To address the plastic pollution crisis, we need more than individual changes. Solving the widespread systemic injustice of plastic pollution must hold corporations and lawmakers accountable to change the plastic production culture.
Solutions
Follow along with us this month as we take on plastic pollution with *REAL* solutions, like contacting your local legislators (find them here), doing a brand audit to hold polluters responsible for their waste, and calling for brands to commit to reusable packaging.
Personal Actions
Still want to make some individual lifestyle changes to reduce your plastic footprint? Learn how to make a Zero Waste Kit here and use your social media platform as a tool to hold corporations responsible for pollution you see in your community (ex: tweet @ fast food restaurant when you see their product littering your community).
Learn
Learn about the Plastic Free July movement here and why single-use plastics just aren’t it. Making a real change to solve the plastic pollution crisis involves holding corporations and lawmakers accountable for action. What’s more, check out this resource about how we build a better normal to achieve a better future for people and planet.
Featured Posts About Plastics
Environmental News Round-Up: “Compostable” Caveats
“Compostable,” “made from plants,” “biodegradable,” “plant-based” and “bio-” plastic — surely all of these mean the same thing, right? That we can chuck that coffee cup, that plastic spoon, and our green plastic bags in the compost pile and they’ll naturally biodegrade there? I wish, but no. High levels of waste production have spurred a …
Environmental News Roundup: Summer Edition
This past Memorial Day Weekend officially kicked off the start of summer 2023, and with a new season comes new environmental news! Open (Farmers Market) Season! The time has finally come when all 20 farmers markets in Fairfax County are open for business! The County’s Park Authority operates half of those, the remaining 10 are …
What’s in Your Bottle?
Tests by Consumer Reports (CR) revealed dangerous levels of lead in the storage compartment on the viral “sip and stash” water bottles. Lead is “toxic to both kids and adults; exposure to it can cause reproductive harm, increase cancer risk, and hurt brain and nervous system development. If pregnant people come into contact with lead, …
The “bio-“greenwashing of plastics
Most of us are very familiar with the prefix “bio.” It often indicates a reference to living plants or creatures, and it connotes images of the earth, its many life forms, and perhaps a few scenes from Planet Earth or National Geographic images. But the prefix bio as it’s used in the marketing of new …
America Recycles Day x Environmental News Roundup
As the country celebrated another America Recycles Day this past week, we looked back at some of the new reports, major announcements, and state of recycling in the U.S. today. America (Doesn’t Really) Recycles Day A Greenpeace report out at the end of last month exposed some ugly truths about plastic recycling in the U.S. …
Virginia Voters and Plastic Pollution
A new report reveals how Virginia voters feel about plastic pollution and potential policies to address it. The report, a collaboration by Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University and the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program with OpinionWorks, describes findings from a statewide survey of Virginia voters conducted in March, 2022. The opinion research aimed to …
Rolling in the Deep, Plastic Sink
Deep down in the ocean, it’s not only microplastics piling up (~63% of seafloor dirt is plastic). BIG pieces of plastic, along with other trash, used to stay where it fell. It now can move due to human activities and pile up in odd, and important, places. A study out of the University of Barcelona …
Loudoun County Looking at a Bag Bill
Loudoun County may be up next for a plastic bag fee in Virginia (see here and here)! The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will vote in January whether to adopt the bag ordinance, which would produce a potential revenue of $275,000 to $340,000 in 2023 for things like environmental cleanup, education programs to reduce environmental …
Stream story time, with pictures! Urban stream sleuthing at Old Courthouse Spring Branch.
It’s business as usual for streams, like us, to be facing a lot of stress; from new developments, changes in climate, introduction of chemicals, extraction for drinking water/ irrigation, the list of stressors seems endless and dire. Good news can be found at a local, Fairfax County stream, Old Courthouse Spring Branch (Spring Branch) in …
Sustainable and Spooky: we don’t need plastic and palm oil for a wicked Halloween
If you still don’t have a Halloween costume ready for this weekend, think green when it comes to your last minute getup. This article dives into 1) how Americans will spend $3.32 billion on costumes this year, 2) how many of these costumes are “disposable” and made primarily of plastic, and 3) what kinds of …
What’s water quality? Because we are celebrating it this month!
This month is National Water Quality Month and when it comes to water, quality is the new clean. How do we know if water has “good” quality? Water quality is determined by looking at different characteristics of water, such as cloudiness (turbidity) or saltiness (salinity). By looking at certain characteristics, we are able to judge …
Code Green! Plastic Bag Fee Public Hearing
ePlastic bags trapped in debris on local, Fairfax County streambank. Photo credit: Emily FoppeA plastic bag fee ordinance will be discussed at a public hearing on September 14 at 4:30 PM in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center. While this legislation is framed as a tax, the ordinance would be more similar …
