Because the Earth isn’t disposable

 

Is this how the planet dies? How Earth dies?

I mean, there are a lot of threats to Earth I can think of …

But can you think of ANYTHING that represents the existential threat to the planet, and to people and wildlife, more acutely than the single-use plastic bottle?

Plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels. Single-use plastic is one of the biggest drivers of demand for fossil fuels. And it’s made to be used once, then thrown away — where it could end up killing wildlife in our oceans.

Our planet is NOT disposable!

If your Earth Day activities include picking up trash on a beach or riverbank, it’s plastic you’ll see the most of. You’ll see the labels, too — usually products from the terrible trio of Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and PepsiCo.

And if you’re thinking of making a gift for Earth Day, I urge you to give to Greenpeace USA to support all our work for a greener future.

GIVE NOW

As a Greenpeacer, you know the facts. The millions of tons of plastic that enter our oceans each year choke dolphins, strangle sea turtles, and break down into microparticles that end up in fish, in water, in sea salt, and in our bodies.

That’s right: A recent study found microplastics in human blood for the first time, with terrifying implications as to how they affect human health.

Single-use plastics also harm whole communities — often coastal communities who rarely contribute to the crisis. Our waste is washing up onto their shores!

Fortunately, your support for Greenpeace USA is making a real difference. Together, we’re fighting to:

• Hold polluters accountable. Coke’s recent announcement that they will aim for 25% of their global packaging to be reusable by 2030 is a step in the right direction, and you helped make it happen. But they need to do more, and so do Pepsi and Nestlé. We need to keep the pressure on corporate polluters!
• Pass a National Bottle Bill. We applaud the local communities that have taken action on this front. They are setting an example that the nation needs to follow!
• Adopt a global plastics treaty. The UN has already agreed to move forward on this critical agreement, and President Biden is in support — but with at least a year of negotiations ahead to finalize the treaty, we need to keep up the pressure to ensure that the ban is as strong as possible!
• Pass the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. Right now, this year, with this Congress.

Our oceans are in trouble. And we need them to sustain life. Every second breath we take comes from oxygen produced by organisms in our oceans.

This doesn’t have to be how the planet ends. Hope is in all of our hands, and in our hearts. To protect our shared oceans, we have to confront the plastic crisis – and the climate change crisis. We need to challenge industrial overfishing and create vast sanctuaries to replenish ocean wildlife. And we need to do it NOW.

Don’t wait for Earth Day. Take action now with a gift to Greenpeace USA. For our oceans — and for our future.

For our oceans,

Kate Melges
Senior Plastics Campaigner, Greenpeace USA

Greenpeace USA never takes a dime from corporations or governments. Everything we do is thanks to the generous support of people like you!

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Greenpeace Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(4) organization. As a result of our effective work for new environmental policies, contributions are not tax-deductible.