Earth Rights - Ocean Love in Action by Rebecca Roberts-Wolfe
Image from the film “Mermaids Against Plastic”
by Sylvia Johnson
Last season, ONE hosted the Ocean Conversation Series and Gratitude Ceremony, calling our attention and reverence to the magnificent Ocean.
Nearly 2,000 ONE members expressed their love of Ocean, holding gratitude ceremonies in their own landscapes, attending the conversation series, and sharing poetic celebrations like this one:
“The ocean air fills my being with life force. I embrace the sand with my feet as I walk to her, tentatively placing my toes in the lapping waves and feeling complete.” ~ONE community member Roxanne in California
Now, in the quiet pause of winter, we follow up on our Ocean journey with an invitation to take action in the material world, to help protect the Ocean and Earth from humanity’s out-of-balance relationship with plastic.
Our September webinar guests, Rachel Bustamante and Tamara Adame, spoke eloquently to The Plastic Crisis and Our Interconnected Ocean. Each offered resources for further action. Rachel, of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, suggested supporting two bills which are currently in Congress: the Farewell to Foam Act and the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, both of which would have significant impact on the amount of plastic and styrofoam in circulation in the United States.
We’ve created an action guide, below, to make it easier for you to support the passage of this legislation, as well as to add your voice to other efforts to cut back on plastic pollution worldwide.
FAREWELL TO FOAM
“The Farewell to Foam Act will phase out single-use plastic foam food service products, loose fill packaging such as packing peanuts, and non-medical disposable coolers across the nation.” ~From Oceana’s petition
Sign Oceana’s petition in support of the Farewell to Foam Act. Taking this one action will automatically send a message to your Senators and Representative.
Bonus action for maximum impact: Contact the members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill is currently in this committee and needs to pass here first in order to move forward towards being enacted.
Read more about the Farewell to Foam Act
REDUCING WASTE IN NATIONAL PARKS
“The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act would direct the National Park Service to eliminate the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products—such as single-use plastic bottles, utensils, straws, and packaging. This legislation would restore a previous federal directive, which Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently revoked, to keep plastic waste out of our national parks.” ~From Senator Jeff Merkley’s website
Contact your Senators and Representative to ask them to support this bill.
Bonus action for maximum impact: Contact the members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which has recently held hearings on this bill. It needs to pass this committee in order to move forward towards being enacted.
MORE ACTIONS
Sign Champions of Change’s Open Letter: Calling for a strong Global Plastic Treaty that cuts plastic production
Sign 19 more petitions from the Plastic Pollution Coalition, calling on entities such as multinational corporations, the US Government and UN Leaders to reduce plastic production in a variety of ways