It is imperative that groups supporting sustainable packaging comment on this report, as the US EPA will be use it as the foundation of their future approach to packaging issues. So far, comments from environmentally-conscious actors and citizens are outnumbered by those from industry insiders. Comments on this report are due February 9th. The focus of comments should be on the need for source reduction and industry responsibility for packaging waste they generate.

We cannot let this opportunity pass to steer the EPA away from adopting the plastic industry’s reversal of the sustainability model to prefer recycling over reduction and reuse. Recycling will never solve all the problems associatedwith plastic packaging including: human health concerns, impacts on the environment and wildlife, and costs to local governments that are burdened with pollution control.  Please see the attached sample comments submitted by Legal Policy Director Lisa Kaas Boyle on behalf of Plastic Pollution Coalition and Leslie Tamminen submitted on behalf of Seventh Generation.

Steps to Comment:

1. Click on this link.
2. Click on the link in the search results which says “Memorandum to open docket for public access”.
3. In the top right corner, click on the “Submit Comment” button.
4. Fill out the information fields on the comment page. Be sure to both paste your comment in the large and attach a document file with the comment in it.
5. Click submit.

Shortly after the PSA was posted online, we received a letter from 19 Entertainment’s parent company, demanding that we pull the PSA down. The stated reason was that we did not have appropriate permissions. We were threatened that if we did not comply by pulling the PSA down, they would contact You Tube directly and our YouTube channel may be shut down.

We refused to pull down the PSA.

Here’s why.

This PSA is an eight-month collaborative project between Plastic Pollution Coalition, 19 Entertainment management, and all of Season 10 Top 11 finalists.  We have exchanged hundreds of email communications with this team, brainstorming ideas on  how to make the project even better. We sought and have obtained written approvals to launch the PSA.  In fact, Haley’s Wish was recorded by 19 Entertainment themselves.

Every Top 11 contestant has recorded a statement on their own free will and contributed their unique talent to the message; they all deeply care about the fate of our planet and our role and contribution towards that. Plastic Pollution Coalition has similar video statements from artists such as Ed Begley, Jr, Jeff Bridges, Jack Johnson, Daphne Zuniga, Jackson Browne, Benicio del Toro, Bonnie Raitt, Martin Sheen and others.

Clearly, as Forbes magazine stated today, this is not an issue of permission not obtained; but of permission withdrawn through pressure.

Who might be afraid that you would REFUSE single use and disposable plastic?

For a possible clue, check out the sponsors of the American Idol show.

“Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists in some form,” says Lauren Alaina, the runner-up from Idol’s tenth season.  Ms. Alaina further urges people to, “refuse single-use and disposable plastics,” an ethos emphatically reiterated by Haley Reinhart, who goes on to say, “Single-use plastics and disposable plastics are the main source of plastic pollution.”

The Idol contestants have all donated their time and efforts to the REFUSE disposable plastic campaign and will be running a Facebook “Wish” spanning several months, to raise $50,000 for Plastic Pollution Coalition.  Included in the fundraising event will be a prize for one lucky fan – an autographed guitar signed by all of the Top 11.  Go to www.facebook.com/PlasticPollution for more information.

Hundreds of communities in California have banned plastic bags, because of the massive environmental and economic damage they represent. Many more are working towards this goal, right now. Hundreds of thousands of people are engaged in this movement.

The plastics industry had over 100 years to demonstrate to us the merits of plastic. And the results are evident: plastic is everywhere. In our air; on our beaches; in our rivers, dams and oceans; in the desert; in every community from China, to Kenya, to Bulgaria, to the US. There is hardly any place on the planet not polluted by plastic. Our bodies are polluted by toxic chemicals leaching from plastic. Our babies are born with toxic chemicals in their blood.

And now, they are trying to get in the classrooms, into our children’s minds.

It is a travesty to allow classrooms to promote an industry that is engaged in a shameless cover-up of the damage it cases to these very children.

Many coalition members have aleady responded by actively engaging in this issue. Amongst them are the Clean Seas Coalition, Heal The Bay, Environment California, Californians Against Waste and others.
We encourage you to support them and their efforts, and also to address your comments to:
California Senator Fran Pavley, whose email contact is Debora Hoffman, Deborah.Hoffman@sen.ca.gov
and
California Superintendent Tom Torlakson, whose email contact is: Tina Jing, communications@cde.ca.gov, 916-319-0818

Let your voices be heard! Together, we will stop the plastics industry from rewriting the California school books.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Keb’ Mo’s music is a living link to the seminal Delta blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America–informing all of its musical roots—before evolving into a universally celebrated art form. Born Kevin Moore in South Los Angeles to parents originally from the deep South, he adopted his better known stage name when he was a young player who became inspired by the force of this essential African-American legacy. In the storied tradition of bluesmen before him including Muddy Waters—formerly McKinley Morganfield—and Taj Mahal, who began his days as Henry St. Clair Fredericks, Moore became known as Keb’ Mo’. His acclaimed self-titled 1994 debut album introduced that now famous appellation to the world, and his new release “The Reflection“ represents another musical experience to be savored.

