Weekly climate crisis: July free of plastics: this is how to do it

07/05/2020 Health, Science, World


  • Plastic Free Foundation launched Plastic Free July in 2011. This is how you can make a difference permanently.
  • Do you think you are not in a flood zone? Please recheck with this website for complete new data.
  • Three things we can do to improve resilience efforts against rising sea levels – NRDC
  • And more…

In 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz (the founder of the Plastic Free Foundation) and a small local government team in Western Australia founded Plastic Free July. Millions of people around the world participate in Plastic Free in July each year, and many are committed to reducing plastic pollution in the long term.

Plastic Free July is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation that works to achieve a world free of plastic waste. So what can you personally do to reduce your plastic consumption?

(An important point in the context of COVID: Sara Goddard, who runs the blog Green than life, notes that in a pandemic, “reusable items (cups, bags, containers) do not pose a health risk. As long as you keep your reusable items clean, they can be much safer than single-use items. “

Here are 5 easy ways to make a difference with product examples that can help you do that, and if everyone did this, it would make a big difference:

Get rid of plastic bags at the supermarket and other stores and opt for reusable bags. Almost all supermarkets sell “bags for life”, and there are plenty of fun options on Amazon, such as this colorful, foldable 10-pack of BeeGreen that can hold up to 50 pounds each. If you forget to take them with you, it happens, ask for paper bags if the store tries to push the plastic. (Publix, I’m looking at you, despite what your website says).

Mesh produce bags. Do you know when you’re in the produce section and ripping off all those flimsy plastic bags to put your potatoes and onions on the loose? Change to mesh. Check out this cool Ecowaare set of 15 reusable clear product bags that come in three sizes and are washable.

Use reusable coffee cups and water bottles. Yes, there is no shortage of these, like this Hydro Cell bottle that can actually be used for both hot and cold drinks. He does not sweat (or burn his hands). Which is great, because I hate that.

Use bamboo utensils instead of disposable plastic utensils when you’re out on a socially estranged picnic. Here’s a cool BEWBOW set that comes in a travel bag and of course it’s reusable. Bamboo is super durable.

Reusable silicone food bags. – Forget the disposable sandwich bags and use bags like these, which come in different sizes.

Visit the Plastic Free July website for more information.

First Street Foundation is a Brooklyn-based group of academics and experts who compiled data and created a website called the Flood Factor, where people can verify their own address to see past floods, current risks, and future flood projections.

An important difference between the Flood Factor and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is that FEMA ignores rain, which intensifies as temperatures heat up. (Pictured: Selmer, Tennessee, which suffered severe flash flooding due to heavy rains in a short period of time on Wednesday.

According to the New York Times:

FEMA said it welcomed the First Street initiative, saying it “would complement FEMA’s efforts.”

“We know that there is no perfect science to predict flooding,” said a spokeswoman. “The Flood Factor product can assist homeowners with the critical decisions they must make and purchase the necessary insurance.”

So of course I had to try it. I live in a non-flood, non-evacuation zone on the west coast of Florida. I got a flood factor of 3/10, moderate. That means my house has a 15% chance of flooding at least once in the next 30 years.

I am FEMA zone X, which means that FEMA considers my home to be in a flood-free zone. However … Flood Factor still recommended flood insurance. (I write about climate change; of course, I have flood insurance.)

In short: it is a great tool. Check your home statistics and you will surely learn something new and important. Because resilience is now as important as taking action against climate change, as some things are no longer reversible.

Photo: McNairy County Sheriff’s Office

Speaking of flooding, Rob Moore of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an expert in water-related impacts of climate change, wrote a blog in response to the House of Representatives-backed Zero Net Bill . It is titled, “The House’s Climate Plan Targets Flooding and Sea Level Rise.” He writes:

The ‘increasing trend of major flooding, chronic tidal flooding in coastal areas, and stormwater-related flooding in urban areas are issues that the Select Committee Report seeks to address. I would like to highlight three important areas of recommendations included in the report that would greatly assist the nation’s adaptation and climate resistance efforts. ”

I would like to highlight three important areas of recommendations included in the report that would greatly assist the nation’s climate resilience and adaptation efforts.

Those three things are:

  • Improvement of building codes and standards (basically improve them)
  • Insurance: an essential tool to deal with increasing risk (help everyone get insurance)
  • Reform of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) (Moore says this is so big you need your own section)

The NRDC offers tangible and viable solutions to the problem of rising sea levels.

The House package will never be approved by the current Senate or the White House, but it is a start. There is now a plan that can be implemented, and it is backed by influential environmental groups like the NRDC.

Could there be a positive side to the global pandemic? Dr. Zeke Hausfather, director of climate and energy at The Breakthrough Institute, believes so. He speaks in a virtual conversation organized by the Doha Debates on how stimulus packages can and should invest in clean infrastructure to reduce emissions in the world.

Hear what he has to say:

What is normal? Do we really know more? UNESCO made this compelling and stimulating video that challenges our perception of normality and points out that we can make changes to improve education, culture, information and science to include climate.

Because like us in Electrek Discussed a couple of weeks ago, many important issues such as climate change, COVID-19 and racism are deeply intertwined. We have an opportunity to rethink the big picture and do something positive about it.

Parents participated in the climate crisis protest action for #FridaysForFuture in Chapel Hill, North Carolina this week (and COVID-19 + dirty air = RIP 2020 is correct):

Here’s Evelyn Acham (and her dog) in Uganda, and never underestimate the power of your little deeds:

Iohana Santos from Brazil asks the question on her sign, “Who will benefit if everyone dies?”

And Travis in Colombia points out: “There is no vaccine for the climate crisis.”

See our past issues of Climate Crisis Weekly.

Photo: Antoine Giret / Unsplash

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