Eco-Hero Connects Webinar: Ocean Conservation: Protecting Marine Ecosystems

Not all heroes wear a cape. When they are eco heroes, they sometimes wear swim gear and take part in webinars.

That's what is ahead from Action for Nature next Saturday, August 1st, 2026 at 2 pm Eastern time (11 AM Pacific Time). They are hosting the "Eco-Hero Connects Webinar: Ocean Conservation: Protecting Marine Ecosystems." Four of the recipients of Action For Nature's Young Eco-Hero Award will be gathered together as part of an global panel speaking together about their individual journeys of ocean advocacy. In that discussion, they'll also talk about some of the ways we all can take action to protect our marine ecosytstems.

The webinar speakers include:

• Jade Bothma, 2020 Eco-Hero from South Africa who founded Oceano Reddentes ("the ocean revives"). Together with her team of volunteers they have gotten rid of 8,000+ pounds of waste from the beaches of Cape Town. They use the found-plastic to form "eco-bricks" to use as sustainable building materials for housing.

• Elijah Richardson, 2024 Eco-Hero of Australia who is active in many conservation organizations: Coral Watch, Neuralfin Shark ID, and Tangaroa Blue. You can check out his many associations through his LinkTree page.

• Cash Daniels, 2022 Eco-Hero from the USA is the founder of Wild Earth Defenders. Cash is known as "The Conservation Kid," and he has been a long-time advocate for waterways and taking action for our planet.

• Sean Russell, 2009 Eco-Hero from the USA is the Director of Youth Engagement at EarthEcho International (GenSea) and the Founder and Director of the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit. These organizations encourage our youth to start their own marine conservation projects.

To register and take part in this webinar showcasing these 4 young leaders, check out Action for Nature.

Image from https://actionfornature.org/events/2026/8/1/eco-hero-connects-webinar-ocean-conservation-protecting-marine-ecosystems

Eco-Anxiety: A Message from Our Future Selves

I had to chuckle when I first started watching author Heather White's November 8th, 2025 TED Talk on Eco-Anxiety: A Message from Our Future Selves. She referenced Michael J. Fox & the 1980s movie Back to the Future. I think the chuckling came from both my own fascination (my kids call it "obsession") with the '80s. It also came from recently seeing the on-stage production of Back to the Future: The Musical and loving it. (Backstory: this ways my requested Christmas gift. See also: my previous point.)

Of course, she also had me at environmental sustainability.

Thinking ahead to the future we want, is certainly a good way to help build the world we want! Let's go forward with a time-traveling mentality. 

For more about Heather White, check out the following: 

Her website.

Books by Heather White:

• 60 Days to a Greener Life: Ease Eco-anxiety Through Joyful Daily Action (2024)
  
• Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids, and Our Future (2024)
  
• One Green Thing: Discover Your Hidden Power to Help Save the Planet (2022)
  

Previous posts about Heather White's books:

• One Green Thing: Top Take Aways from the Book (5-17-2023)
  
• Heather White's "Think Like An Awesome Ancestor" TED Talk on Eco-Anxiety (2-11-2023)
  
• One Green Thing: Find Out Your Service Superpower (1-23-2023
  

Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8bc6Ese4oQ, Images from https://www.amazon.com/Eco-Anxiety-Saving-Sanity-Kids-Future/dp/0785291326/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=OIciv&content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&pf_rd_r=139-4919241-6074336&pd_rd_wg=HKFxA&pd_rd_r=5e46a386-4857-47a7-a1d1-b9f69f148e14 and https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=563488706023864&set=a.213086551064083

A Lesser-Plastic Lifestyle

I landed on these infographics on Plastic Pollution Coalition's February 28, 2026 Facebook Post. These make for great reminders and helpful hints if you are trying to cut down on your own plastic consumption.

For more ways to work on reducing your plastic use, check out these websites:

• The EPA's page "What You Can Do to Reduce Plastic Waste
• Eco-cycle's "Reduce Your Plastic Use page.
• The University of Maryland's Center of Environmental Science "PlasticWatch: What Can I Do" page (which has a wealth of ideas, resources, links and apps to help your quest for a lesser-plastic-lifestyle.

