Category: climate change

Make Thanksgiving Plastic-Free

Six ideas to help you reduce your plastic this Thanksgiving from my friends at Beyond Plastic

1. Choose Scratch Over Store-Bought

Most store-bought dishes from supermarkets and restaurants will be packaged in plastic containers. To avoid the unnecessary plastic, focus on cooking from scratch. Ingredients like vegetables, flour, butter, and nuts can be commonly found in non-plastic packaging. For items like nuts and dried fruits, see if your local market, co-op or health food store has a bulk section and bring your own bags to fill up! When faced with a choice of packaging, choose glass or paper over plastic. If you’re looking for inspiration, see our (newly expanded) recipe suggestions below.

2. Shop Local

Shopping locally not only reduces your meal’s carbon footprint, but you can bring your own bags and containers and you’re less likely to encounter plastic packaging than at your grocery store. Small businesses also need our support more than ever during the pandemic. Give your community your thanks by supporting each other!

If you don’t have the time or inclination to make pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie from scratch, check your local bakery.  While you’re there, pick up the bread you’ll need to make your stuffing and bring it all home in your reusable bags. Visit your local farmers market to pick up potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, greens, and more. If your farmers market is closed for the season, many CSAs (community supported agriculture) also offer a special one-time Thanksgiving share of goodies to anyone, even if you’re not a subscriber. 

3. Use Sustainable Decor

Forget the dollar store, make the perfect fall decor for your table setting with things from your backyard and local farm stand. Pressed leaves and pumpkins make for great wall and table adornments! Check out some DIY ideas here. And don’t forget to get the kids involved!

4. Serve on Reusable Dishes & Dinnerware 

Plastic utensils and cups end up in landfills, incinerators, or waterways where they can pose a threat to wildlife. Set your table with a beautiful tablecloth, ceramic or metal plates, cups, serving platters, metal utensils (got a set of silverware from your parents or grandparents you can bust out?), and cloth napkins. This can also include glass pitchers or bottles for drinks. If your family enjoys seltzer, consider investing in a SodaStream or other carbonation machine (tip: choose the model that comes with glass bottles over plastic). If you have kids, assign them the task of polishing silver—they may find it deeply satisfying. Sticking to reusables only will not only reduce your waste but also save you money. Get family or friends to help wash anything delicate that can’t go in the dishwasher and toss all your cloth items in the washing machine afterwards. No muss, no fuss, and, more importantly, no WASTE.

5. Provide or Bring Reusable Containers for Leftovers

Going to family or friend’s home for dinner? Bring your own glass or metal containers to cart home some delicious leftovers. There are also some great beeswax-coated fabric wraps out there these days that can take the place of plastic wrap or tinfoil. If you are hosting the dinner, remind guests to bring reusable containers with them. If you have extras to spare (say from all those take-out containers you saved during COVID lockdown), you can offer them to guests who’ve forgotten to bring their own. If you haven’t yet invested in glass or metal containers, don’t let that stop you – just bring plastic tupperware or clean yogurt containers, etc., but make sure not to heat anything up in those containers later to avoid the chemical leaching that occurs when hot food comes into contact with plastic. If you do use aluminum foil, when you’re done, don’t forget to gently clean and dry it and save it to use again.

6. Compost!

Compost any scraps from cooking or leftovers that aren’t being saved, as well as any compostable decor you’ve put up or used on the table once you tire of it. Reminder, if your Thanksgiving dinner includes a turkey, make stock out of the carcass before you compost it—you can make an excellent, very flavorful turkey soup or freeze it for months. If you’re not sure what can and can’t be composted, check out this helpful list. If you don’t have a backyard compost, see if your city or town has a local composting system. If they don’t, look into how to start one. HINT: This could be a great project for a Beyond Plastics Local Group or Affiliate to take on.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS (expanded for 2023!)

https://www.beyondplastics.org/holiday-guides/thanksgiving?link_id=8&can_id=57c1dbdb6797ae1751eeeda41c3f3dd1&source=email-photos-from-the-march-an-important-tribute-win-a-handsewn-quilt-urge-coke-to-do-better-more&email_referrer=email_2107168&email_subject=a-virtual-screening-victory-in-newton-ma-new-resources-for-spanish-speakers-more

No Plastic is Safe

From November 13 to November 19 world meetings in Kenya are being held to try to stop the spread of plastic pollution. Plastic is a serious health problem, polluting our bodies and our environment. Made of fossil fuels plastic contains thousands of toxic materials and breaks down into to tiny microfibers that are found in every organ of our bodies. Recycling plastic intensifies the toxicity. Sign the Greenpeace petition below to help reduce plastic!

Make a concentrated effort to reduce your plastic exposure

A new study led by scientists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has found that recycled plastics contain hundreds of toxic chemical compounds, including pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides and industrial compounds.

