Environment North Carolina’s new campaign aims to protect our wildlife by banning harmful and unnecessary plastic pollution, starting with polystyrene–the stuff we call styrofoam. The campaign will work to bolster local efforts already underway. Their event tomorrow will feature our very own Executive Director, Sue Scope, as a speaker! Please attend if you are able.
The event is tomorrow, June 6 at 11:30 am at Northgate Park (449 W Lavender Ave, Durham, NC 27704) at the intersection of W Lavendar Avenue and the South Ellerbe Creek Trail Greenway.
Speakers will include:
Drew Ball, Director, Environment North Carolina
Crystal Dreisbach, Co-CEO of Durham Green To Go
Sue Scope, Executive Director Every Tray Counts
Kat Nigro, Community Growth Manager & Bike Division, CompostNow
Others in attendance:
Volunteers, concerned citizens, and members of Environment North Carolina’s canvass team will also be in attendance.
Polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, is one of the most common and harmful types of plastic, often used in single-use cups, plates, and takeout containers. Americans throw out 70 million polystyrene foam cups every day.
So much plastic pollution has escaped into our environment that there are several giant floating masses of plastic in the ocean, including one twice the size of Texas in the north Pacific. Polystyrene does not biodegrade in the environment but instead breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics, which are increasingly showing up in drinking water and the tissues of animals, with potentially dangerous human and environmental health impacts.
The Wildlife Over Waste campaign will build on local efforts taking place throughout the country. Environment North Carolina canvassers will be knocking on doors through August to educate consumers, business owners and decision-makers about plastic pollution, and urge them to support local resolutions and a statewide ban. Canvassers have already collected nearly 4,000 petition signatures in support of banning foam cups and boxes made of polystyrene in order to reduce pollution in our waters and protect wildlife.
https://environmentnorthcarolina.org/…/…/wildlife-over-waste