Images from https://www.facebook.com/PlasticPollution/posts/pfbid02rALGPo6wGa91AN2QwUnD5U76GeRxQp3D72hZLyj5oXRHgThsT2WmVnUHCaoTtYzbl

Story of Stuff & Their Endless Pursuit on Sustainability

I've been a long time fan of The Story of Stuff Project and their many documentaries. Their very first one came out in 2007, and I've been writing about them for awhile.

They have a few new features out in their Movies page of their website. "Reuse Revolution" is fairly new, and their first movie details Okapi Coffee and it's circular economy solution to keep waste out of landfills by encouraging patrons to use reusable cups:

Go to Okapi's website to learn more about where to find participating cafes that are in their network.

I'm eager to see what else Story of Stuff comes up with for their Reuse Revolution series!

In the mean time, here are more of their educational movies you can check out.

• Their 13 video set of their "Story of ..." Movies.
• Their 6 video collection of their plastic pollution documentaries.
• Their 3 video series "Exposed" about Coca-Cola Company's attempts & advertising campaigns, all of which essentially shut down recycling their glass bottles. 
• "Burning Injustice" about incinerators in California and the toxic air pollution they create.
• Their 10 video set on plastic solutions in "Solving Plastics."
• Their set of 5 videos entitled "The World We Need" showcasing activists standing up to make a difference.
• Their 15 video collection "The Good Stuff" where they look at some pollution problems and some potential sustainable solutions that would benefit us all.
• Their 3 video set of "Water Documentaries" about clean water and bottle water sources.
• Their 11 episode series "The Shift" on the coronavirus epidemic of 2020.

With 67 video shorts (as of this writing) over the last 19 years, this is a powerhouse collection of environmental and sustability resources... all just a click away! What a bounty!

Video from https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/reuse-revolution-coffee-without-the-waste/, image from https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-reuse-revolution/

Starting the New Year On the Right Foot

(What was once lost is now found....more on that in my next post!)

It's a new year, and if you are like me, you like to "feel the fresh." Ergo...a "feel good" story was just what the doctor ordered for this kid! If you are looking for a new year's resolution or a way to make a difference this year, perhaps SpoGomi is for you.

Interestingly enough, it's not a new concept (though it felt new to me), and it's actually something I've written about before but with another name: plogging or plalking. If you are like most people, this is a new term for you. Basically, it's Swedish for "p"icking up "l"itter while you are jogging (plogging) or walking (plalking). Both have become quite popular over the past decade.

SpoGomi, on the other hand, is a bit more of a "sport," and it stands for "Sport Gomi" ("gomi" is Japanese for "trash"). It becomes it's own competitive level sport where  teams of three people compete to pick up the most trash in a set amount of time. There is even a World Cup for SpoGomi!

I think this is a great way to get people involved in cleaning up their communities. It's fun, it's competitive, and it makes a real difference. Maybe neighborhood SpoGomi is what we need! Who's with me?

Check out this poster I made (with a little help from AI) to show the basic rules!

 

The rules are simple:

1. Teams of 3: You need a team to compete... and you need to compete against a team.

2. Set the time: You have a set amount of time to pick up as much trash as you can.

3. Define a specific area: You have to stay within a certain area.

4. Types of trash: Different types of trash are worth different points. Cigarette butts are usually worth the most!

5. No sorting: You don't have to sort the trash, but you do have to pick it up safely. So take steps and wear safety equipment/gloves as needed.

What a great way to start the new year on the right foot. It's a small thing, but it can make a big difference. Let me know in the comments if you've ever heard of SpoGomi or if you'd be interested in starting a team!

Happy New Year, everyone! Let's make 2026 the cleanest year yet!

Images from https://www.facebook.com/1MillionWomen/posts/pfbid02HwVmLdpmMom5GSrYjxEs1W8Gfu76XWNwJcgHXhTcWvj6yZofZBjS7LNS8Ja8PsLvl and Spogomi Rules Infographic created using Perplexity.AI (and corrected in at least 4 places for spelling through my computer's editing tools--showing that it's always necessary to edit those AI requests carefully!!)

Plastic-Eating Microbes to the Rescue!

Not all heroes wear capes... nor are they all "larger than life." 

They may in fact be microscopic... and they maybe bit-sized bacteria. Bioengineered to eat their way through problems, these mini-sized superheroes are environmental problem solvers.... designed to digest plastic waste!