The scientists say this means plastics are not fit for most purposes

No plastics are safe or suitable for reuse or regeneration due to their toxic chemical content, as well as their ability to adsorb additional chemicals during use! https://www.ecowatch.com/recycled-plastics-toxic-chemicals-health-risks.html

From Greenpeace: We need an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty to turn off the plastics tap and, finally, end the age of plastic. The movement is 2 million strong! Will you help grow it even bigger by calling for a strong Global Plastics Treaty to end the age of plastic, and signing our petition?
TAKE ACTION!
Together, let’s end the age of plastic! 

Walter Morris, “Hyattsville residents raise concerns about plastic pellets spilled in train derailment,” NBC4 Washington, October 3, 2023.
2. Neel Dhamesha, “The massive, unregulated source of plastic pollution you’ve probably never heard of,” Vox, May 6, 2022.
3. Karen McVeigh “Nurdles: the worst toxic waste you’ve probably never heard of,” The Guardian, November 29, 2021.
4. Karen McVeigh, “Nurdles: the worst toxic waste you’ve probably never heard of,” November 29, 2021.
5. Lisa Frank, “New bill would stop companies from dumping plastic,” U.S. PIRG, May 25, 2022.
6. “Our waters shouldn’t be dumping grounds for plastic,” U.S. PIRG, October 3, 2023.
7. Doyle Rice, “Oh, yuck! You’re eating about a credit card’s worth of plastic every week,” USA Today, June 12, 2019.

Optimistic October

Optimistic? We have been through a record-breaking hot summer, the climate crisis looms everywhere, we are in a world waste crisis and are being poisoned by plastic, Ukraine is still being attacked, and American democracy is being threatened. Instead of worrying about the past and what should have been done we need to move forward with hope. We must be hopeful about our futures, the futures of our children, and the positive difference we can all make. We all make a difference, and let’s make it a positive difference.

October is a beautiful month. Enjoy!

Look for the good in your day, find beauty in your day, and remind yourself that things can change for the better!

Climate Week

This is Climate Week in New York. I hope the world’s leaders will heed the urgent call of our changing climate. The pain is real, and the consequences are far-reaching. It’s time to prioritize the future for the generations that will inherit the world we leave behind.

Climate march in New York City

Make a choice to reduce your carbon footprint!

If plastic were a country, it would be the 5th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Plastic pollutes our environment and our bodies every stage of its life. By reducing your plastic use you are making a difference in protecting our Earth.

https://www.climateweeknyc.org/

https://www.startribune.com/un-chief-warns-of-gates-to-hell-in-climate-summit-but-carbon-polluting-nations-stay-silent/600306088/

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/plastic-pollution-climate-change-solution/

Newsom to Sign Major California Corporate Climate Disclosure Bill
UN Strengthens Children’s Rights to Fight Climate Change in Court

World Plastic Treaty

peace on earth

Plastic is a problem not just because it becomes litter but because it poses a real and immediate threat to human health. We must reduce the plastic we consume! Please sign the petition below from Earthday.org

Please sign the petition calling for a strong Global Plastics Treaty.
SIGN NOW

Please sign the petition calling for a strong global plastics treaty
Plastics have a huge impact on human health, leaching harmful chemicals into our food, water, and air leading to hormonal issues,2 increased cancers risks,3 and developmental issues.4 As the plastics breakdown into micro and nano-plastics they are able to penetrate every aspect of our lives and their production pumps emissions directly into the atmosphere further exacerbating the climate crisis.5 That’s why Earth Day 2024’s theme is Planet vs. Plastics, which we believe embodies the struggle we all face for human and planetary health. We must demand action from world leaders to address the issue. The Global Plastics Treaty is the first step to united global action6 — but we need to make sure that they commit to effective measures instead of just do lip service.
Please sign the petition calling for a strong Global Plastics Treaty.
SIGN NOW

As with any international treaty, success is impossible without strict enforcement and commitment by participating countries.

Here are our demands to the United Nations and World Government Organizations:

-Support a highly ambitious Global Plastic Treaty that binds all to the same standards
-A 60% of reduction of all fossil fuel-based plastic production by 2040
-Require producers and retailers of plastics to be liable for the cost of any environmental or health-related damages in accordance with the “producer pays” principle
-Public and private sector investments in innovation to replace all fossil fuel-based plastics
-Ban all plastic-related tobacco products including, but not limited to tobacco filters and e-cigarettes
-Ban the export of plastic waste
-End the incineration of plastic waste
-Support innovative solutions and alternatives to plastic in all sectors
-Fully finance education and public awareness campaigns to inform the public about reasons and strategies for ending plastic pollution

Footnotes:

1. The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/22/microplastics-revealed-in-placentas-unborn-babies

2. The Harvard Gazette: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/01/plastic-additive-linked-to-excessive-reproductive-abnormalities/

3. The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/29/plastics-cause-wide-ranging-health-issues-from-cancer-to-birth-defects-landmark-study-finds

4. National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5615581/

5. Center for International Environmental Law: https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fueling-Plastics-Fossils-Plastics-Petrochemical-Feedstocks.pdf

6. United Nations: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/historic-day-campaign-beat-plastic-pollution-nations-commit-develop

Plastic and our Health

Plastic pollutes our environment and bodies every phase of its life, from extraction, to production, to its use, and then disposal. Also, plastic harms our bodies and contributes to climate change every step of its long plastic life.

