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Do you ever find yourself at the French Broad River staring at piles of plastic litter wondering what you can do to stop this?  Asheville GreenWorks and our sister page, Going Plastic Free, are here to help you make this happen! Mind Your Plastic May is a month-long campaign to inform you about the grave social and environmental harms that ensue from plastic waste and equip you with the knowledge to reduce plastic in your own life.  

All month long, we will be sharing plastic reduction tips, volunteer opportunities to address plastic waste, educational materials featuring local Asheville businesses, and much more. We aim to foster knowledge and encourage mindfulness around plastic consumption and disposal for individuals and business owners. This month, we hope you will follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where you will gain valuable knowledge about how to refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics, as well as learn about local waste reduction efforts.

Join our 
Race2Reduce and commit to decreasing your plastic usage for the entire month of May. Sign up here to join the challenge and earn points to win a $25/$50/$75 gift card to Ware!

Many thanks to the businesses and restaurants who supported this effort and are working hard to reduce their own plastic waste. #goingplasticfree

Join us in our love for the planet as we
 address and defeat our global plastic addition.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Plastics in Our Daily Lives

5/3/2019

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How much plastic does the average American use each week?

Before
​The ubiquity of plastic may make it hard to imagine a time before this material ruled our world. However, it was only the 1950s when plastic production took off. The plastic revolution afforded people a culture of material abundance.

Now
Roughly 40 percent of the now more than 448 million tons of plastic produced every year is disposable; much of it used as packaging intended to be discarded within minutes after purchase.

More than eight million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year. Almost 700 animal species are known to be affected by plastic pollution, and it is estimated that plastic is responsible for the death of millions of marine animals each year.
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The Near Future 
The issues arising from plastics seem nearly endless. Microplastics - small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life - are found across the globe, mixed into the sand, filling the guts of fish, and even making their way into human bodies. 

So What Can You Do?
Personally, I suggest not biting off more than you can chew. This is not about deciding you will never use plastic again. This is not about devoting your life to designing a new biodegradable plastic. Rather, I encourage you to start with small manageable steps, like those found in the coming emails. Stop using disposable plastic straws. Carry reusable bags with you everywhere. Skip the plastic water bottle and switch to a reusable one. Develop small plastic-free habits that will become effortless. Good luck!!

Further Reading & Resources
  • We Made Plastic. We Depend On It. Now We’re Drowning In It. Laura Parker for National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/
  • Trash is for Tossers. Lauren Singer, Zero Waste Lifestyle Blogger. http://trashisfortossers.com/
  • Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit. Earth Day Network. https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/Plastic-Pollution-Primer-and-Action-Toolkit.pdf
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    Staff from Asheville GreenWorks, volunteers from the Plastic Reduction Task Force, as well as other guest writers who are advocates and friends.

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​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Pollination Celebration
  • Donate
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Get Involved
    • Internships
    • Sponsorship
    • Volunteer
    • Wish List
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Pollinator Gardens & Meadows Project
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees