September 30th, 2010
Image by D Sharon Pruitt
You’ve probably noticed us blogging/talking/tweeting about SB 1454 recently– that’s the California Senate Bill that would have made it illegal for us to sell our biodegradable plastic trash and food bags in California. SB 1454 would have been great news for the big players in the corn plastic industry, effectively sidelining their competition in the state.
Well, corn cobs all over California did a little dance yesterday when they learned that SB 1454 was VETOED by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Insert cheering sounds from corn cobs delighted by their newfound freedom)…Yes! We believe strongly that this bill, while well-intentioned, would not in fact have made green product labeling clearer to consumers, but rather would have crippled the numerous businesses like ours that are trying to utilize non-corn-plastic technology to solve the problem of forever-plastic. It ain’t all about the corn plastic, we say!
In his statement about the veto, the Governor expressed concern that SB 1454 would have had “unforeseen consequences” –by equating compost claims with biodegradability claims–two very different things. We most certainly agree.
At Green Genius, our mission is to reduce the amount of “forever plastic” cluttering up this Earth– and this bill sounded like it was environmentally-minded too. But the truth is, we need as many businesses and individuals as possible out there trying to solve the problem– now is not the time to squash innovation. So, way to go Arnold! And three cheers for innovation!
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