Chapter 2 The Traces of Glassboro Glass - How Glass Shaped the Modern World
The story here begins with a well-known contributor to Glassboro's story, the railroad. According to Rowan University, A History, "[the] proximity to the port of Philadelphia [assisted the glassworks in the process of] exporting glass products throughout the colonies and into Europe" (A History, 12). Thus, Glassboro contributed to the growing "glass" movement of the early 20th century.
Why is this important? Glad you asked, glass is an incredibly important material practically everyone is affected by every day that is consistently overlooked. For one, think of the cellphone in your pocket, what is the screen made of? What about the glass in your house? Your car? Sunglasses? Your Snapple Peach Iced Tea? Glass has not been molded by our society, it has molded our society. From the Venetians making the first mirrors you look in today to Whitney Glassworks making bottles, to my own mother making and fixing chemistry glassware, we cannot forget the importance of glass and its relevance in this memorial (Adams, "Glass is Humankind's Most Important Material").
Even further, think about how glass has shaped the sustainability movement. Today's plastic is typically associated with wastefulness and litter, while glass symbolizes recycling. Glass is one of the few modern materials that is 100% recyclable and can be used indefinitely. Interestingly, scientists are working on even more ways to use glass, such as its applications in binding nuclear waste, making safer batteries, and even biomedical implants (Adams, "Glass is Humankind's Most Important Material").
We remember the "glass" in glassblowers.
