Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6065
Tova: What's a current environmental art project? Dianna: One project is Citzenlove.com. These are tote bags that are digitally printed from photographic images of my art pieces. They are printed on canvas made from a combination of recycled plastic bottles and recycled cotton. We sew them back into bags that are super stylish and cool looking! Also on the website there is a link to ghastly footage of a sperm whale-- choking on plastic bags and dying. Please join us to stop plastic pollution at the source. www.diannacohen.com www.citizenlove.com www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org I'm excited to be working with the Plastic Pollution Coalition to reduce our dependence on disposable plastic." -Ben Harper, musician "PLASTIC IS NOT FANTASTIC". If we do not slow down and cut the amount of plastic products we are using (like plastic water bottles), the plastic will eventually consume us all... It's everywhere, in and on our oceans and on our beaches around the world. And it is coming back to us in our food supply....." -Donavon Frankenreiter, surfer & musician "I spent 15 years of my life traveling to the most remote beaches on Earth, from Scotland to Africa to Antarctica. Sadly, I never found a beach where plastic of some kind hadn't gotten there first. That plastic will be there for generations. If we as consumers don't demand that big business make the shift and end the perpetuation of this throw away culture, our kids will be brushing off plastic particles instead of sand after a day on the beach." -Chris Malloy, surfer & filmmaker Plastic is made from petroleum— a limited resource that is at the root of global conflict. Companies like Coke, Pepsi and Nestle produce bottled water and beverages and they give a lot of money towards recycling efforts which allow them to continue with business as usual. But recycling is a band-aid. The truth is, it takes 3 to 6 bottles full of water and a third of a bottle of petroleum oil just to produce one plastic bottle. And this bottle can never truly be recycled; it can be down-cycled into something lesser or incinerated causing air pollution. Caps are not recycled, because they're a different kind of plastic. It takes enormous amounts of energy to produce, ship and transport drinks that are used for under five minutes. Chemicals such as Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA) leach into these plastic bottled drinks/foods and have been linked to several types of cancer, obesity, diabetes and other illnesses. Tova: What are ways to avoid using plastic? Dianna: Use alternatives. If you forget your water bottle, bite the bullet and buy an ice tea in glass, then peel the label off, put a cool sticker on it like, "Refuse Single Use Plastic," and use it for water. A lot of people are using home filter systems or Britta filters. When we stop buying bottled water, not only do we save money, but we all pay more attention to the quality of our own public water. All people in the world need access to safe, clean water. You can use wax paper for sandwich bags, and compostable bags for trash liners. I'm using stainless steel containers & glassware for to go food and at home. When I go to the supermarket I bring glass containers and jars, or I ask them to wrap fish or meat in paper. Tova: Essentially you hope that people will sign the pledge to Refuse Single Use Plastics? Dianna: Yes, exactly. We added the forth "R" to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and that is Refuse single use plastics whenever possible. Rwanda in Africa has banned plastic bags. When you fly into the airport, your suitcase is searched and they confiscate all plastic bags. Otherwise, it litters the landscape of their country. I spoke with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and they said that since they passed the San Francisco plastic bag ban, they've had communities all over the United States contacting them asking how they can ban bags, too. They have created a template for communities all over the world; let's move away from single use plastics! We are building the Coalition internationally; talking to people in Japan, Europe, India and China because this is a global problem and together we are creating a global movement to deal with it. One of the most important changes that will happen through consumer pressure and legislation is extended producer responsibility or EPR holding the producers accountable. Whoever creates the product is still responsible to contend with the packaging after the product has been used. PHOTOGRAPHY: MACHIKO YASUDA