In an innovative twist, there is a growing field of science dedicated to the microscopic solution to a major problem: plastic pollution. Scientists are working to "genetically train" minuscule bacteria (called microbes) to break down PET plastic, which is the plastic used in soda bottles, clam-shell style plastic food containers, and synthetic fibered fabrics. 

Yes, it sounds more like science-fiction than science. 

But it is not new, and dates back to over two decades:

• In 2001, Japanese scientists led by Kohei Oda discovered a collection of bacteria at a garbage area that were degrading plastic. "Eating" it, if you will. As they consumed this plastic trash, it led to the bacteria to grow and multiply. 
• Scientific research over time led to the 2016 discovery by Kohei Oda and Kazumi Hiraga that the microbe Ideonella sakaiensis' enzymes could break down PET plastic. This in turn served as energy for the microbes.

Working in labs through research like this, scientists have discovered that they could help fast-track this process through genetic engineering. This "superpower" of science, combined with technology, helps speed up the process, helping to power through the plastic pollution problem. Of course, "speeding up" is all relative as it is currently still a rather slow process.

There's a name for this: biorecycling. It also could potentially help turn the plastic waste into new products, which ultimately saves resources down the line. Biorecycling is an emerging and growing field, so it not an overnight solution, Yet, it does open up possibilities of cleaning up oil spills, eliminating microplastics from water sources, and helping tackle hard-to-recycle materials. Additionally, with it being a new-technology, there are a lot of unknowns. Last thing anyone wants is for a solution to create new problems. Especially environmentally. (We've all seen the damage invasive species can do. Take Kudzu, Spotted Lanternflies, and Asian Carp for example.)

But it's hopeful to see a shift in the idea of "waste" as an end product. Rather than a dead end, it shifts to a "circular economy" model, transforming an item into something new rather than ending it in waste and pollution. Kind of nice to have a clean up crew of nature's tiny microbes!

Check out the clickable interactive below to learn more about how microbes can eat their way to our environmental solutions. I like the idea of having a shrinky-dink-sized clean up crew of nature's superheroes!

Click here for a screen-sized version of Microbes and How Microbes Eat Waste Digestion: Evolution and Engineering Concepts by Vicki Dabrowka

To do a deep dive into a some of the scientific research, check out these articles:

• Guardian's ‘We Are Just Getting Started’: The Plastic-Eating Bacteria That Could Change the World (9/23/2023)
• Eco-bees' Engineered Microorganisms (2025)
• University of Edinburgh's Microbes Transform Plastic Waste Into Paracetamol (6/23/2025)
• Nature Biotechnology's Plastic-Eating Bacteria Boost Growing Business of Bioremediation (9/23/2024)

Image created at Canva.com using the Magic Media tools; Interactive created in Canva.com using Canva Coding on June 23, 2025 with the following prompt: "Create an interactive HTML concept map showing how microbes evolved or were engineered to "digest" waste at a 5th grade reading level.Let students click each part of the images to reveal a short explanation." Circular vs linear economy image from https://www.facebook.com/storyofstuff/posts/pfbid0Gk9nmV5yx7vqS7jATiTxoL3arLuJo1aq7pBnPWZSdvggdUcqcwyHSWs8VQwG183Fl

Easy Actions You Can Do To Tend Our Planet

"What can one person do?"

An environmental question for the ages. If you find yourself asking these same questions, here's a compilation I created from the visuals I found on 1 Million Women's Facebook page. Just as titled, they are "10 easy actions you can do to look after the planet this week." Click through to see all the slides.

Easy to do, and necessary to share. 

As you are going into the week ahead, which of the 10 can you do? 

1. Be a flexitarian 
2. Rethink your modes of transportation
3. Chill out your laundry
4. Go LED
5. Take action with your local/national leaders
6. Shop & use less
7. Eat why you buy--fridge-wise
8. Push away plastic
9. Eco-invest when it comes to your banking
10. Come up with your own solutions and share!

10 Easy Actions You Can Do to Look After the Planet this Week by Vicki Dabrowka--Slideshow created on Canva.com using the visual slides created using the social media visuals from the“1 Million Women” Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/1MillionWomen/posts/pfbid01T91VUhM715k5WQswHhVHJ7XawfKgSoUdeUZCiJiSXVjEuokxD1G2MEZwApiBfu1l

Plastic Free July

Stop. 🛑 

Set a timer for 60 seconds. 

Watch that minute count down. 