Mo’s music is also a purely post-modern expression of the artistic and cultural journey that has transformed the blues, and his own point of view, over time. His distinctive sound embraces multiple eras and genres, including pop, rock folk and jazz, in which he is well-versed. In total, it owes as much to contemporary music’s singer-songwriter movement, encompassing his longtime friends and collaborators Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, as to the spirit of blues godfather Robert Johnson that dwells in his work. For Keb’ Mo’, the common bond between these influences is the underlying storytelling ethic, the power of song to convey human experience and emotional weight.

Keb’ Mo’ is a three time Grammy winner for Contemporary Blues Album and was Grammy nominated for Country Song of the Year for ‘I Hope’ a co-write with the Dixie Chicks that appears on their latest album. His songs have also been covered by such artists as BB King, Wynonna, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Robert Palmer and Tom Jones! He has been a featured guest on other artist recordings including India.Aire, Marcus Miller, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Solomon Burke, Ray Charles, BB King, Buddy Guy, The Dixie Chicks, Amy Grant, Willie Nelson, and the global musical movement of Playing for Change.

On camera he has appeared and performed music for several television and motion pictures including playing himself, singing “America The Beautiful” during the inauguration scene of the moving series finale of the award-winning show The West Wing. He also appeared in John Sayles latest film ‘Honeydripper’ and in Martin Scorcese’s PBS special ‘Feel Like Going Home and concert documentary ‘Lightning in a Bottle’. In June 2010 Keb’ Mo’ was honored to participate by personal invitation of Eric Clapton on his Crossroads Guitar Festival and subsequent theatrical, television and DVD releases. Currently he performs the theme song and original music on the TNT drama ‘Memphis Beat’ starring Jason Lee and Alfre Woodard. Keb’ Mo’ also has written and performed the theme song for producer Chuck Lorre’s new sitcom ‘Mike & Molly’.

Keb’ Mo’s new CD ‘The Reflection’ will be released August 2 on his own label Yolabelle International in partnership with Ryko / Warner Music Group.

La Ruta de los Conquistadores is a unique and demanding adventure for competitors and spectators. For 19 years, the event has brought together the best mountain bikers in the world for an extreme event that challenges the best skills of each. For more information about the event, you may contact info@adventurerace.com or visit their web site www.AdventureRace.com

Since its inception, La Ruta has been dedicated to the spirit of conservation of biodiversity, and preservation of the fragile eco-system of Costa Rica. In support of the growing movement to reduce plastic pollution, La Ruta is making the commitment to REFUSE all disposable plastics at the event.

La Ruta and Plastic Pollution Coalition are excited to collaborate on an important effort to keep Costa Rica free of plastic pollution.

Below is the press announcement in Spanish.

The Foundation’s purpose is to engage the worldwide public in its mission of restoring and protecting the world’s ocean by dramatically changing the way people see and value their oceans through multi-platform media and social action initiatives with the goals of:

1) increasing the number of Marine Protected Areas around the globe to at least 10% of the ocean,

2) to promote responsible, sustainable seafood consumption, and

3) to promote the refusal of disposable plastics.

Sheikh Al Nuaimi is currently serving as environmental advisor to Ajman Government, CEO of Al Ihsan Charity Centre supporting less fortunate families and children, and international senior board advisor at WANA Forum in Jordan.  Sheikh Al Nuaimi will be joining Plastic Pollution Coalition’s efforts to stop the global crisis of plastic pollution.

He is known for advocating environmentally-friendly approaches to development, his active networks worldwide, and for inspiring people of all ages, religions and backgrounds.  We are very pleased and honored to welcome him to our coalition.

The film will be a powerful tool for raising global awareness of the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution, especially how it has entered our food chain. Plastic Oceans is working with some of the world’s leading scientists, cameramen and producers from Blue Planet, Life, Human Planet, End of the Line, etc. The film will include ground breaking travel to deep-sea beds using NASA designed dive suits and submarines, footage of the damage in the Arctic and even the planet’s major deserts. Sir David Attenborough and other world-renowned experts, such as Dr Sylvia Earle, are supporting the film. Sir Attenborough has described the film as “one of the most important of our time”.

The film will be narrated by, and include a range of, celebrities as explorers traveling to remote locations around the globe to investigate the extent of the problem. It will also highlight some of the solutions that are available to mankind to stop this catastrophe.

Initial launch is planned for the US in early 2013, followed by international distribution with a version for the Asian market. It is intended to appeal to a wide audience, with the younger audience a vital target if the attitude to plastic waste is to change. It will be distributed globally starting with a launch at the major film festivals and on TV and cable.