Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

I order a lot of takeout food these days. And I often cringe when I see the packaging, especially when I get all of those little soy sauce packets.

I mentioned this to our founder, Stephen Porder. And he says, it doesn’t have to be that way.  

Stephen is in Paris this year on sabbatical, and it’s given him a whole new perspective on takeout. So, I decided to call him up. 

Megan Hall: Hi, Stephen.

Stephen Porder: Hey, Megan, how are you?

Megan Hall: Alright. I’m calling you today because I just want to know what’s so different about takeout in France?

Stephen Porder: One of the things that’s really blown me away is just how much less packaging comes with your food and how much less extra stuff comes with your food.

Megan Hall: So how about we try a little experiment? I’m wondering what my packaging would look like if I ordered the exact same thing you ordered in France.

Stephen Porder: Let’s do it. 

Megan Hall: Can you get Chinese over there?

Stephen Porder: You bet.

Megan Hall: Alright, what should we order?

Stephen Porder: Let’s just do two tofu. And a chicken.

Megan Hall: And then we should get some rice too, right?

Stephen Porder: Yeah, for sure. Rice for everyone.

Megan Hall: All right. I will call you back when my food arrives.

Stephen Porder: Sounds good. 

Megan Hall: Hey, Stephen.

Stephen Porder: Hey, Megan, can you hear me?

Megan Hall: Yeah. Tell me what you got

Stephen Porder: Alright, so they actually double bagged, which is unusual. 

Megan Hall: Those double bags Stephen got were thin and biodegradable, like the kind you might use for compost. 

Stephen Porder: And inside, I have my tofu dish that’s spilled a little bit…

Megan Hall: The tofu and all of the other dishes, came in thin plastic containers with matching lids. And that was it.

Megan Hall: Are you ready to see what I got?

Stephen Porder: Yeah, I want to know.

Megan Hall: Okay, here we go.

Stephen Porder: Oh my god.

Megan Hall: So yeah, it came in a giant cardboard box.

Megan Hall: But, on the front, it said “premium bean sprouts,” so, it was recycled!

Megan Hall: Inside were 2 plastic containers with lids, two Chinese takeout containers with the metal handles…

Stephen Porder: We don’t have those here. We don’t get the cardboard ones. I don’t know why.

Megan Hall: a large clamshell made of plastic… 

Stephen Porder: Oh look at that! The world’s changing. So that’s not styrofoam anymore?

Megan Hall: And, 17 packets of sauces.

Megan Hall: So how did I do?

Stephen Porder: That’s better than I expected.  

Megan Hall: Stephen had a feeling that the plastic take-out containers in France were thinner than the ones in the US. So, we emptied them out and weighed them…

Stephen Porder: Ok, so my lid and my box: 28 grams

Megan Hall: Ok, mine is 49 grams.

Stephen Porder So, you know, mine is 40% lighter than yours.

Megan: Yeah…

Stephen: That’s a big difference, right? Like, even if we order the same exact amount of food.

Megan Hall: Do you think this thinner plastic is any weaker or less trustworthy?

Stephen Porder: They’re fine. They go through the dishwasher time and time again.

Megan Hall: So we just really don’t need our containers to have that much plastic?

Stephen Porder: I feel like that’s basically the message I’m going for here.

Megan Hall: Well, so what is the takeaway other than we should just move to France?

Stephen Porder: Yeah, that’s a good question. I guess there are other ways to do things. Why and when did it become the culture that you got 50 forks with your Chinese food order? It doesn’t make any sense. There are a lot of things like that, and just a teeny little bit more thought and we could probably make some big changes without really losing anything.

Megan Hall: Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris, Steven.

Stephen Porder: I’m sure we’ll talk again.

Megan Hall: That’s it for today. For more information or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to “the public’s radio dot org slash possibly.” Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

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Megan Hall: So, we’re taking this pause in our routine to talk about who we are and what you can expect from us over the next few months.

I have our founder, Stephen Porder, and our producer, Fatima Husain, on the phone to help me talk about this. Welcome, Stephen and Fatima! 

Stephen: Hi, Megan! 

Fatima: Hello! 

Megan Hall: So, first, how are you guys doing?

Stephen: Answer: So far so good.  Feeling pretty useless and looking for ways to help out.

Fatima: I’m just hanging in there!

Megan Hall: With all of this upheaval, we thought it was a good time to reflect on who we are at Possibly and why we exist. Stephen, you and I started working on this project back in 2017. Why did you want to start this show?

Stephen: I guess I saw a big disconnect between the science of sustainability and what people thought was sustainable. And I wanted to help use that science to give people some advice on what they really should be worrying about and maybe what they could not worry about so much.

Megan: Do you think we’re accomplishing what you set out to do?

Stephen: I think so. The questions come in and bit by bit, we kind of do triage and say, You know what, the car you drive is super important, but maybe the straw that you get from the coffee shop is not the biggest deal in the world.

Megan: Do you think people still want to hear these stories while they’re coping with a global pandemic?

Stephen: I can’t speak for everyone, but I definitely could use some non COVID news every once in a while.  

Megan: So could I! Let’s turn to you, Fatima. What do you think our episodes are going to sound like over the next few months?

Fatima: Well, since our undergrads are scattered around the world right now, you’re definitely going to be hearing a lot more of our three voices on our weekly episodes.

Megan: What are you hearing from the student reporters? You’ve been checking in with them since they left campus. Do you think they’ll be able to work on the show anytime soon?

Fatima: I definitely hope so. You know, a lot of them have expressed interest in continuing with possibly, but we’re gonna let them settle down first and get used to working from home and social distancing.

Megan: Considering all these barriers, why are we continuing to work on this show? I mean, we could just air reruns or go off the air for a little while.

Stephen: It’s funny, I’ve been pretty surprised. But since COVID has really taken over the news and everything else in the United States, we’ve actually started getting more questions, not fewer. And so if people keep asking questions, we want to be here to answer them.

Megan: Okay. So how are we going to alter our approach as we cope with all of this?

Fatima: Well, since we’re all cooped up in our homes, these days, we’re going to focus on questions centered around home life in particular. So things you can do to keep up your sustainability as we’re stuck at home day and night. 

Stephen: And given that the news is so scary these days, we thought it would be a great idea to bring you some sustainability bright spots because they’re out there and you don’t hear about them in the news.

Megan: All right, well, we’re almost done with this episode. But before we go, Do either of you have a message for listeners as we’re working through all these changes?

Fatima: Please keep tuning in to listen to us because we’re still here. We’re working behind the scenes and we’re still making episodes for all of you.

Stephen: And please, please take social distancing and self-quarantine seriously. It’s not for you. It’s for everyone. And the stakes are enormous.

Megan Hall: Great. Thanks, Steven and Fatima. We’ll be back soon with more answers to your sustainability questions with shows on air drying methane and the days coming soon. 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio. 

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