In that minute (not to mention every other minute), the equivalent of one garbage truck full of plastic finds its way into the ocean. With 525,600 minutes in a year, that amounts to over 8 million TONS of plastic pollution created each year. 

But that's just what ends up in our waterways. Compare that to the approximately 400 million metric tons of plastic humans globally produce each year. And of that, 91% is often still not recycled--hard to believe when recycling has been "a thing" for decades. 

Not to mention, a majority of this is single use plastic--used once, then tossed. 

We need to be "once bitten, twice shy" instead! And July is a great time to flip this script. Plastic Free July is the perfect time to ditch disposables, rethink packaging, and demonstrate that "plastic is not fantastic." 

Small behavior shifts can make a a difference in our consumption, our landfills, & our values. 

Grab your stainless steel straw, your reusable tumbler, your tote bag of tote bags to make moves to step away from plastic.

Here's an oldie but goodie--It's not me, it's you:

Places to check out:

• Plastic Free July's website:
• To learn, go to their Ideas & solutions 
• For inspiration from others, check out their What Others Do page
• Take their Plastic Free pledge where you can get inspired by their visual gallery of pledge cards
• The Story of Stuff's "Fight Plastic Pollution" page
• Plastic Bank's Facebook page

Videos from https://youtu.be/ByayHG5CscE?si=0WkLH0_YXsmmRhHA and https://youtu.be/-DEc16dEMns?si=SIOjks5X-RLzQHk1, images from https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/resources/assets/ and https://123timer.com/60-second

"Are Bioplastics Really Better?" Quiz & America Recycles Day: November 15th

Time to test your knowledge friends? What do you know about bioplastics....and are they really better? Take the quiz from the Story of Stuff Project. Even if you are a tad test-averse, these 6 questions aren't too frightening...though you might be surprised by some of the answers. Once you get your results, you can watch a 2 minute video and learn even more about bioplastics: what they are and how they impact our world. Likewise, you can check your answers and learn from your mistakes.

All of this gears you up and gets you ready for America Recycles Day -- annually on November 15th. To learn more:

• Check out the America Recycles Day website.
• Take the Recycles Reality Check Quiz.
• Check out the "Do Beautiful Things" podcast.
• Find a multitude of resources at the EPA's America Recycles Day website.

Images screenshot from https://action.storyofstuff.org/survey/bioplastics-quiz and https://kab.org/our-signature-programs/america-recycles-day/.

Long Live Les Éco-Olympiades

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are a week away, beginning on July 26 and running until August 11th. Excitement is building across many sectors for this global, quadrennial event of celebrated humanity and athleticism.

As with events like this, each successive one wants to be bigger and better in as many ways as possible. Paris' Olympics this year is no different:

As mentioned in the video above, one of the ways Paris' Olympics plan to lead are through its green initiatives.  Interesting Engineering's Sujita Sinha's 7-15-2024 post and Forbes' Claire Poole's 7-19-2024 article detail some pretty cool eco-initiatives in place here for this summer's olympics:

• When planning the events, emphasis was put on minimal new construction while also improving existing ones to house the events. Examples include adding a retractable roof to the Georges Vallerey pool and restoration of the Grand Palais.

• When new buildings were built (such as the new aquatics center), sustainable elements were put into place including specialty roof design and solar energy farms. Likewise, seats constructed of recycled plastic were installed where needed. (11,000 to be exact!)  Additionally, these structures were purposely built for reuse.

• The Olympic Village incorporated seashell pavements and air purifiers near the roads.Additionally, the Village is outfitted with furniture specifically created from reused or recycled materials such as badminton shuttlecock-created tables and bottle cap-created chairs, parachute fiber covered bean bags, and couches constructed from metal sidewalk barriers at their base.

• 
  After the games, furnishings in the Olympic Village are planned to reused, donated, or repurposed, giving thousands of items second life rather than have them be a part of the throw-away mentality.
• Using famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, and the Palace of Versailles as backdrop settings for a number of sporting events.

• The opening ceremony will be help in the streets of Paris as well as on a Seine River in a flotilla-stryle boat parade. 

• Environmental strides to improve the urban infrastructure include "250 miles of new bike lanes, an extended Métro network, a cleaner Seine, and 300,000 new trees planted."

• Food options for the athletes have emphasis on plant-based menu items as well as being locally sourced.

