Down in the heart of southern Illinois at SIU Carbondale, CFACT Collegian Zach Lochard recently held a funeral not for a person, but for common sense. On October 3rd, Zach and the members of SIU Carbondale’s Turning Point USA chapter teamed up to host a cheeky outdoor display titled the “Banned Product Graveyard.”
The goal? To raise awareness of the everyday products radical environmentalists want to send to an early grave in the name of “climate justice.” From plastic straws to the internal combustion engine, no essential modern convenience was safe from burial.
In the grassy field next to their joint tabling booth, interested students could spy a row of foam tombstones sprouting from the earth—each marked with photos of items the eco-left would love to outlaw. There lay the dearly departed: Maxi Pads, The Internal Combustion Engine, Styrofoam Containers, and Plastic Straws, all “slain by climate alarmism.”
Nearby, the CFACT-TPUSA table beckoned curious passersby with stickers, pins, and flyers reading “Free Market = Healthy Planet!”, detailing why the free market is best equipped to solve environmental issues, not government mandates.
The concept was as humorous as it was eye-opening. “Students would come up laughing or with an eyebrow raised,” Zach reported, “but once we explained that a lot of these bans are actually being proposed or enacted, they realized how serious it is.” The combination of humor and hard facts proved a winning formula.
While a few students stopped by to debate unrelated issues, none could dispute the central point: if leftist climate crusaders had their way, entire aisles of Walmart would be wiped out. Most students left the “graveyard” with a smile, a sticker, and a newfound appreciation for how the free market—not regulation—keeps modern life alive and well.
By the end of the day, Zach’s creative display had sparked dozens of conversations about environmental science, freedom of choice, and the absurdity of banning products that make daily life possible. The verdict from Carbondale? The Banned Product Graveyard may have been full of tombstones—but it was very much alive with ideas.
