The Earthday.org theme for this year is “Planet vs. Plastic,” with a goal to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040. In its theme video, Earthday.org shares its concerns about the growing presence of plastics in our environment and encourages us to take the following three actions.
Earth Day Actions to Reduce Plastics
- Support the Global Plastics Treaty
- Reject Fast Fashion
- Join the Great Global Cleanup
“The Planet v Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet,” explained Kathleen Rogers, president of Earthday.org. Rogers goes on to say, “The word environment means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself – it flows through our blood stream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease. Now this once-thought amazing and useful product has become something else, and our health and that of all other living creatures hangs in the balance.” The ultimate goal of the campaign is to achieve a plastic-free future.
One shocking statement they share in the campaign is that making the ubiquitous plastic water bottle requires six times as much water as the bottle contains. That should encourage us to always carry a reusable water bottle and decline single-use plastic ones! Another alarming fact is that consumers buy 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago, but keep each item half as long. This is “fast fashion.” Fast-fashion is included in this year’s campaign because so many items of clothing are made from synthetic plastic fabrics produced from crude oil. When we wash these clothes, they contribute to over a third of all ocean microplastics. That should encourage us to “shop our closets” and wear something we already have instead of buying something new.
The 2024 Earth Day campaign offers many reasons to reduce our daily use and reliance on plastics. Visit the Earthday.org website to learn more. And check out our blog post, Reduce Your Use of Plastic Disposables.
Image courtesy of EARTHDAY.ORG