(Note: At the time of this post, catastrophic wildfires are overwhelming Maui and the surrounding Hawaiian islands, and impacting Surfrider staff, activists, chapters, friends and family. Find ways to help here.)
As heat waves continue to set new records around the planet, a reminder that slowing plastic production is critical to slowing climate change. To that end, Surfrider continues to fight plastic pollution – which requires eliminating the production of unnecessary single-use plastics – at the local, state, national and global level.
Federal momentum
In the past few weeks, Congressional leaders reintroduced two important bills: the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act (S.2337) and the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act (H.R.4561).
The Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to prohibit the discharge of plastic pellets and other pre-production plastic into waterways from facilities and sources that make, use, package or transport pellets. The pellets are being consumed by fish and marine life – and in turn, humans – and create additional damage to ecosystems. This bill is sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, introduced by Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) will help preserve our National Parks by restoring guidance banning the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in national park facilities.
We also anticipate seeing the reintroduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, a comprehensive bill aimed to reduce plastic pollution and promote environmental justice, after members return from Congress’ August recess.
In agency news, the EPA accepted comments on its Draft National Strategy for Preventing Plastic Pollution. In short, Surfrider Foundation is calling for the EPA to:
- Create enforceable regulations and mandatory actions
- Fully address impacts to Environmental Justice communities
- Strongly regulate of single-use plastics
- Incentivize refill and reuse systems
Find the full text of our comments here.
OFR Month is in Full Swing!
Finally, we’re celebrating Ocean Friendly Restaurants Month! For the entire month of August, Chapters and Clubs across the Surfrider Network will be hosting OFR-inspired events with a goal to add 100 new OFRs during this month alone. Make the most of your summertime dining-out by showing support for those restaurant owners who are showing their support for our ocean! You can use our online map to find an OFR near you.
Beach Cleanup Summer Success
While Surfrider Chapters host cleanups year round, the summer season tends to be the busiest and this July was no exception. Just during the month of July, 100 beach cleanups happened across the county. These numbers add to our collective annual impact, with 574 cleanups so far this year. During those cleanups, over 19,000 volunteers have removed 163,000 pounds of trash from our coasts. Visit cleanups.surfrider.org to see what items we’re finding the most and get involved with your local Surfrider Chapter.