• The event-winning medals have an emphasis on reuse with each of them containing "18 grams of original iron from the Eiffel Tower inserted, placed at the heart of the medals, to highlight circular economy messaging. The metal was removed and preserved during previous renovation campaigns."

• In an effort to protect seagrasses near Calanques National Park in Marseille where some of the sailing competitions are planned to occur, organizers are preparing to use drone-like buoys. In doing so, this is more protective to the carbon-soaking grasses because there will be less disruption to them due to not being dredged by anchors.

To do a deep dive on the 2024 Paris Olympic's commitment to sustainability and see their nods to the 2015 Paris Agreement (with goal date of 2030),  check out their website and their multitude of reference points, remarks, and reports. Then also watch this video from Interesting Engineering to see how their plan for fewer building projects for these games is both a sustainable AND money-saving move.

 

Videos from https://youtu.be/IMLMJVX4NsU?si=9Mxpz3x42iSjeMJJ and https://youtu.be/WBiPdEcyAlM?si=Voaq7QhXzKhys-Dk, Logo from https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-10-24/paris-olympics-2024-logo and https://olympics.com/ioc/sustainability

Eight Ways To Celebrate Earth Day

Happy Earth Day 2024

If you are still looking for ways to celebrate your Earth Day, here are 8. Take care of Mother Nature today in order to feel your personal impact on the planet!

Erase Plastics in your life! With the 2024 Earth Day theme "Planet vs. Plastics," what can you do to eliminate your own plastics. How long can you go without plastics? A day? A few days? A week? A month? More? 

Also, check out the "End Plastic Pollution Earth Day Calculator" to see just how much you use...and what you can do to eradicate it.

Announce, applaud, admire, accept, and adopt a mindset that kindness, social justice, anti-racism, a sense of community, equality, fair treatment, and the betterment of society are all environmental justice issues. So often, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) populations and lower income/poverty level communities tend to get the negative effects of climate change, pollution, and more.. NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard") is an attitude of influence, prejudice, privilege and entitlement when it comes to polluting factories or landfills "should be over THERE" (aka: not here, in my backyard, where I have to see it and live with it.). Don't be that guy (or gal)! Abandon your prejudices and biases and argue in favor of equality!

Really go all in with all the R's...Repair something or reuse it versus replacing it. Reduce your waste. Refuse to trash something or buy it to begin with. Remove the need to keep up with the Joneses, buying what you don't need. Think responsibly. Act rationally, radically, and rally together, sharing ideas. Remind others of all they can do to help your local and global and planetary community!

Take an online quiz via Gapminder.org. Gapminder is an independent educational non-profit fighting global misconceptions, with their mantra "Upgrade your world view." Use their non-partisan, fact-based tools and teaching materials to get a true handle on what life is like in the world.

Some good Gapminder quizzes to start with include: Global Warming, Plastics in Ocean, Threatened Species, Electricity Access, Water at Home, and many more.

Help out by a nearby park, neighborhood, schoolyard, or stream by going by and staging your own environmental clean up. Remove trash and litter to help create a happier habitat for the plants and animals that live there!

Downgrade your transportation needs for the day. Can you find a better way to get from Point A to Point B? Consider carpooling, biking, walking, or taking public transportation as a cleaner way to get around today, this week, or this month. Downsize your commute and your environmental impact by working from home if you can.

Abandon a wasteful mentality. Turn off the lights when leaving the room. Stop the faucet flow when brushing your teeth. Buy only what you plan on eating so you don't have to worry about cleaning the refrigerator or throwing away old food. Do you need 14 or the same shirt or with one or two suffice. Bring your reusable shopping bags so you don't need single use plastic or paper grocery sacks. Use a real fork or plate versus a consumable or plastic one. Going out to eat? Take your own reusable containers for your leftovers you want to eat at lunch tomorrow.  Argue against that idea that you need extras when you have enough!

Yearn to learn....never stop. "Yomp" as you go and explore nature and the natural world (aka; move quickly and energetically toward your goal with "determination and resilience"). Yield to new ideas that embrace a global perspective, a vision of human connection, and an attitude of environmental stewardship.

Happy 54th Earth Day, everyone! 

Would love to hear what YOU did 

to take care of our planet!

Earth Day sign and letters created with letter frames and pictures on Canva.com.

Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs. Plastics

Earth Day is on its way, swiftly approaching on April 22nd. Since its first one in 1970, Earth Day has been a day dedicated to the betterment of our planet.

The 2024 Theme: Planet vs. Plastics

The goal: to remove 60% of the plastics by 2040...with the true goal to aim for a plastic-free planet. 

When you think of plastics, it's everywhere--and sometimes it's necessary. Think about its role in the medical field. However, the overuse of single use plastic has got to go. Not only is it a waste of a valuable, non-renewable resource (petroleum), but it is an endocrine disruptor and toxic hazard which can cause cancer. It's everywhere--in our food, in our fast fashion, in our air and water. And it's not recycled like we all wishfully think it is--only 5% is recycled globally. 

For a bounty of ideas, check out the Earth Day Action Toolkit 2024 from EarthDay.org. You can find many of their other Earth Day and beyond toolkits here.

Additionally, here are more resources:

• Maine's Department of Education Earth Day 2024 website of Educator Resources (There's a wealth in here!! Way to go, Maine!)

• EarthDay.org's Plastic Pollution Fact Sheets

• EarthDay.org's "End Plastics" online quizzes (and more!)

• Pedagogue's Earth Day 2024 Teaching Resources--with 8 online resources of what websites specifically to visit.

• Scholastic's Celebrate Earth Day activities

• Teach Starter's Earth Day 2024 Teaching Resources

• Planetpal's Earth Day page of resources

What will you do for Earth Day this year?

HERE

Earth Day PSA video: https://youtu.be/xP-iIilHQsU?si=OMGF2Ja2tIbfY_fr, image from https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/plastic-vs-planet.html and https://www.earthday.org/planet-vs-plastics/, Earth Month Calendar from https://subjecttoclimate.org/blog/2024-earth-day-activity-guide-for-6-8#Lesson%20Plans

Positive Environmental News for 2023

OneTreePlanted is a great place to go for good environmental news. After landing on their article "Good Environmental Stories From 2023," I was inspired to create the world map infographic below, showcasing some of the great news that includes plastic and paper bans, rejuvenated species, ocean clean ups, activism, biodiversity, and other great eco news. Click the poster to see an enlarged version, then click article links to find out more!!

Image created at canvas.com using information from https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/good-news-2023

Happy New Year 2024

A new year is is ahead. 2024. 52 weeks of new are right here with the flip of the calendar page. 

Using ChatGPT, I created this ABC list of environmental well-wishes for your year ahead. May it serve as an inspirational checklist of 26 ways you can green your routine and your 2024.

Afforestation adventures await! Plant some trees or visit some new forests to check out their flourishing biodiversity.

Breathe deeply and take in the bliss of crisp, clean air by "getting out there."

Cultivate sustainable habits and conscious choices for a greener and cleaner future. Start by looking at your home products.

Dive into the depths of eco-conscious decisions. Say no to plastics when you have a pollution-free choice instead.

Embrace renewable energy by opening windows or curtains to bring the sun and wind power in.

Foster a love for our feathered friends. Visit a bird sanctuary or do a little backyard bird watching.

Grow a garden of green: make your backyard bloom with blossoms or a become a bounty to veggies to feed your family. 

Harness some humans-nature harmony: take time out in nature to find fellowship with flora and fauna.

Illuminate your home with energy-efficient lightbulbs to save money and energy.

Join hands with environmental advocates for Mother Earth.

Kindle the flames of environmental education to spread eco-awareness to keep knowledge going and growing.

Let love for our Earth be a guiding star, leading us toward sustainable practices and eco-friendly living.

Marvel at the beauty of marine life, less impacted by mankind, though not immune from pollution.

Nourish your body with organic food to maximize your own health and wellness.

Optimize waste management in your own home: turn trash into treasures when you recycle, upcycle, reuse, and refuse what you no longer need.

Plant the care of conservation by supporting endangered species and restoring ecosystems.

Quietly observe the delicate balance of nature, appreciating the beauty of the separate seasons.

Reduce your own transportation impact: while you might not be ready to buy a lower emission electric vehicle, can you carpool, walk, ride your bike, or take public transportation to get from point A to B?

Sow seeds of environmental stewardship, cultivating a sense of responsibility and care for our home planet.

Turn the tide on pollution, so that our rivers and oceans run free of marine debris.

