Make Every Month

It's an Environmental Disaster The equivalent of one garbage truck worth of plastic enters the ocean every minute, and plankton – the basis of the marine food web – have been documented consuming microplastics. Over 100,000 marine animals and more than one million sea birds die from plastic pollution annually. Over 260 species, including invertebrates, turtles, fish, seabirds and mammals, have been reported to ingest or become entangled in plastic debris. 

It Endangers Human Health Plastic is in in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and constitutes a significant and growing threat to human health at every stage of its lifecycle. Plastic packaging has been found to contain thousands of chemicals, including at least 148 highly hazardous substances. Toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all people. Exposure to many of the chemicals added to plastic are linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, and endocrine disruption.

Production is Expected to Dramatically Increase The petrochemical industry has invested over $200 billion dollars to build or expand over 330 new petrochemical facilities in the United States alone, enough to put 40% more plastic in commerce by 2025. Petrochemicals used to make up a small part of oil and gas industry's bottom line, but as the world slowly transitions away from fossil fuels, the oil and gas industry is looking to plastics to make up for lost revenue. In a recent growth report, ExxonMobil executives assured shareholders that the company could offset losses from the transition to electric cars with growth in petrochemicals.

It Never Goes Away Our plastic waste will outlive us. Plastic never really goes away – it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, making it easier for wildlife, plants, and people to ingest. It also acts as a magnet for toxic chemicals in the environment. Microplastics have already been found throughout the globe – at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, in Antarctica, and falling out of the sky in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Pyrenees. 

State and Federal Policy We work to pass policies that limit plastic production and pollution at the federal, state, and local levels. We track state and federal plastic pollution legislation and work with communities to ban single-use plastic. We testify and write letters of support to legislative leaders and provide our supporters opportunities to reach out to their legislators about key plastic policies.

Scientific Studies We started a Microplastics Working Group in 2017 with the University of Colorado and other research institutions to study microplastics in Colorado’s Front Range waterways. After a pilot study in 2017, our team took over 300 samples in 2019 from rivers along the Front Range to develop best practices for microplastic sampling in rivers and creeks. We are analyzing the data and hope such widespread evidence of microplastics can help inform policies for addressing microplastics in Colorado and other states.

Break Free From Plastic As a founding member of Break Free From Plastic, we work within a larger movement to reduce plastic production and use, advocate for zero waste cities and policies, stop the petrochemical industry buildout in the US, and hold major consumer packaging brands accountable for the unmanageable amounts of plastic waste they are creating.

Campaigns Our Suck the Straws Out campaign is an educational initiative to decrease the use of plastic and bioplastic straws. It encourages restaurants, bars, businesses, and other establishments to only offer reusable or paper straws upon request. Suck the Straws Out reduces plastic use locally, but perhaps more importantly, it raises awareness about the larger plastic issue and gets people thinking about the other unnecessary plastic they use.

Outreach and Education An educated and engaged constituency is key to stopping the flood of plastic devastating our planet. Through our chapters across the country, we educate communities about plastic pollution and provide the tools and training needed to be part of the solution. We train volunteers through our Ocean Ambassador and Ocean Ranger programs and host events to raise awareness about plastic pollution, including documentary film screenings, panel discussions, and presentations at schools and universities.

Creek Cleanups Our chapters around the country hold creek, beach, and community cleanups throughout the year to reduce plastic pollution. While we can't keep cleaning up forever and the only way to truly deal with plastic pollution is to turn off the plastic tap, cleaning up our communities reduces the amount of plastic in our environment and ensures that bigger plastics don't break down into microplastics, which are easier for wildlife to ingest. 

We're excited to announce that we're co-hosting a webinar series with the Healthy Oceans Coalition (HOC) highlighting the intersections between climate change, the ocean, and society. 

Join us for our inaugural webinar today from 3-4pm PT/6–7pm ET! We will host an interactive dialogue about the plastic pollution crisis with the following expert panelists: