PITTSBURGH (Jan. 16, 2020) — Plastic pollution is one of the
many pressing environmental problems we are facing. On Dec. 12 and 13, 2019, in
Paris and Le Mans, France, Melissa Bilec - deputy director of the Mascaro
Center for Sustainable Innovation, associate professor of civil and
environmental engineering, and Roberta A. Luxbacher Faculty Fellow the
University of Pittsburgh - was invited by
the French Embassy in the U.S. and the French Government to provide her perspective
on solutions to this demanding problem.
Bilec’s work
in circular economy solutions to plastic waste earned her an invitation to
present her expertise to the Parliamentary Office for Scientific and
Technological Assessment (OPECST).
OPECST is composed of 18 members of the National Assembly and 18 senators, with
the purpose of studying and assessing research that applies to policy decisions.
Specifically, Bilec’s presentation will inform French politicians Angèle Préville,
Senator for Lot, and Deputy Philippe Bolo, member of the National Assembly for
Maine-et-Loire, as they lead a study on plastic pollution.
“Complex problems like plastic waste
require convergent, systems-level perspectives; circular economy solutions should
be considered as a strong and viable solution to address plastic waste,” says
Bilec. “I am grateful for the opportunity to share my expertise and ideas on
designing products and processes to close loops with those who can enact them
on the global stage.”
Following the testimony to OPECST,
Bilec was also invited to speak at workshop, “Responding to Plastic Pollution
through Science: From Research to Action,” in Le Mans, France, which was
attended by the Senator Preville and Deputy Bolo, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation
(NSF), the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and the Embassy of France in the United
States.
Maggie Pavlick, 1/16/2020
Contact: Maggie Pavlick