Looking for Help to Fight Plastic Waste?

By now the scourge of plastic—in our oceans, on our land, in our animals, in our bodies—is widely known. Happily, global efforts to combat the problem are multiplying.

Perhaps the broadest and most effective agent in this necessary battle is Plastic Pollution Coalition. Founded in 2009 and based in Berkeley, CA, this advocacy group and information center now counts over 700 organzations in 60 countries as members.

But PPC is also involved in nonstop outreach to individuals, inspiring and instructing them on how to participate in the anti-plastic fight.

"PPC co-exists in a nexus between activists and NGOs from around the world," says co-founder Dianna Cohen. "It works with businesses that want to make a difference. It uses youth ambassadors, the power of media and social media, visual art, chefs, sports people, film makers, actors and musicians."

The group offers a nearly encyclopedic range of information and opportunities. There are extensive databases of articles on plastic and the problems it creates, along with bespoke guides to organization and action. Titles include "Get Started Living Plastic Free" and "The Healthy Baby Guide," as well as "Plastic Free Guides" for schools, towns, events and eateries.

For plastic producers and consumers, the group provides policy guidance, design suggestions, podcasts, videos and talks. There are also curriculums for educating students ages five to 22, links to plastic-combatting websites and even art projects, poetry, games and activities.

Cohen is a visual artist, but the PPC answers a deep need to contribute to what matters to her. "I’ve been an ocean lover my whole life, having grown up in southern California and spent hours on end at the beach and in the water," she says. "For years now, every time I swim in the ocean I find pieces of plastic pollution, and I tie them to my bikini to carry them out."

Cohen is particularly pleased by the organization's broad support by surfers. They "were among the first to join us," she says, "with Mark Cunningham, the Malloy brothers, Kelly Slater and Gerry Lopez coming on board."

"We have a daunting job ahead of us, but if we want to sustain life on this planet, we must divest from dependence on fossil fuels at all levels including plastics—in particular, single-use disposable plastics," Cohen says. "The old model of intended obsolescence must become obsolete."

If you'd like to learn about, act in accordance with, or contribute to rectifying this global problem, you could hardly have a better ally than Plastic Pollution Coalition.

—By Sherri Salter