center is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the past, addressing the present, and promoting the future of plastics through public education and awareness. Established in 1982, the NPC opened its headquarters and museum at Leominster, Massachusetts in 1992. The educational staff of the NPC conducts hands-on science programming for schools and organizations, as well as demonstrations for visitors to the museum.

For more information please contact the National Plastics Center at (978) 537-9529, via website at www.plasticsmuseum.org, or via email at npcinfo@plasticsindustry.org.