This is all depressing, but it is information everyone should know.

Plastic particles can cause heart attacks and strokes, cancer and dementia, but absolutely the worst is plastic and children. Please pay attention.

A group heavily harmed by use of plastics are fetuses and newborns, who absorb microplastics through the mother’s body and breast milk, and young children, who are especially sensitive to plastic chemicals that leach into our food and beverages because their bodies and systems are developing so fast. Landrigan, who is co-author of the book “Children and Environmental Toxins. What Everyone Needs to Know,” said, “Toxic chemicals can damage babies and children at the lowest detectable levels.”

“Brain damage caused by plastic chemicals can contribute to autism, ADHD and IQ loss, The only treatment is prevention of exposure.”

Pediatrician Describes Health Risks and Solutions to Country’s Plastics Problem

Microplastics infiltrate all systems of body, cause behavioral changes

Posted on August 24, 2023

Microplastics infiltrate all systems of the body, causing behavioral changes.
Neuroscience Pharmacy Professor Jaime Ross’ study finds ‘widespread’ infiltration, potential for serious health consequences, including Alzheimer’s.

“The brain blood barrier is supposed to be very difficult to permeate. It is a protective mechanism against viruses and bacteria, yet these particles were able to get in there. It was actually deep in the brain tissue.”

Another article

How Plastic Created One of the Most Dire Crises Humanity Faces Today  by THOM HARTMANN, AUG 29, 2023

https://hartmannreport.com/p/how-plastic-created-one-of-the-most-598
“The researchers found that the particles had begun to bioaccumulate in every organ, including the brain, as well as in bodily waste.”
 Microplastics and nanoplastics can have a wide variety of negative effects on There are studies showing microplasstics and nanoplastics can contribute to or cause everything from heart attacks and strokes to cancer and dementia. … and breast and colorectal cancer.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c01942 This article deals with storing food in plastic. I think it is very worthwhile. Plastic pouches are the worst!

A Clean and Healthful Environment

It is up to all of us to create a healthy environment.

Do we have a right to a clean and healthful environment?

A Montana state judge sided with 16 young people in the country’s first ever constitutional climate case. The judge ruled that youth had a right to a healthy environment. This trial comes after state lawmakers passed legislation that allowed fossil fuel projects to be permitted without considering the climate impact and greenhouse gas emissions from their legislation causing harm and injury to Montana’s youth— a violation of their state constitutional right to a ‘clean and healthful environment.’

This should be a message to all of us. We all need to work to create a “clean and healthful environment” for our youth and for all of us. Everyday, we need to reduce our fossil fuels by driving less, buying less, not idling our cars, and reducing our use of plastic.

According to NOAA, Earth has just experienced the hottest July in 174 years of records, and the hottest eight Julys in the past eight years.

We all have experienced “Global Burning” and tragic weather events causing much loss of life and destruction. We must work together for a more stable future environment with clean air and clean water.

If everybody does a little it adds up to a lot! We all want to live in healthy communities, and everyone must do their part.

‘Gamechanger’ Ruling for Young Climate Activists in Historic Montana Trial

Is the judge’s ruling coming too late for some of our young adults? https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20230817/cancer-rates-rise-among-people-under-age-50

Montana Youth Sued Their Government Over Climate Change and Won. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

Heat and Smoke

Weeks of smoke from Canadian fires, then extreme heat? This past week, three world heat records were set. July 6, 2023, the hottest day the world has recorded preceded by records set on July 3rd and 4th. Whether it is the hottest day ever recorded or the smokiest day recorded, this is dangerous, and we must tie it to what is causing this? It is threatening for us as humans, and I wonder what the toll will be on our wildlife that can’t escape inside? How can we lessen our impact? How can we lower our emissions and reduce our fossil fuel output.

World Passes Highest Average Global Temperature Recorded

What are some things you can do? Every action matters we need to reduce our use of fossil fuels, here are some easy things you can do.

-Reduce driving, carpool or use public transportation if you can.

-If you’re driving, do not idle your vehicle.

-Run errands on your bike or walk

-Avoid using gas lawnmowers and other gas-powered equipment.

-Reduce your plastic consumption. Plastic is made from fossil fuels.

