With legislative action on plastic pollution now ramping up on local, state, national, and international levels, it has been a busy month for our movement. One of September’s biggest highlights was Climate Week in New York City, where we emphasized the connections between plastics and the climate crisis. Climate Week kicked off with the March to End Fossil Fuels on the 17th and culminated with the Global Citizen Festival on the 23rd. Plastic Pollution Coalition Members, Youth Ambassadors, Staff, Notables, and other allies collectively attended hundreds of events during Climate Week, calling on the U.S. and other governments, as well as corporations, investors, and other entities to stop prioritizing fossil fuel and plastic industry profits over people and the planet.

During our September webinar, we learned more about legislative efforts in the United States meant to reduce and prevent single-use plastic and plastic’s many forms of pollution from impacting our climate, communities, waterways, and natural wonders. Our September Member Spotlight uplifts Plastic Pollution Coalition Members who are taking action on climate through their work to address plastic pollution: Cruz Foam, Etho Capital, and Fenceline Watch.

This month we saw the introduction of several notable new pieces of legislation meant to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkeley (D-OR) and eleven Senate colleagues have introduced the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, which would restore Obama-era guidance prohibiting the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in all U.S. National Parks. In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey (D-MA) has signed an executive order banning state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles. California became the largest economy to endorse the call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and passed the Right to Repair Act through the state assembly—pushing the legislation to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

With October and Halloween just around the corner, we are excited to launch our Plastic Kills! horror short film contest in partnership with our friends at USC’s Norman Lear Media Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society. We’re calling on you to create short films that highlight the terrors of plastic pollution and plastic’s toxic effects on our bodies, our children, our pets, and our planet. We have some star judges and a $2,000 cash prize—check it out.

Read on to find more latest news, events, and opportunities to get involved in solutions to plastic pollution!

Onward,

Dianna Cohen
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Plastic Pollution Coalition

P.S. Please consider supporting our work to educate, connect, and advocate for a world free of plastic pollution by making a donation.

★ Our Recap of Climate Week NYC 2023
Last week, Plastic Pollution Coalition and our allies joined tens of thousands of others to take part in Climate Week NYC, “the biggest climate event on Earth.”  The overall turnout and public participation with meaningful dialogue focusing on real solutions introduced by both the public and private sectors showed that corporate polluters may have the profits, but people are pushing forth the positive change necessary to build a better world. Read more.

★ Climate Week 2023: Connecting Plastics, Fossil Fuels, and the Climate Crisis
During Climate Week NYC, we emphasized the connections between plastics, fossil fuels, and the climate crisis. As Climate Week, United Nations (UN) Plastics Treaty negotiations, and other policy-focused efforts to address plastic pollution move forward, we must urgently address these interconnected issues. Our movement has also assessed the UN’s Zero Draft, which importantly lays out the earliest structure and content for a Plastics Treaty to be shaped during the remaining three negotiating sessions. With talks set to wrap up at the end of 2024, when a Treaty should be agreed upon, we must work swiftly to ensure we move forward with solutions that will allow us to secure a livable future on Earth. Read more.

★ Policy Matters: Solutions for a Plastic Pollution Free U.S.
During our September webinar, we learned more about legislative efforts in the United States meant to reduce and prevent single-use plastic and plastic’s many forms of pollution from impacting our climate, communities, waterways, and natural wonders. We heard about what the Biden-Harris Administration is doing from Jonathan Black, Senior Director for Chemical Safety and Plastic Pollution Prevention at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. We were also joined by Joan Mooney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior; and Jane Patton, U.S. Fossil Economy Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law. The conversation was moderated by Christy Leavitt, Campaign Director for Oceana. Watch the recording.

★ Policy to Keep Single-Use Plastics Out of U.S. National Parks Introduced
In an effort to keep single-use plastics out of National Parks, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkeley (D-OR) and eleven Senate colleagues have introduced the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act. The proposed legislation would restore Obama-era guidance prohibiting the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in National Parks, as well as “the sale and distribution of other disposable plastic products to the greatest extent feasible.” Earlier this year, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) introduced a companion bill also calling to end the sale of single-use plastic bottles in parks. Read more.

