Tales of Horror and Hope in Plastics

From Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Program Director

A new study from Environmental Working Group estimates that people may be consuming more invisible plastic particles than previously thought — as much as 150,000 particles annually for adults. That’s equivalent to eating about 12 plastic shopping bags a year. The tiny particles are taken in from food, condiments, water, and kitchenware.

On the plus side, there’s widespread concern about the plastics industry failing to take responsibility for polluting waterways, communities, and bodies. Recent polling showed that 70% of U.S. voters support legal actions to hold the plastics and fossil fuel industries accountable for their alleged deception about recycling.

One way to help hold these industries accountable is voting in the election. Check your voter registration, register to vote, and learn about what will be on your ballot. Then read on to learn more about the latest in food policy action, how to promote sustainable holidays in your community, and the impacts of disasters on reproductive health.

The latest Living Planet report is out with a somber update on the state of wildlife around the world. Wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 73% over the past 50 years, with some regions losing as much as 95%. The biggest driver of these declines is habitat converted for agriculture, particularly meat and dairy production, highlighting the urgent need to shift toward plant-rich diets.

Watch: Interviews With Food Justice Heroes

The Center just released eight interviews with incredible filmmakers, organizers, and activists who’ll be featured in our fifth annual virtual Food Justice Film Festival. Linda Rico spoke with food justice advocate and organizer Karen Washington, who coined the term “food apartheid”; Peter Bratt, director of the film Dolores; Shawn Bannon, director of The Smell of Money; and legendary labor leader, organizer, and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta (to name a few).

Watch the interviews.

The Food Justice Film Festival is less than a week away, taking place Oct. 24-27. We have an inspiring lineup of four feature-length documentaries that you can watch for free during the festival.

Log in and register if you joined last year’s festival, or sign up if you’re new to get your online pass.

How Communities Can Simplify the Holidays

It may not be Halloween yet, but Christmas decorations and the pressures of holiday shopping are already creeping into stores. The Center’s Simplify the Holidays campaign offers an antidote to holiday season stress with sustainable gift guides, tips for talking about alternative giving, and resources to transform this time into one of more fun and less stuff.

Reclaiming the spirit of the season may start at home, but there are ways to get your community involved, too. The Center’s staff can help you plan ways to have a low-waste celebration in your classroom, workplace, or church. We’ve also created resources to help you learn more about Secondhand Sunday, sharing libraries, and alternative gift wishlists.

Here’s one thing you can do: Share our sample resolution with your local government officials and ask them to promote sustainable holiday practices.

A Federal Roadmap for Food System Change

As federal lawmakers continue to work toward a Farm Bill that can pass through Congress, they have an opportunity to build a more just, compassionate, and sustainable food system. The Food System Shift Roadmap, developed by Farm Sanctuary and the Center, offers a blueprint for how federal policy can put healthy communities and farmers over corporate profits.

More than 2,500 animal, environmental, and social justice organizations, as well as 150 congressional offices, provided input to help create policy pathways toward change. The roadmap focuses on three key strategies: improving nutritional security, strengthening community food infrastructure, and integrating agriculture into national climate policy.

Here’s one thing you can do: Read part 3 in the series by Food and Agriculture Policy Specialist Leah Kelly on how to uproot corporate power that’s driving federal food policy.

Extreme Heat’s Threat to Reproductive Justice

This summer the Center and a coalition of environmental, labor, and health groups urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters. A recent report by the Center for American Progress found that extreme heat is particularly dangerous for pregnant people, increasing the risk of complications and mortality.

There are a number of ways policymakers can protect people from these increasingly intense climate disasters. FEMA has the power to unlock disaster relief funding for extreme heat and wildfire smoke. And Congress can pass the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act to establish grants for community-based organizations to address the specific risks to maternal health.

Here's one thing you can do: Join us in urging FEMA to classify extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters.

The Impact of Hurricanes on Reproductive Health

Last month we highlighted the sexual health emergency preparedness kits the Center and partner organizations were giving away for free at events across Florida. Since then Hurricane Milton has swept across the state, bringing tornados and floodwaters. Millions of Floridians were left without power, and people were evacuated from their homes and from healthcare facilities. With increasingly intense climate-fueled storms like Milton, the risks of disruptions in reproductive healthcare are high.

Before the storm Central Florida Public Media interviewed the Center’s Alternative Economy Fellow Rachel Kinbar about the kits. Rachel discussed how the climate emergency disproportionately harms women, gender-diverse people, and communities of color. These populations already face financial inequities, challenges in accessing healthcare, and higher emergency costs — all of which are amplified by disasters like hurricanes.

Here's one thing you can do: Read our report on gender and the climate crisis and how communities can incorporate gender equity in their climate plans.

Abortion Is on the Ballot in 10 States

The environmental movement and the fight for reproductive justice share a common goal: fostering a world where all beings can thrive. The opportunity to codify abortion rights is on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada and South Dakota.

Here’s one thing you can do: Have a plan to vote — either by mail, through early voting, or by day-of voting — and if the ability to support abortion care is on the ballot in your state, make your voice heard.

Wildlife Spotlight: Crater Lake Newt

Crater Lake newts, also known as Mazama newts, only exist in Oregon’s Crater Lake, one of the world’s deepest and clearest lakes. They’re a subspecies of rough-skinned newts, who have a potent neurotoxin and bright coloring to warn predators away. But Crater Lake newts are darker in color and have very low toxicity, since they adapted to being at the top of their aquatic food chain. Now exploding populations of introduced crayfish threaten the survival of these unique newts and the stunning crystal-blue waters of the lake they call home.

The Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Crater Lake newts last year. This month the Service responded that the newts may qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Now the Service will conduct a yearlong review of the best available science to make a final determination.

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Photo credits: Hand in plastic pile via Canva; giraffe by Arno Meintjes/Flickr; farmer and tomatoes via Canva; holiday sweater by Joanna Malinoswka/freestocks.org; sweet-potato harvesting courtesy USDA; extreme heat warning sign by Athena Sandrini/Pexels; sexual health emergency preparedness kit by Kelley Dennings/Center for Biological Diversity; jack-o'-lantern by Potjie/Flickr; Crater Lake newt courtesy NPS.

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