Tag Archives: United States

Bits of plastic called microbeads are polluting our oceans.

Take action today to ban the use of microbeads in the US.

Every time you brush your teeth, you might be unknowingly adding tiny bits of plastic to our oceans.

These bits of plastic are called microbeads and you can find them in everything from face soaps to body washes to toothpastes. And while they’re almost invisible to the naked eye, they’re causing serious problems for our waterways and oceans (and us!).

Most wastewater treatment can’t filter out the tiny microbeads — meaning they journey from your bathroom drains into waterways. Once there, they end up in the bellies of fish or other marine life and are passed along the food chain.

National legislation has been introduced in Congress to ban the sale of personal care products that contain plastic microbeads. It’s part of an ever-growing movement that needs your voice.

Tell your federal Representative and Senators today to support the Microbead Free Waters Act and to solve the problem of these polluting plastics.

This doesn’t end in the water. Today’s plastic face wash is in tomorrow’s sushi.

Many fish species that humans eat are known to consume these microbeads at an alarming rate, and the toxins absorbed in those plastics transfer to the fish tissue.

The toxins absorbed by plastic microbeads include pesticides, flame retardants, motor oil and more. And all that ends up in the oceans — and on our plates. We have to act.

A single microbead can be up to a million times more toxic than the water around it! Take action today to ban plastic microbeads from everyday personal care products.

The Story of Stuff Project, an organization I founded, is leading a coalition of over 100 groups to get these tiny plastic beads out of everyday products. Greenpeace is proud to be a part of this coalition.

This is a perfect example of the underlying problem with our current economic system and the culture it helps create. Natural alternatives to microbeads exist. But plastic microbeads are smoother than natural alternatives like apricot shells, jojoba beans and pumice.

Smoother is better for the companies making these products because smoother means these cleansers will be less effective at exfoliating… which means you can use them everyday… which means you buy more of the product!

Sadly, it also means poisoned oceans and a poisoned food supply. Plastic pollution in our waterways has become one of the great perils facing our environment. We can do something about it.

Take a minute right now and tell your elected federal representatives to support the Microbead Free Waters Act.

Thanks for all you do.

Annie Leonard
Executive Director, Greenpeace USA
P.S. Tiny pieces of plastic called microbeads are polluting our waterways and oceans. Tell your elected federal representatives to ban microbeads by supporting the Microbead Free Waters Act today!

~ my 2cents ...

Stack up ALL of the natural & man made DISASTERS … Where is the Infrastructure WORK or PLAN ?

04/20/2017 Nativegrl77

the BP oil disaster happened on 4/2010

Thousands died and even more had to leave their homes have been unable to come back.

Americans must face the fact that the many natural and or man made disasters and anything in between have caused more issues than our next generation might be able to handle due to unqualified inept and do nothing republican lawmakers!

If you want your children their children and so on to live a better life … Vote for Change, Challenge your member of Congress to do the right thing … Local State & Federal level

While the sun comes up and the light of day starts to show just how bad oil spill disasters are, the truth is finally uncovered. Hopefully, reality will sink in on how just one error that could have been prevented by simply making Big Oil companies like BP have a plan b,c,d etc. or don’t do business, put high-tech emergency equipment in place or material on board to absorb or avert spills before they start. The negative outcome and proof that the rules, specifically the deregulation of financial and oil companies by the house of Bush … is evident. Now, we see what happens when big corporations try to save money on the cheap with just enough insurance, probably knowing that the state they are working in will ask for fema help or disaster funds. Doing a tremendous amount of damage and in this case a big impact not only to the environment but the foul, fish industry and the entire economy for decades. It is great to have a President that is willing to change direction on issues when the facts and or evidence show that delays and or cancellation of offshore drilling is clear. What happened should not be blamed on President Obama, this is clearly a human error and in this case BP; they know it and need to take responsibility for the entire clean-up.

We all have to remember that eleven people died that day

I have to say the first reports of the explosion and then word that everything was okay made me wonder …common sense tells you okay the well is underground; it could bleed out, up or both, which is what happened. The big question is why didn’t they act before the oil started to leak. This spill, is for me a warning to either change the way the clean-up process works or scrap any plans for further oil platforms unless your Big Oil corp has an emergency plan in place

… I’m no expert but equipment should have been available immediately that absorb oil… bumpers placed along the coast and shores before the leak actually spread … i saw nothing but boats watching , waiting for the leak to show … unacceptable.

We all needed a little calm back then and to be honest, i still get heated when hearing about BP, what has transpired in the gulf coast and the many oil spills since… be still and breathe in and slowly release your breath.

I believe in equality for all which includes having a President who represents ALL of the People here in the US of A. I ask you what can be wrong with caring for ALL of your fellow American, not just 2%… especially since that 2% has wheeled and dealed for breaks since the house of bush passed on its horrible bets, pain and responsibility which in turn trickled down to main street.

An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 and started the worst oil spill in US history

~ In the Library

Toxic Legacy …

04/07/2017 Nativegrl77

http://toxiclegacy.northjersey.com/

I recommend checking out the Mann V Ford post and click on some of the links … the link above is a hidden gem, fierce documentation of corporate excessive use of and possibly the worse abuse of power …

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Homelessness in Seattle ~ a repost a reminder

03/14/2017 Nativegrl77

OutsideIN: 1,000 Safe by 2015

It’s now 2015 and while the homeless among vets might have been on the decline the cities renewal project has probably pushed a lot more into the label or category of being homeless

By Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project

Seattle, Washington

Petitioning Dow Constantine

“Nobody should have to go through what I went through on the streets. When the shelters fill up and people are left outside, they become vulnerable. We all need to act together to end homelessness because we are all connected.” – Susan Russell, Real Change Vendor

Fact: The 2014 One Night Homeless Count found 3,123 people sleeping outside in King County after the shelters were filled. This was a 14% increase in the unsheltered count from the previous year.

Fact: The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Homeless Education counts at least 6,188 homeless students in King County, a more than 18% increase from 2011-2012.

Fact: According to the City of Seattle’s “Role of Shelter” report, more than 600 non-disabled single adults have languished in emergency shelter for six months or longer.

This is unacceptable. Strategic investments in the following areas will create the new housing and shelter capacity we need to get more people inside now:

Fund Additional Shelter: The more than 3,000 women, men and children that are living outside in King County on any given night deserve an emergency response. Invest immediately in additional shelter to bring at least 500 more people inside before January 2015.

Support Community Partnerships: Provide funding to expand partnerships between faith communities, civic groups and service providers to get more people off the street and ensure that no child or family sleeps outside.

Meet Immediate Basic Needs: Create a flexible discretionary fund for caseworkers to reunite families with bus tickets, get cars out of impound, or take other actions that quickly and inexpensively get people off the street.

Support Creative Housing Options: Provide financial incentives and support to private landlords and homeowners to match people experiencing homelessness with community members who have space to share.

We hereby call upon the Governing Board of the Committee to End Homelessness and our elected representatives in Seattle and King County to allocate the resources required to make 1,000 more unsheltered homeless people safe by 2015.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Barack Obama’s Remarks in Selma – American History

03/09/2017 Nativegrl77

This speech …

the First Family traveled to Selma, Alabama to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery. Those marchers in March of 1965 wanted to ensure that all African Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote — even in the face of a segregationist system that wanted to make it impossible.

As President Obama explained in his remarks this weekend, the lesson of Selma isn’t an outlier of the American experience:

[Selma] is instead the manifestation of a creed written into our founding documents: “We the People … in order to form a more perfect union.” “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

If you missed the President’s powerful speech, watch it here — and pass it on.