Unleash your own creativity and celebrate the creativity of architects and artists who masterfully weave sustainable design and environmental awareness to their work.

Value, protect, and celebrate the variety that makes up the rich tapestry of species of life on Earth.

Walk gently on the Earth, leaving behind footprints of kindness and care.

'Xperience the joy of eco-friendly exploration. Go out and adventure into the great outdoors. We protect what we love.

Yearn for a world where green spaces thrive, especially in urban worlds where green spaces provide an escape. 

Zero in on sustainable solutions. May zero-waste lifestyles and circular economies become the norm.


Disclaimer: AI was my friend with both the ABC list and the art of this post. I used ChatGPT and the following prompt on December 17, 2023 to build the inspiration for this post. My prompt that I used to create this post: "You are a creative and genius wordsmith who loves to craft creative text. Create an inspired ABC list of environmental well wishes for the new year ahead: 2024."  I then tweaked the verbiage a bit to make it a more streamlined post. Art created using the Magic Media tools of Canva.com using this prompt (then I added the embellishments of the year and graphics): "Happy New Year picture, realistic, pixar style people of all ages and races there, including white, asian, hispanic, and black people celebrating the new year with a happy new years signs around the room, in a party setting."

Zero Waste Week

I'm a week late. 

In part, it's because I didn't know that Zero Waste Week was "a thing." 

It is... and it was last week. 

Having begun in 2008 in the United Kingdom, Zero Waste Week was just a UK Zero Waste initiative but is now a global one. This grassroots movement was started by Rachelle Strauss and it is the first full week (including a Monday) of September. This year, it was last week: Sept 4-8, 2023.

From their website:

“ 'Zero Waste' does not have to apply only to individuals who literally produce no waste. Practicing zero waste can simply mean adopting a lifestyle in support of a circular economy that makes the most sustainable use out of our resources."

Shared on the Zero Waste Week website is this short from Sir David Attenborough:

So yes, we may have missed Zero Waste Week by a half dozen days, but perhaps this is in the category of "it's never too late to start." 

What can you do this week to actively reduce your plastic waste to help make this planet a better one?Celebrate every plastic utensil, straw, or take out cup you save along the way

To learn more, check out the following resources:

• Zero Waste Week Resources
• Zero Waste US
• The Educational Resources at Zero Waste International Alliance

And mark your calendar for Zero Waste Week for the next 3 years:

• September 2-6, 2024
• September 1-5, 2025
• September 7-11, 2026

Image from https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk/about/ and video from https://youtu.be/aTcMPy6L88E?si=UmWnbbBv_iJ2XXkJ

Plastic Free July

It's July. What's your plastic intake looking like?

If you are participating in the Plastic Free July movement/challenge, you numbers are looking low and impressive.

But even if you aren't, today may be a good day to try. 

12 years ago, in 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz started this movement with some colleagues in her local Western Australian Government. Just like Earth Hour, which also began in Australia, this movement has grown through the years as a way to bring about awareness of not only what we use, but also the power of our purchasing dollars and our voice. Change always seems to hit the loudest when it starts hitting companies in their pocketbooks and wallets!! By using less plastic at the front end, we help eliminate it in our waste streams and landscapes. 

In 2017 Rebecca Prince-Ruiz created The Plastic Free Foundation and you can check out her Plastic Free July website.  This video shows the impact of Plastic Free July 2022.

Whether you read about it last year here on GTG, have been a long time pursuer of less plastic, or are just wanting to start today, it certainly is never to late!

Things you can do today:

• 
  Check out the Plastic Free July Website
• Check out the Action Picker Challenge (click the link for the PDF of the thumbnail pictured here).
• Visit Plastic Free July's YouTube Channel
• Take part in one of Howard County, Maryland's remaining weekly virtual sessions on July 19 and July 26 to learn tricks on how to easily eliminate plastic from your life. (Earlier sessions were held June 28, July 5, and July 12.)
• Give yourself the challenge below created by WWF .

It doesn't matter that it's the middle of July. What matters is that you start. What's your step towards a plastic free lifestyle?

Plastic Free July 2023 badge & Action Picker from https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/resources/assets/; Plastic Free WWF Challenge screenshot from https://www.hausvoneden.com/sustainability/plastic-free-july-a-month-of-action-with-daily-relevance/; Video from https://youtu.be/47QU5rkJ8C4