Getting Our Hands on Plastic Waste
They say one doesn’t need to wear a cape to be a hero. I’d say this couldn’t be truer after getting to know some of the inspiring and courageous individuals who have been tirelessly tackling the growing issue of plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is an enormous problem that’s currently plaguing our environment. It just keeps growing. Nowadays, it’s not as easy to escape the issue as we used to think. It’s part of our everyday lives, whether we’re sipping coffee in a plastic cup or jogging down a plastic-ridden beach. While it can be easy to fall into the trap of not knowing how to help or where to even begin, we can always take comfort in knowing that there are fearless individuals out there who can lead us in the right direction.
When asked what inspired her to tackle plastic pollution, CEO of Plastic Pollution Coalition, Dianna Cohen, shared, “I grew up in Southern California and have always loved the ocean. Unfortunately, I’ve seen more and more plastic in the ocean over the past few decades. I’m a certified scuba diver and longboarder. On many occasions, I have found plastic floating in the sea and tied it to my bathing suit to bring out with me. The more you see plastic in the ocean and experience it firsthand, the more you understand just how massive the plastic pollution problem is.”
Graham Hamilton, Surfrider Foundation coordinator for its Los Angeles chapter, had a similar experience. “I was living in San Diego 16 years ago when I first started to surf. A friend pushed me into riding my first wave…I have encountered seals and birds that have been entangled with plastic bags.” When asked to talk about one of the most vivid memories he had of the effects of plastic in marine life, Hamilton described an experience at Santa Monica beach where he watched a flock of seagulls fighting over a piece of styrofoam.
For others like Mirelle Lindquist, Sierra Club volunteer, the love of nature has always been there. “I’ve always been passionate about nature and the environment from a really young age. I’ve always loved nature. When I was little, I’d go around the city wanting to plant gardens everywhere…I want to turn concrete into a forest.”
Lindquist, a 15-year-old high school student, was one of the Sierra Club volunteers who knocked on the doors of Trader Joe’s headquarters in Monrovia, California. Their petition, which demanded Trader Joe’s phase out plastic packaging, did not receive a warm reception. There was reluctance from the manager. But Mirelle was not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting and pushed for another chance.
“I decided I’m going back in. I went with my dad and a Greenpeace volunteer,” she recalled. The second meeting with the same manager lasted about thirty minutes. Lindquist made sure that Trader Joe’s got the message this time. She explained that the real solution is to eliminate all the plastic consumption and energy used for creating plastic packaging. We need to change our mentality towards disposable materials.
Cohen shared the sentiment: “We see the world beginning to awake to the concept of zero waste and address plastic pollution, but the response of many corporations is a bit of greenwashing and business as usual. With many different organizations and groups working globally to address the plastic pollution crisis, collaboratively, we continue to amplify the issue. One of the challenges is — “how do we engage constructively with corporations and encourage the systems to shift necessary to create real change?”
As much as it’s a real challenge to face the giant corporations and overhaul the rampant issue of plastic pollution, Hamilton believes we can’t be complacent. “There are so many different threats the oceans are facing right now. The biggest threat is our indifference and apathy, a sense of disconnection to our environment. The only way the ocean is going to stand a chance is to get people to connect.”
There is no overnight solution to plastic pollution, but the daily decisions we all make really do matter. Cohen believes we must create change on all levels: individual, local, national and international if we are to succeed. Looking at the individual level, Cohen finds hope in the younger generations and finds that, “Young people understand the issue right away. It feels great to empower and mentor them, but the truth is that they’re teaching us a lot, too. We need to be open and listen to what they have to say.”
Lindquist, 15, embodies that passion in younger generations today. “This is the situation we’re in and we have to take drastic action for the future of our planet. We all have to make sacrifices. In the end, business profit is not really worth the future of our planet.”
Hamilton remains hopeful. The more people become informed about what’s going on, the more we can fight plastic pollution. “These corporations are highly susceptible to consumers’ needs. The more consumers become aware, the more we have leverage against corporations.”
Whether we are addressing corporations, raising public awareness, or empowering our community, organizations, and volunteers, we all hold the key to tackling and eradicating one of the biggest threats our environment is facing today.
Plastic pollution is not going away anytime soon. That is why it’s so important to change the way we think about and consume single-use plastic now. Let’s look to the trailblazers and the activists working to solve this problem and strive to become more like them. We have a long way to go and we need to get moving. For real change to happen, we need to change our mindset first.
This post was created by an amazing GREEN ZINE volunteer contributor, and opinions expressed may not represent the views of Greenpeace. If you are interested in volunteering as a GREEN ZINE contributor, visit this link.