★ October Webinar: Policy Matters: The UN Global Plastics Treaty
Right now, we have an opportunity to address the interconnected critical challenges of plastic pollution, fossil fuels, the climate crisis, and their toxic impacts, with the UN Plastics Treaty, which is set to be finalized by 2025. With the third of five rounds of negotiations scheduled to take place next month in Nairobi, Kenya, this is a critical time to work toward an effective, equitable UN Plastics Treaty that stops plastics and fossil fuels at the source. During our October 26 webinar, we will discuss the latest developments in the UN Plastics Treaty negotiations. Learn what Plastic Pollution Coalition members and allies are doing to shape the treaty and what you can do to take action to help. Sign up.

★ Endocrine Disruptors in Plastics: State Policy Options
On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 7pm ET join a webinar for a conversation about endocrine disruptors with New York State Senator Pete Harckham, Chair of the New York Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, John Peterson 'Pete' Myers, Ph.D., CEO and Chief Scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, and Megan Wolff, Ph.D., MPH, Policy Director at Beyond Plastics. Sign up.

★ Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit
On October 5, 2023, join the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in New York for a day of solutions-driven discussions and community building. The Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit brings together business leaders and investors globally to drive innovation and scale best practices in sustainable business and finance. Amid economic uncertainty, geopolitical challenges and ever-changing regulations, companies are under pressure to drive business value and meet their ambitious Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. Sign up.

★ The National Zero Waste Conference
The National Zero Waste Conference is the annual two-day virtual educational and networking event organized by Zero Waste USA and partners. Zero Waste Businesses & Institutions is the focus of this conference on Wednesday, October 25, and Zero Waste Communities on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Sign up.

★ The Great Global Nurdle Hunt 2023
This October, take part and join thousands of volunteers across the world gathering evidence, raising awareness and calling for an end to nurdle (plastic pellet) pollution! Anyone can take part, whether you are an individual or an organization. If you are new to nurdle hunting, find out how to nurdle hunt here. Register here.

★ Public Health Research and Surveillance Priorities from the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment: A Virtual Workshop
To advance understanding and facilitate the recovery and wellbeing of those impacted, a planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize and convene a two-day virtual public workshop Nov. 6–7, 2023, to explore potential health research and surveillance priorities arising from the train derailment and material hazards spill that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023. Register here.

★ Plastic Free Lunch Day
Plastic Free Lunch Day was ​started by students in Cafeteria Culture’s program at PS 15 in Brooklyn, New York. Celebrate Plastic Free Lunch Day this November 8 at schools across the United States and globally. Find the resources you need so your K-12 school can participate. Get involved.

★ Reusable Packaging Fundamentals
There’s a lot of buzz around reusable packaging to help end wastefulness. But where do you start, how do you design a system, and how do you make it a success? Join Reuse Aotearoa for this free, informative, in-person workshop on November 8. Register here.

★ 2nd International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region
The symposium will be held on Nov. 22–23, 2023, and will shed light on the latest findings on the extent and impact of plastic pollution in the Arctic and near Arctic Regions. Register here.

➤ Find more Events on our website.

★ Member Spotlight: Cruz Foam, Etho Capital, & Fenceline Watch
Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Members come from a wide range of sectors and are aligned in their mission to build a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on communities and ecosystems around the world. The Coalition Spotlight is our monthly blog to uplift and showcase their work, giving our readers an inside look at some of these influential change-makers. This month, we featured PPC Business and Organization Members who are taking action on climate through their work to address plastic pollution. Read here.

★ Ecovative Opens Access to Patent for Plastic-Free Products in Europe
PPC Business Member Ecovative has announced that it is opening access to a major European patent to individuals and businesses who wish to use its MycoComposite™ mycelium materials in their own innovations and businesses in Europe. Ecovative’s patent outlines a strategic blueprint for the creation of eco-friendly and renewable mushroom mycelium composites—and makes it available to others to use and push forth to a future free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts. Learn more.

★ Join the Coalition
Not yet a member of Plastic Pollution Coalition? You may join as an individual, organization, or business. Apply here. 

