Dear John,

This October, we launched the new “Filtered Not Botted” campaign to address the toxics lurking in our drinking water, namely lead and plastic. The U.S. Federal government recently approved $15 billion to replace the toxic lead service lines bringing water into the homes of 22 million people in the U.S. The Filtered Not Bottled campaign works to ensure this money is used to fund safe, non-plastic solutions that protect community health. Plastic is not a good solution for lead, as it is a health threat throughout its existence. We must ensure the lead pipes are not replaced with plastic pollution. Learn more.

In other news, to help highlight the issue of plastics in television in film, we created The Begley-Cohen Test, modeled after the Bechdel-Wallace Test, which is used to measure female representation in media. Named after Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Notable and activist Ed Begley Jr. and PPC CEO & Co-Founder Dianna Cohen, The Begley-Cohen Test is designed to help audiences quickly assess the representation and prevalence of single-use plastic within the content they consume. Find out more.

A new book from Island Press by science journalist Matt Simon (of Wired magazine) explores in depth the harmful effects of microplastics on human health. We sat down with Matt to talk about his new book and what inspired him to take on microplastics. The book, A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies is currently being offered at a 30% discount using code PPC.

Finally, for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, check out our 10 tips for enjoying a plastic-free autumn, and Happy Halloween from all of us at PPC!

Onward together,

Jackie Nuñez
Founder, The Last Plastic Straw
Advocacy & Engagement Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition

★ Plastic Portrayal in Film & TV: The Begley-Cohen Test
Is your favorite TV show, movie, or other entertainment media doing the work to address the plastic pollution crisis? Inspired by and modeled after the Bechdel-Wallace Test, which is used to measure female representation in media, The Begley-Cohen Test is designed to help audiences quickly assess the representation and prevalence of single-use plastic within the content they consume. Read more.

★ Plastic-Free Autumn & Halloween
Fall is a beautiful time full of festivities, scenic vistas, and delicious treats—but it can also come with a huge plastic tab. Here are PPC’s 10 tips for enjoying the season without the plastic. And also be sure to check out our five tips for eliminating plastic from your spooky festivities this Halloween.

★ Plastic Pollution Coalition Co-Founders Reflect on Climate Week 2022 in NYC
In late September, PPC members spent Climate Week—“the biggest climate event on Earth”—in New York City. We gathered there with world leaders, scientists, activists, artists, non-profit organizations, businesses, and youth leaders to inspire, to collaborate, and to take action to stop climate collapse. Read more.

★ A Letter from South Korea – Guest Blog from Andy Hughes
Andy Hughes, photographer and PPC Artist Ally, is currently one of five international artists living and working on the tiny island of Gapado, South Korea. His art focuses on the littoral zone and the politics of plastic waste. His photographs are preoccupied with the ‘thing-ness’ of plastic, watery worlds and coastal habitats and include recent ventures into gamification, ruinology, and poetry. During his residency in South Korea, he will be creating artworks entangled with various notions of the real, the surreal, surfaces, the ocean, circulatory systems, plastic waste, and energy. Read more.

BOOKS

★ A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies
Check out the new book A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies, which will be released on October 27 (the same day as our webinar featuring the author). Use discount code PPC for 30% off the book from Island Press. And be sure to check out our Q&A with the author, Matt Simon.

★ Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis
This month marks the paperback publication of PPC Communications Manager Erica Cirino’s recent award-winning book Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis. Use discount code PPC to get 30% off when ordering through publisher Island Press.

★ Plastic Soup
In Plastic Soup, Michiel Roscam Abbing of the Plastic Soup Foundation, a PPC Member Organization, reveals the scope of the issue: plastic trash now lurks on every corner of the planet. With striking photography and graphics, Plastic Soup brings this challenge to brilliant life for readers. Use discount code PPC for 30% off when ordering from Island Press.

FILM

★ Citywide Film
Fishtown films is offering a special promotion for their film, “Citywide,” the first-ever zero-waste film which premieres on Vimeo December 5th, for 50% off with presale promo code plasticpollutes. The code is good for one day, until December 6th. Pre-order here.

OPPORTUNITY

★ Track Your Spending & Shop Sustainably with Karma Wallet
What if there was a tool that allowed you to easily compare retailers based on environmental impact before you shop? There is! PPC Business Member Karma Wallet has created a data-driven personal finance tool that lets you track and understand the impact of your spending. They gather data from over 30 trusted sources to evaluate thousands of retailers on their social and environmental performance, making it easy for consumers to shop more sustainably. Find retailers that list PPC as a value and choose plastic-free alternatives this holiday season! As part of our partnership with them, PPC Members can create free accounts—making it easy to support our people- and planet-focused PPC Business Members. Make your free account here and start earning cash back!

★ Tell EPA: Don’t Replace Lead Pipes with Plastic Pollution
The U.S. Federal government has approved $15 billion to replace toxic lead services lines bringing water into the homes of 22 million people in the U.S. Sign the petition to ensure this funding goes to safe non-plastic solutions that put community health and safety first.

★ Support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act
The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act builds on successful statewide laws across the U.S. and outlines practical plastic reduction strategies to realize a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable future. Sign on to support meaningful legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis.

★ Tell Activewear CEOs: Take the BPA Out of Sports Bras and Athletic Shirts
New testing by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) found BPA in eight brands of sports bras and six brands of athletic shirts. Some of these clothing articles contained levels of BPA up to 22 times the safe limit of the chemical established under California law. Add your name to the petition to tell these fashion CEOs to take the BPA out of their products.

★ Tell Amazon: Stop polluting our planet with plastic packaging
A report by Oceana reveals that Amazon generated an estimated 599 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2020, with up to 23.5 million pounds of this plastic waste entering the world’s waterways and seas. Find out more and sign our petition to tell Amazon to stop polluting our planet with plastic packaging.

➤ Find more Petitions on our website.

★ November Webinar – Plastic-Free Presents: Mindful Gifting for Healthier Holidays
Every holiday season, millions of people face the challenge of finding thoughtful gifts for the ones they love. Unfortunately, cultural norms around holiday gift-giving often create an ocean of waste in their wake. Fortunately, there are alternative ways to celebrate and by forging new traditions, we can gift mindfully for healthier, lower-waste holidays. Join us Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 5pm ET for a special holiday webinar featuring Alejandra Warren, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Plastic Free Future and Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, Pediatrician, Founder/CEO of Ahimsa in a discussion moderated by PPC Co-Founder & Managing Director Julia Cohen. Sign up.

★ Simplify the Holidays Webinar by the Center for Biological Diversity
Just after the Halloween candy is gone, many people start to think about winter holiday gift-giving. Join the Center for Biological Diversity for a webinar on November 1, 2022, from 12:00–1:00 pm EST that includes tips, tricks, and other ideas for having a low-waste and less stressful holiday season. Register here.

★ Jr. Ocean Guardians 2022 No Straw November
The focus of this year's “No Straw November” is not only to say no to single-use plastic straws, but also to present scientific information on plastic production and its link to climate change to the people around you. Climate change and plastic activism are often seen as two separate issues, but in reality are completely intertwined. Be sure to check Jr. Ocean Guardians’ blog for the latest updates.

➤ Find more Upcoming Events on our website & submit an event.