In July 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz challenged herself to go plastic free for the whole month. Starting with a small group of people in the city of Perth, the Plastic Free July movement has grown into a 250-million strong community across 177 countries, empowering people to reduce single-use plastic consumption and create a cleaner future.
This book explores how one of the world’s leading environmental campaigns took off and shares lessons from its success. From narrating marine-debris research expeditions to tracking what actually happens to our waste to sharing insights from behavioral research, it speaks to the massive scale of the plastic waste problem and how we can tackle it together. Interweaving interviews from participants, activists, and experts, Plastic Free tells the inspiring story of how ordinary people have created change in their homes, communities, workplaces, schools, businesses, and beyond.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of global environmental problems and wonder what difference our own actions could possibly make. Plastic Free offers hope for the future through the stories of those who have taken on what looked like an insurmountable challenge and succeeded in innovative and practical ways, one step—and one piece of plastic—at a time.
ISBN-13: 9780231198622
Media Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication Date: 12-08-2020
Pages: 272
Product Dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Rebecca Prince-Ruiz is the founder of Plastic Free July. An experienced environmental management and sustainability professional, she speaks internationally about how to achieve a world without plastic waste.
Joanna Atherfold Finn is an editor and journalist. She is the author of the short story collection Watermark (2018) and has taught at the University of Newcastle.
Table of Contents
Welcome
1. The Day the Penny Dropped
2. The Challenge Begins
3. The Story of Throwaway Living
4. Tackling the Top 4
5. Plastic Sea
6. Try to Do Better
7. It’s All About the Sharing
8. Momentum Builds and the Movement Grows
9. We’re All in This Together
10. Life Beyond Plastic
Postscript
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
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