John,

Earlier this month, hundreds of volunteers spent their Saturday making our communities -- and our world -- a little safer and healthier.

In the first-ever International Plastic Pellet hunt, PIRG and our allies drew attention to the threat that plastic pellets pose to our water. The event shows what PIRG members can accomplish, but also the urgent need to do more.

Together, we know we can reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans and waterways.

The event featured more than 1,100 volunteers in 14 countries, from Mexico and Canada to Kenya, Australia and China. If plastic pollution doesn't stop at borders, why should we?

Our targets were plastic pellets, also known as nurdles. These lentil-sized objects are one of the main building blocks of plastic manufacturing. The problem is that when nurdles get transported by train or boat, they have a nasty tendency to spill.

If not cleaned up, nurdles can kill fish and other wildlife, who mistake the nurdles for tasty snacks. Nurdles can even endanger humans by acting as sponges for toxic chemicals.1

We found more than 60,000 of these pellets, mostly on beaches but also in unexpected places such as Fox River, Wisconsin, the White River in Indiana, and Hawassa, Ethiopia, a city hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean. And that number continues to climb as more and more volunteers report back.

As volunteers removed tens of thousands of pellets from our rivers and beaches, the event also connected us with like-minded organizations. Together, we'll work to take more actions to limit plastic pellet spills.

And here's the best part -- we've already agreed to do it again next year. So if you missed out on the hunt this year, don't worry. This is only the beginning.

Thank you,

The team at U.S. PIRG Education Fund

PS: Want to power more action to prevent plastic pollution? Donate today.

1. Kelly Leviker, "Ask an expert: What is a nurdle?" PIRG, June 3, 2024.

Your donation will power our dedicated staff of organizers, policy experts and attorneys who drive all of our campaigns in the public interest, from banning toxic pesticides and moving us beyond plastic, to saving our antibiotics and being your consumer watchdog, to protecting our environment and our democracy. None of our work would be possible without the support of people just like you.

U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Main Office: 1543 Wazee St., Suite 460, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 801-0582, Federal Advocacy Office: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl., Washington, DC 20003, (202) 546-9707
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