PLASTIC PROBLEM IN NYC

PLASTIC DOESNT BELONG..... 

PLASTIC DOESNT BELONG! 

really. plastic doesn't belong anywhere.  there are more and more reasons to refuse plastic than ever before.  plastic water bottles release toxic chemicals into the water you are drinking.  please consider purchasing a glass water bottle and refilling it to use over and over, instead of buying single use plastic bottles.  traveling with your own personal bottle is easy..... most airports have fountains to use and once you go through security, you can refill your bottle.  this is just ONE way to cut down on your plastic use and reduce your plastic footprint.  

i recently visited NYC while my daughter was attending the NY film academy for a summer program.  with the days to myself to wander around the city, i was so surprised (and bummed) to see how much plastic is littered in the streets of manhattan.  

my friend julie has started a campaign, "PLASTIC, PICK IT UP"  and i couldn't stop thinking that everyone in new york needs to do just that!  it's a huge problem and people walk right by littered plastic all day long.  

*more info. coming soon about "PLASTIC, PICK IT UP"

turtles mistake plastic bags for jelly fish.... :(

they cannot digest plastic and often die from suffocation and starvation.

quite often, the litter is just steps away from a trash can or recycling can.  it's just a matter of taking the time!  

STRAWS are one of the number one things found floating in the oceans and on beaches.... this is SO dangerous for marine life, (sea turtles, fish, dolphins, and sea birds) mistake this and other plastics for food and they end up dying from starvation with bellies filled with plastics... WE CAN DO BETTER!

  please consider letting your server at restaurants know that you do not need a straw!  at home, you can use re-usable glass straws or bamboo straws to cut down on plastic use.  and you can always take a stainless steel or glass straw with you to restaurants! 

FYI:

"Americans use 500 million drinking straws every day. To understand just how many straws 500 million really is, this would fill over 125 school buses with straws every day. That's 46,400 school buses every year! Americans use these disposable utensils at an average rate of 1.6 straws per person per day."

JOIN THE "BE STRAW FREE" movement~~~

http://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm

did you know that 80% of plastic found in the oceans is coming from runoff?  YES!!  that means that everything that washes into storm drains will eventually make it's way to the ocean.  :(  WE CAN STOP THAT!!!  if you see plastic, pick it up!  we don't want anymore plastic to make it's way to our oceans.  

http://www.plasticoceanproject.org/#/

 this is under the brooklyn bridge..... where will that plastic , styrofoam and rubber end up??  YEP, in the ocean~  the plastics found in the ocean are creating a huge problem.... it not only causes pollution from the toxins in the plastics, but it is confusing to fish and marine life, who mistake it for food and also for protection from predators.  they often get caught in plastic bags and end up dying from suffocation.  this just isn't okay!  we can do better.

storm drain in NYC on broadway

cigarette butts are litter.  i was astonished to see so many people who smoke, just flick their cigarette butt on the ground when they finished smoking it.  WHAT????  is NYC okay with their beautiful city being used as an ashtray??  i don't think so.  unfortunately, this is another huge problem on our beaches and in our oceans.  the filters in cigarettes never break down.  they are also filled with very toxic chemicals which are released into the water they are littered into.. it's not a good combination.  please do not litter cigarette butts and pick them up when you see them.  the storm drains in NYC, sidewalks, streets and sidewalk grates are filled with cigarette butts.  

i am working in collaboration with plastic ocean project to promote awareness and education when it comes to the huge problems associated with plastic.  please visit http://theplasticocean.blogspot.com , to learn more about the many ways plastics are wreaking havoc in our oceans and what you can do to help!!  

to book a presentation, email kim@bigstronggirldesigns.com

"PLASTIC DOESNT BELONG"

please watch this video to learn more :)