What’s the deal with plastic pollution and how can we further prevent our oceans from further becoming plastic soup? We now know the impact of our dependence on plastic has impacts to both marine life and human health and will be unravelling some of the mysteries, questions and innovative solutions of addressing plastic in the ocean in a three part mini-series.

In Part 1 of our plastic ocean miniseries, we will focus on just one aspect of plastic pollution: SUPs. Not Stand Up Paddleboards… we mean Single-Use Plastics! The act of using a product once and throwing it away is occurring so rapidly around the world that some even say we are experiencing a ‘Plastic Pandemic’.

So, what are we going to do about it? Hang tight as we are about to hear the story of how the Town of Lunenberg shifted away from plastics and how YOU can too! In this episode, we are joined by two women – Jennifer and Ariel – who prove that changing our individual habits and status-quo in business DO make a difference.

In this episode, we heard from:
Jennifer Constable with Plastic Free Lunenberg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreelunenburg/

Boomerang Bags: https://boomerangbags.org/

Ariel Smith with Coastal Action
Ocean Friendly Nova Scotia: https://www.coastalaction.org/ocean-friendly-nova-scotia.html

Other Regional groups and initiatives tackling plastic:
Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI) – Zero- Plastic Waste Gros Morne Initiative https://www.ahoi.ca/

Ecology Action Center: https://ecologyaction.ca/plastic

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) - Zero Plastic Waste Initiative: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-funding/programs/zero-plastic-waste-initiative.html

Viewing and reading resources
Nova Scotia’s single-use-plastic-bag ban
(https://novascotia.ca/single-use-plastic-bag-ban/)

Land and Sea- Ocean Devotion Episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWZ6Gpe--0E )

China refuses Plastics from the West (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/world/china-recyclables-ban.html )

National Law Center to National Strategy to Combat Marine Plastic Pollution (https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/tbucksuzuki/pages/149/attachments/original/1576508962/Blueprint_for_Federal_Action_-_National_Marine_Plastics_Strategy.pdf?1576508962)

Federal Discussion Paper ( A proposed integrated management approach to plastic products: discussion paper - Canada.ca)

We love to hear your feedback. Connect with the hosts:
Sondra Eger (www.twitter.com/@soneger)
Jackie Bauman (ruralresilience.ca/researchers/mun…/jackie-bauman/)
If you have a story to share with us or questions about how we make the podcast, send us an email at stories@coastalroutes.org.

Coastal Routes Radio is led by:
Philip Loring www.twitter.com/@ConserveChange
Hannah Harrison www.twitter.com/@fishpeopleplace
Follow the Coastal Routes Project www.twitter.com/@Coastal_Routes
Listen to Volume 1 of Coastal Routes Radio soundcloud.com/conservechange/sets/social-fishtancing