Dear John,

Every minute, the equivalent of an entire garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans, killing endangered marine life and polluting
our oceans . Donate now so Friends of the Earth can fight plastic pollution.
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But plastic’s impact goes beyond its waste problem. Nearly all plastic comes from fossil fuels, and plastic production releases
greenhouse gases and cancer-causing chemicals , which disproportionately harm communities of color.

And right now, while people are struggling and desperately need scarce stimulus
dollars, Big Plastic is capitalizing on pandemic-induced fear to maximize its profits. The industry is spreading lies about the safety of single-use plastic bags,
lobbying to roll back hard-won bans on single-use plastic products, and pushing
for a massive $1 billion bailout.

Thanks to your support, here at Friends of the Earth we’re fighting back : countering fake science with facts, exposing how Big Plastic is hiring new
lobbyists to manipulate policy, launching a campaign calling on the government
to keep single-use plastic bans in place, and calling on Congress to focus
relief efforts on workers and communities on the frontlines of the COVID-19
crisis -- rather than big polluters like the plastics industry. We urgently need your support to keep up the fight.

Help protect our oceans and our climate from Big Plastic, friend: Donate $10 or more to Friends of the Earth today.

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[[link removed]]Plastics make up a large part of the petrochemical industry, which transforms
raw material from fossil fuels into a wide variety of products, including
packaging, single-use cutlery, beauty supplies, styrofoam, and even agricultural
products like fertilizers and pesticides.

Plastic packaging and single-use plastics have particularly drawn outrage, and
it’s not hard to see why: Around 80% of land-sourced marine pollution comes from single-use plastic bags.

To make matters worse, plastic breaks down into micro-particles that can last
for 500 years or more. That means they will keep on polluting our aquatic
ecosystems, choking sea turtles, driving blue whales closer to extinction, and
killing other vital marine life like dolphins.

But plastics have further environmental consequences. Every stage of plastics’
“life cycle” contributes to climate chaos.

First, the building blocks for plastic come from extracting oil and gas,
especially through U.S. fracking -- which is a major driver of climate change.

Then, plastic production plants require huge amounts of fossil fuels to run, and
they emit greenhouse gases and noxious fumes. Plastic production is expected to
double in the next 20 years: In anticipation of reduced demand for fossil fuels,
the oil and gas industry is ramping up petrochemical (plastics) production.

Finally, after plastic is used, it’s rarely recycled. Most of it degrades in our
oceans or landfills, releasing greenhouse gases as it does so. Some of it gets
incinerated, which releases greenhouse gases and cancer-causing toxins --
especially harmful for people living near incineration plants, often communities
of color. This is an environmental justice catastrophe.

Taking a step back to look at this bigger picture, it’s clear that Big Plastic
is in bed with Big Oil and Gas. And it’s up to us to stop them. But we can’t do
it without you, John.

We have to fight back -- for our oceans, our climate, and our lives -- before
it's too late. Donate $10 or more to Friends of the Earth today.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation
will go through immediately:

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[[link removed]]Here are just some of the ways Big Plastic has been exploiting the coronavirus
crisis to line their pockets:

* The Plastics Industry Association is shamelessly claiming that single-use
plastic bags are safer than reusable bags. In fact, reusable bags are NOT
more likely to transmit the coronavirus than money or hands.
* However, this dubious science has already led to a number of states, like New
York and Massachusetts, delaying or suspending bans of single-use plastic
bags.
* The same association is influence-peddling on the federal level, including
sending a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, calling on
him to make a public statement supporting the scientifically questionable
claim that single-use plastics are safer.
* Groups representing the plastics/petrochemical industry, including the
American Chemistry Council (representing corporations like Dow Chemical and
ExxonMobil Chemical Company), are seeking $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to
bail out plastic recycling. (But here’s the thing: Plastic producers already
shift the costs of recycling onto taxpayers. And the U.S. only recycles up to
10% of our plastic, partly thanks to anti-recycling lobbying from the same
corporations that use plastics in the first place!)
* And the industry is requesting that the businesses making single-use plastics
be deemed “essential.”

Right now, we’re limited to scarce stimulus dollars. And polluters are spending
big to distort the direction of coronavirus aid. With spare cash to hire lobbyists, the petrochemical industry doesn’t need
bailouts. Instead, workers and communities on the frontlines of the crisis do.

That’s what Friends of the Earth is fighting for right now, as part of our
vision for a just world. All Americans deserve to live in clean, safer, and
healthy communities. And we need to live in harmony with the ecosystems on which
we rely. With your help, together we can make that a reality.

Help fight back against Big Plastic -- and fight for wildlife, our health, and
our planet. Donate $10 or more to Friends of the Earth today.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation
will go through immediately:

Donate $10 immediately
[[link removed]] Donate $5/month immediately
[[link removed]]Thank you,
Marcie Keever,
Oceans and vessels program director,
Friends of the Earth

Contact Us:Friends of the Earth U.S.

Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA

1-877-843-8687

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