The month of July is here, a time when summer takes a full swing. Many summer activities involve the outdoors, such as camping, hiking, kayaking, swimming, and so much more. As we see an increase of outdoor usage, we also see an increase in trash displayed in parks, on trails, in the streets, and even in our water ways. Which is where I always say and hear so often, let’s leave the parks, the outdoors, our backyards, better than we found it. We can do this by picking up litter or simply creating less trash. July is a great time to practice this as it is Plastic Free July. Here at River Action, this month on every Friday we will be posting on our social media platforms, information on plastic, the history and impact of plastic, the garbage patches, why to even make the effort to go low waste, and the increase in microplastics due to the fashion industry. All topics that we were encouraged to talk about from our community and a great way to learn more about how to lessen your impact on our shared outdoors.
We know the plastic problem is not necessarily an individual problem, there is so much that contributes to the plastic industry, from production all the way to the inevitable plastic waste. There are plastic products that are incredibly useful, especially in the medical field, but our goal of educating the community is to showcase that an increase in unnecessary plastics is an alarming issue. The over consumption of single use plastics when there are accessible, reusable replacements is causing immense harm to our ecosystem and unfortunately continues to increase the demand for these single use products. In the end, all we want is for there to be less plastic floating in our water, cluttering our lands, seeping its way into our food system, and damaging other species. So, all we ask of all of you, find ways to cut your plastic consumption and the overall plastic demand. Be more mindful when you buy and invest in reusable items for your home.
If you want to keep the environmentalism going, even after July, you can also participate in Iowa Gives Green, a day of giving to benefit Iowa’s environment, on August 2nd. River Action is participating in this event for the 2nd time, and we are honored to be a part of helping our shared Riverways and more. Head over to Iowagivesgreen.org and find River Action to continue to support our mission.