Did you know that July is Plastic-Free Month? This week, we’re bringing back two stories from our archives centred around plastic. One about a BC woman, Taina Uitto, who lived plastic-free for a whole year, and another in which we interview Laura Bamsey and Marnie Olsen from the Elements Society on a school pilot project that focused on reducing single-use plastics. Then, Terra Informers Amanda Rooney and Sofia Osborne will give their hot take on the current debate taking place around plastic straws.
Our first archive features the Elements Society and the Lonely Whale Foundation, who created a classroom pilot project to address the issues surrounding single-use plastics. Back in September 2017, I spoke with Laura Bamsey and Marnie Olsen from the Elements Society about this pilot project, and how students not only learned about plastic waste, but also how to build communication and project management skills.
A Year Without Plastic
Try to make it sixty seconds without using anything made out of plastic. Think about objects that you use day to day. Every minute even. The clothes on your back even. Short of moving into the woods, it’s virtually impossible to live a 100% plastic free year, let alone a lifetime. Hamdi Issawi spoke to Taina Uitto who is trying just such a challenge. He reached her by phone in Denman Island, BC to talk about her plastic-free life. A documentary chronicling Taina’s challenge was released in 2014; it’s called From The Waste Up.