Anonymous, I wanted to make sure you saw this. There are just a few hours left in our Earth Day Drive -- we've seen a tremendous outpouring of support these last few days, but we aren't quite at our goal yet.
I know these are difficult times -- and the work we do at U.S. PIRG is critical for ensuring a healthier, safer world.
If you're able to give, please consider making a donation today.
Thank you for your support,
Faye
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: U.S. PIRG <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Apr 22, 2020
Subject: This is how we tackle our country's waste crisis
To: Anonymous Donor <[email protected]>
 |
Anonymous,
We know our country has a waste problem.
The United States produces far more garbage than any other developed country. At the same time, we recycle and compost far less of it -- just 35 percent.1 The rest? It's rapidly filling up our landfills, burning up in incinerators, or ending up in our environment.
It's a big problem, but we have a big solution to match: A zero-waste economy in which we reduce what we use, reuse and repair what we can, and recycle the rest. And that's just what U.S. PIRG is working to do with our Zero Waste campaign.
Help us raise $25,000 by midnight tonight to keep our work going strong.
It's a bold but simple idea: If we consume less, if we build our products to last and make them easy to repair, if we recycle and compost all our materials in a continuous cycle -- we can eliminate waste. But we know it won't be easy.
That's why we're working, step by step, to make this vision a reality. Together, we can:
Reduce our reliance on single-use plastics. In the 60-odd years that we've been using plastic, we've produced a stunning 8.3 billion metric tons of it.2 Nearly all of it is still sitting in our landfills or polluting our planet. U.S. PIRG and our national network are working to win city and statewide bans on the worst forms of single-use plastics, such as polystyrene foam cups. Donate today.
Reuse organic waste. Thirty percent of our waste is compostable, but it's being sent to the landfill because most of us don't have access to composting programs.3 We're urging states to commit to a goal of 100 percent organic waste diversion. Donate today.
Improve our recycling systems. In the three years since China and other countries began to refuse our plastic waste, it's been getting harder and harder to recycle.4 Our national network helped win our country's first bottle recycling law in the early 1970s. Now, we're working to expand curbside recycling and to make manufacturers take responsibility for the waste their products will become. Donate today.
Repair the things we own. Americans discard 416,000 cell phones every single day.5 We can reduce waste and save consumers money by repairing or refurbishing our things -- everything from smartphones to appliances to tractors -- but manufacturers are making it difficult by restricting access to the parts, tools and service information we need to fix our things. Twenty states have already introduced legislation, and we're calling on every state to guarantee our right to repair our things. Donate today.
For 50 years, we've seen Americans come together on Earth Day, united in their desire for a healthier, safer and more secure future. Join us in building this future today.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Emily Holden, "US produces far more waste and recycles far less of it than other developed countries," The Guardian, July 3, 2019.
2. Laura Parker, "A whopping 91% of plastic isn't recycled," National Geographic, December 20, 2018.
3. "Composting in America," U.S. PIRG Education Fund, June 13, 2019.
4. "The State of Recycling," U.S. PIRG Education Fund, November 14, 2019.
5. Charmaine Crutchfield, "Smartphone disposal poses security risks, experts warn," USA Today, November 10, 2014.
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