★ Tell the U.S. Government: Take a Stronger Stance on the Global Plastics Treaty
Plastic production, transportation, use, and disposal threaten Earth’s communities, air, water, biodiversity, and soils. With UN Global Treaty negotiations underway through the end of 2024, the U.S. Government (USG) has the unique opportunity to play a key role in the change we need on a worldwide level: instead of leading the world in generating the plastic pollution crisis, it's time for the USG to lead by forging ambitious solutions. Sign on to tell the USG to take a stronger stance on the Global Plastics Treaty. Outside the U.S.? Sign the petition calling on world leaders to create a bold, binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

 ★ Tell EPA: Don’t Replace Lead Pipes with Plastic Pollution
The U.S. Federal government has approved $15 billion to replace toxic lead services lines bringing water into the homes of 22 million people in the U.S. Lead pipes should be replaced with non-toxic materials, not plastics like PVC. Plastic pipe materials can similarly leach toxic chemicals and microplastics that accumulate in the environment and in our bodies. PPC and our allies are working to ensure this funding goes to safe, non-plastic solutions that put community health and safety first. Sign the petition. 

★ Tell Coca-Cola: It's Time to Prioritize Health Over Profits 
New research that traces Coca-Cola’s plastic bottle supply chain brings to light further evidence of air and water pollution, climate pollution, and environmental racism that may be wrought by the beverage industry’s addiction to cheap plastic bottles made from oil and gas. Worldwide, it is estimated that the beverage industry buys more than 500 billion plastic bottles every year to package its products, and that Coke alone buys a fifth of those. In the newly released report titled Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle, Defend Our Health detailed evidence that the chemical footprint of plastic bottles is unsustainable and they are challenging The Coca-Cola Company to put consumers first and move to secure commitments from its suppliers to end any use of cancer-causing toxic plastic additives like antimony that may be harmful to our health. Sign the petition.

➤ Find more Petitions on our website.

★ Plastic Kills! Horror Short Contest
Hollywood, Health & Society and Plastic Pollution Coalition are accepting submissions for “PLASTIC KILLS!”—a horror short film competition designed to highlight the terrors of plastic pollution and its toxic effects on our bodies, our children, our pets, and our planet. Entrants may submit 1-3 minute original short horror films for a chance to win $2,000. Our notable judging panel includes: Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets), Jack Bender (From, Game of Thrones), Sarah Yarkin & Peyton List (School Spirits), visual artist Paul Robinson, and more. Learn more. The deadline to submit your film is Friday, October 13, 2023.

★ 21st Anniversary International Ocean Film Festival
The International Ocean Film Foundation (IOFF) is best known for producing the International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco, California, now in its 21st year and considered the largest ocean themed film festival in the world. The 2024 festival is scheduled for April 13–14. The call for film submissions is now open until December 31, with an early deadline of October 12. Award categories include Animation, Conservation, Coastal and Island Cultures, Director, DEI, Environment, Female Filmmaker, Golden Gate (recognition of a local Bay Area filmmaker) Innovation, Marine Science/Wildlife, Ocean Sports and Exploration, and Short. Submit your film here.

★ 2023 Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardshp nominations 
FracTracker Alliance is excited to announce that the 2023 Community Sentinel Award nominations are open! Now in its ninth year, the award honors grassroots environmental activists from across the United States for their significant efforts to protect communities from the harms of the fossil fuel industry. Each Community Sentinel Award recipient receives $1,000 and is recognized at the annual awards ceremony. This year's hybrid event will be held in person in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, November 9, 2023, and livestreamed for virtual attendees. Submit your nomination by October 6, 2023. 

★ District of Columbia Donation and Reuse Award Program
The Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) is accepting applications for the Donation and Reuse grant program in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust and DOEE’s Small and Accessible (SAS) Grant Program. This grant will provide up to $10,000 to awardees for donation, reuse, and repair projects, programs, and services for increased donation and reuse opportunities of materials otherwise headed to the waste stream in the District. This program will support community-oriented projects that are designed to meet the needs of the community and/or encourage behavior change around donation, reuse, and repair of household items and food recovery. The SAS grant program emphasizes the support of small, new, and/or historically excluded (SNHE) entities. Submit your application by November 9, 2023.

★ Colorado Enacts Statewide Bag Fee
If you live in Colorado, you can help make sure the state’s new bag fee on all single-use checkout bags through its Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (HB21-1162) is enforced. Take a look at Eco-Cycle’s free step-by-step guide designed to help municipalities, businesses, and communities adhere to Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Act and help reduce plastic pollution. Learn more.

★ Explore Plastic Pollution Coalition’s Resource Library
A wealth of resources are available in our online library to help educate and mobilize individuals to take action on plastic pollution. From research and reports to educational materials, the library has something for everyone. Whether you're an individual looking to reduce your own plastic footprint or an organization looking to make a bigger impact, PPC's resource library is a great place to start. Explore the Resource Library.