01.02.18
City to Ocean:
Join us to reduce plastic pollution in Merton and save our oceans
Trash travels. Plastic waste and litter created here in Merton will find its way to our oceans, hurting ocean life and getting into our food chain. No matter where you live, single-use plastics can travel from your hands to storm drains, rivers, streams and, ultimately, into our oceans.
We are contributing to the shocking 8,000,000 tonnes of plastic dumped into our oceans every year - that’s a rubbish truck full every minute!
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As part of Sustainable Merton’s #PlasticFreeMerton campaign to reduce single-use plastics in the borough, our Community Champions, supported by Love Wimbledon, will be holding a campaigning stunt at The Piazza, Wimbledon town centre on February 24th, from 10am - 12.30pm, to highlight the scale of the problem and what each of us can do close to home to stop plastic pollution and protect our oceans.
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The campaign is targeting residents and businesses to reduce the amount of plastic waste they produce, and will also seek to push local and national government to develop plastic reduction strategies.
Community Champion and Merton resident - Emma, will be attending the campaigning stunt to talk about her Great Pacific Race – a huge physical challenge she is undertaking to highlight the seriousness and urgency of the plastic pollution crisis.
So come along on 24th Feb to see our 'mini' North Pacific Gyre – an area of the Pacific ocean that is home to a mass of plastic and marine debris spanning an area 5x the size of North Korea - and meet Emma who will be bravely rowing across this very ocean in June to fight against plastic pollution! Follow Emma's footsteps and sign up to our Plastic Free Challenge, so that together we can stop the flow of plastic from Merton to our oceans. Join the fight against plastic pollution!
We will also be joined by a group of school-aged children from Curiouser and Co, who are supporting our #PlasticFreeMerton Campaign.
“ What's happening in our oceans is breaking our hearts. My passion is to reduce the prolific use of single-use plastics which contaminate our oceans, and rowing through the North Pacific Gyre will give me first-hand experience of just how serious the problem is.
Small actions we each can take, add up to big changes. Together we as residents and businesses can make that change become real. Make a tangible impact. Join #PlasticFreeMerton” – Emma
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Diana Sterck, Interim CEO of Sustainable Merton added “Join us on Feb 24th to make a stand about plastic pollution, together we can make a big difference.”
Follow us:
Twitter @SustainableMert and Facebook
For further information
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-ENDS -
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