Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Plastic-Free MKE!
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We Are Plastic-Free MKE!
Over these past 5 years, Plastic-Free MKE has grown tremendously! With all of our new members in mind, we felt it was time to reintroduce ourselves. Plastic-Free MKE is a grassroots movement that is focused on reducing the harms that unnecessary plastics have on environmental health, public health, and social justice. We center those most harmed by plastics, build a community around plastic alternatives, advocate for producer and polluter accountability, and use collaborative problem solving to eliminate plastics in the Milwaukee area. We envision a healthier Milwaukee for everyone, free from the harms of unnecessary plastics! Plastic-Free MKE's many great coalition partners are all working towards our mission by advocating for policy change, encouraging individual action, helping businesses and neighborhoods make plastic-free switches, and guiding Milwaukee youth to become environmental advocates. There are many challenges when it comes to fighting plastic pollution, but we have still made immense progress. We now have 30 Lake Friendly Businesses, over 40 coalition partners, and 50 volunteers who run initiates and help us connect with our larger community. We have prevented over 8,000 single-use plastic water bottles from being discarded through our Refill program, and have even helped pass the City of Milwaukee Straw Law and the Milwaukee County Styrofoam Ban. We're building a community of reuse and it is all with your support. Thank you!
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Watch: You Have Questions About Plastics, We Have Answers
In this second episode of the "Ask Pete Anything" series, they brought in experts from the Plastic Pollution Coalition to answer your questions about plastic. You can check out the first episode where Environmental Health Sciences founder and chief scientist, Pete Myers, answers the question, "Are plastics a threat to national security?" Or, you can submit your questions for Pete to give an answer.
Watch Now
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Watch: Plastics & The Future of Our Planet
Beyond Plastics held a webinar with author and environmental leader, Bill McKibben, and Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author, Elizabeth Kolbert to discuss Plastics & The Future of Our Planet. It was a fascinating conversation with two amazing thinkers, writers, and environmental movers. You are also encouraged to read Elizabeth's recent piece, How Plastics Are Poisoning Us, and Bill's essay, In a World On Fire, Stop Burning Things.
Watch Now
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Attend: We Are Water
Milwaukee Water Commons is hosting their 9th Annual We Are Water Celebration on Sunday, August 13th at South Shore Park Beach from 6:00 - 9:00 pm! Milwaukeeans from every part of the city will come together to celebrate our common waters with music, art marking, and heartfelt stories. Now more than ever, this kind of connection to one another and to the water is needed as we strive to be united in community!
Register Now
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Life Beneath the Arctic Ice is Chock-Full of Microplastics
"All 12 samples of algae the scientists collected from ice floes contained microplastics. In total, they counted about 400 individual plastic bits in the algae they examined. It could be bad news for the algae, the organisms that rely on it..."
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The Little-Known Unintended Consequence of Recycling Plastics
"Brown and other researches analyzed the bits of plastic found in the wastewater generated by the unnamed facility. They estimated it could produce up to 6.5 million pounds of microplastics per year … "
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This Company Claims to Help the World's Biggest Corporations Recycle Activist Say It's Greenwashing
"TerraCycle helps these conglomerates 'reap the rewards of portraying their products as recyclable while offering no corresponding benefit to the environment or to consumers...'"
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Discarded Dog Poop Bags Are Such a Problem That This University Professor Wrote a Paper About It
"He found bags on the sidewalk, on the side of trails and also discarded in the woods. He said biodegradable bags are partly misleading... biodegradable bags are made up of 25 per cent fossil-fuel based plastics."
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Reducing Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans is Simpler Than You Think
"But if we want a plastic-free ocean, we should start by focusing on areas where our leverage is greatest. Interception in rivers is the fastest and most cost-effective way to prevent plastic from reaching the ocean..."
Read the full article
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Coalition Member Spotlight
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Hummingbird
Hummingbird is a social enterprise with a mission to engage the community in action that will build a sustainable Milwaukee, where all people can thrive and live in dignity. Their focus is to fight racism and systems of oppression in our community, build community around action and our shared values, advocate for policy that ensures all people and the planet can thrive, and share information that inspires and enables the community to take action. Hummingbird offers consulting services, hosts community events, and provides sustainability guides and information to ensure that our city is socially sustainable and supports healthy and livable communities for everyone.
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