While Earth Day cleanups kick into gear, Bluewater outlines a season of activity to turn the tide against plastic pollution, including the extended operation of water stations in Flint, MI, a one-million-dollar water innovation challenge, and forthcoming ocean summit at the U.S. stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in May.
"Today, ocean plastic pollution is a grave threat to the health of the planet and its inhabitants, and we add to it daily with single-use plastics like bottled water and throwaway shopping bags," said Anders Jacobson, Bluewater President. "Alarmingly, research by Orb Media revealed that 93 percent of tap water samples contained minute plastic particles such as polypropylene, nylon, and polyethene terephthalate (PET), which is helping to grow public awareness about the problem, and to increase opt-into solutions."
U.S. society is more aware of the impact of plastic pollution today. A recent Bluewater survey revealed that 56 percent of the general population worry their drinking water contains harmful contaminants and 60 percent actively take measures to help control what is in their drinking water. Also, a Pew Research Center survey revealed that 75 percent of U.S. adults are particularly concerned about helping the environment.
Public policy is progressing, too. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, California and Hawaii have banned plastic bags outright, and major American cities including Austin, Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle have also banned plastic bags.
"We all have a role to play to ensure plastic pollution doesn't define our world's health," added Jacobson. "Society has become addicted to plastic, which is impacting all aspects of our world's resources as well as our personal health - polluting waters, harming marine life, disrupting the human food chain and poisoning our bodies. We must continue to seek and employ solutions big and small, which is a key takeaway message from Earth Day."
Season of Action
"This isn't a problem to be addressed once-a-year," Jacobson noted. "Plastic pollution affects us all, on a cellular and global level, and we need to take swift and urgent action, year-round, against it."
Plastic Pollution's Impact-The Need for Action
In 2017, Bluewater launched a clean drinking water movement for a sustainable future without single use plastic bottles. For more information on the movement and Bluewater, please visit: https://www.bluewatergroup.com/event/bluewater-clean-water-movement/
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