-Stop backyard fires and stoves

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/this-week-s-record-breaking-global-temperatures-are-likely-highest-in-at-least-100000-years/ar-AA1dyXoX

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/record-breaking-global-temperature-raging-wildfires-highlight-effects-of-climate-change

Ozone
El Niño Has Arrived and Could Bring Record Temperatures and Dangerous Conditions, UN Warns

June Superior Views

On what should have been a beautiful Lake Superior morning, smokey air was creeping across the big lake from fires burning in Canada. Luckily, most days are filled with brisk clear Lake Superior air.

Amazing butterflies, the Compton tortoiseshell.

Sounds of robust birds singing fill the woods. The chestnut sided warbler, song sparrows, oven bird, indigo buntings, red-eyed vireo and many others sing all day long.

The butterflies are the very best, and the contrast to so few butterflies in urban areas is striking. Every amazing butterfly that lives in June is here. They seem to love the host plants I have planted to get them to begin the next generation of butterflies. There is hope for the future if we could get over our addiction to pesticides and plant pollinator gardens.

milkweed

Milkweed is a wonderful host plant.

The swallow tail is one of the easiest butterflies to identify.

Seeing the bear, fox and big bucks and deer have been a surprise. After several years of scarcity, they are back, and the squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies are almost non-existent.

Bunch berries will have red berries later in the summer.

June in the north country of Minnesota and Wisconsin are famous for the beautiful but non-native lupine. They grow in patches everywhere. This year I was struck by all the June white plants blooming. and have enjoyed enormous fields of daisies. I especially love the delicate star flower, the false lily of the valley, the hardy Canada anemone, and classic north woods bunch berries. To experience these beauties, you need to get out of your cars and walk!

Star flowers

Ozone

I am sad about all the bad air warnings. One week it is wildfire smoke, the next week it is ozone pollution. Our precious summers go too fast to have to stay inside to avoid unhealthy air. Every action matters, and we all can make a difference! Let’s all work harder for clean air.

If everyone does a little, it makes a big difference! Please don’t use your leaf blower or lawn mower if they pollute, and please don’t idle your car/truck.

What can you do to help ozone pollution?

  • Don’t use lawn mowers or leaf blowers
  • Use public transportation or carpool. Minimize the use of cars and trucks.
  • Do not idle your car engine!
  • Take a long break from your outdoor heaters and fires!
  • Reduce your plastic use. Plastic pollutes our air and bodies at every stage of its life. Plastic is made from fossil fuels.
  • Do not use cleaning products that are harmful to the environment and to us.
  • Buy local products.
  • Maintain air conditioners, as their malfunctions cause CFC to escape into the atmosphere.
  • Spend more time indoors, where ozone levels are usually lower.
  • Choose easier outdoor activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
  • Plan outdoor activities at times when ozone levels are lower (usually in the morning and evening).

Below is so interesting from Christopher Ingraham at the Minnesota Reformer https://minnesotareformer.com/

Much of the state is experiencing its third straight day of unhealthy air quality. The culprit this time isn’t wildfire smoke, but rather ozone – a colorless, odorless gas that forms when certain chemicals in the atmosphere interact under intense sunlight. 

In practical terms, ozone can cause similar breathing problems as wildfire smoke, and it’s linked to many of the same long-term health ailments, including premature death. But there are enough differences between these two flavors of air pollution that I wrote an explainer on them yesterday, in part to help me fully understand the situation.

One interesting takeaway: when it’s smoky out, experts recommend wearing a mask outdoors or running an air purifier with a HEPA filter inside, which removes smoke and other fine particles from the air. But ozone isn’t a particle, it’s a gas – meaning masks and air filters don’t work against it. 

And here’s an especially wild fact to ponder: many companies market “air purifiers” that actually add ozone to indoor spaces. Generally speaking you should steer away from products claiming to use “ionization” or “energized oxygen” to clear the air. The electric processes they rely on produce ozone and actually make the air dirtier.

Other products take this a step further – there’s an entire category of “ozone generators” that deliberately add ozone to the air, under the mistaken belief that ozone molecules remove other pollutants. It’s kind of like pumping car exhaust directly into your house to hide the smell of cigarettes. MN Reformer

And from the American Lung Association: It may be hard to imagine that pollution could be invisible, but ozone begins that way. As ozone concentrates and mixes with other pollutants, we often call it by its older, more common name—smog. It is currently one of the least well-controlled pollutants in the United States. And it is also one of the most dangerous.

Scientists have studied the effects of ozone on health for decades. Hundreds of studies have confirmed that ozone harms people at levels currently found in the United States. In the last decade, we have learned that it can also be deadly.

https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/ozone

‘This Is the Critical Decade for Climate Change’: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reach Record High

It’s your personal responsibility!