Dear John,

My name is Olivia Sparks, and I’m doing an internship this summer at Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) to help Flip the Script on Plastics in popular culture and entertainment. In honor of Plastic Free July, we want to share exciting updates with you about our work and ask you to support our advocacy efforts and amplify the voices of communities harmed by plastic pollution.

Earlier this month, the PPC team partnered with Hollywood, Health and Society to take a group of television writers and environmental activists on a Plastic Pollution Toxic Tour across Los Angeles, California, to witness firsthand the effects of the plastics life cycle. 

Our first stop at the Inglewood Oil Field was deeply emotional for me. I have always lived minutes away from the drilling site and across the street from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, which serves as an illusion for the drilling site by secluding it with beautiful lush greenery and florals. I was heartbroken to realize that my beloved home and neighbors are being exposed to a multitude of environmental toxic chemicals and suffer from severe health issues, as a result of our proximity to the Inglewood Oil Field.

This Toxic Tour helped to remind those in the entertainment industry that Hollywood was built by the oil industry, and that it continues to poison the most vulnerable communities here today. Our attendees left inspired, ready to integrate what they learned into future storylines.

PPC would love to host more events and experiences like this in the future, and we need your support to make it happen. Join us and Flip the Script on Plastics this Plastic Free July by helping to fund future toxic tours and other advocacy efforts to educate entertainment professionals to share the stories of those harmed by plastic pollution. 

Thank you so much for your support,

Olivia Sparks
Flip the Script on Plastics Intern
Plastic Pollution Coalition