Everyday Heroes: Kim Wenger Hall - Cleaning up Plastics in our Communities
A few weeks ago I was perusing a local listserve here in the North Country and I came across a message and appeal for Earth Day volunteers. As I read the message looking for the organization seeking volunteers, I realized that there was no organization. This effort was being undertaken by a single person - Kim Wenger Hall. Like many of us, Kim was concerned about the effects of plastic waste on the planet. Not content to simply complain about it, she had taken action and was recruiting volunteers to help through a call to action sent to friends, relatives as well as those she may not even know.
It's not that she was asking a lot - she was simply issuing a call to those who felt a similar concern to take personal action along with her.
That's why I've called her an everyday hero, taking action through her own initiative.
Here's my conversation with Kim Wenger Hall
Listen here:
https://feeds.podetize.com/C8LCcm3Ao.mp3
Shownotes:
https://nhsecrets.blogspot.com/2023/01/85-everyday-heroes-kim-wenger-hall.html
Kim Wenger Hall: flourishingartyoga@gmail.com
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land are more than unsightly. They are incredibly harmful to plants, wildlife, and, eventually, to each of us.
Every year, Earth Day comes and goes and I think, "I want to organize a clean-up." So this year, I'm doing it.
And, I would LOVE for you to take me up on the invitation to participate.
- Think how awesome it will feel to help plants, animals, and people by participating
- Mark off Saturday, April 22nd on your calendar
- Find a location outside (there are lots of them!)
- Pick up trash
- Throw away the trash
- Enjoy knowing that you helped make a difference!
What do you need to do? Just say, "Yep! I'm in" by replying to this email.
- I'll reach out to you in February to remind you, then again in March, and again close to the date.
- You can go ANYWHERE to do this.
- You can partner up with people.
- You can go solo.
- You can do as much or as little as works for you
- You can join me on the banks of the Connecticut River.
Need more reasons to get involved?
Here's a little light reading:
Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean
The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and to get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!
Every minute, two garbage trucks of plastic are dumped into our oceans. Currently, 8 million metric tons of plastic wind up in the oceans.[1] That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic…compounding every year.[2] The amount of plastic trash that flows into the oceans every year is expected to nearly triple by 2040 to 29 million metric tons.[3]
Microplastics in different forms are present in almost all water systems in the world, be they streams, rivers, lakes, or oceans.[4][5][6] There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.[7]
There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean. One patch, in particular, known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” covers 20 million square kilometers of water.[8] That’s bigger than the combined area of the United States’ five largest states![9]
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight).[10]
As of 2021, there are at least 363,762,732,605 pounds of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.[11]
Plastic has been found at 36,000 feet (approximately 11km) in the Mariana Trench, meaning not even the deepest part of the world’s oceans can escape contamination.[12]
Over 1 million marine organisms are killed each year due to plastic pollution in the ocean. Animals who eat plastic often starve because the plastic prevents them from properly swallowing food.[13]
The chances of disease on a coral reef are enhanced by 22-fold by plastics. In 2018, a huge survey of the 159 coral reefs across Asia-Pacific region showed that over 11.1 billion plastic particles are entangling the corals, and this number is estimated to increase dramatically by 40% by 2025. Plastic debris may also cause physical damage to the corals by exhausting the resources for the wound-healing process. Importantly, more than 7000 species of fishes, invertebrates, plants, sea turtles, birds, and marine mammals can be found in the coral reef ecosystem.[14]
Animals are now colonizing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, meaning that they are consuming plastic waste and also living in previously uninhabited areas. All of these developments disrupt the natural marine ecosystem.[15]
Many animals at the base of the food chain eat microplastics. These animals are then consumed by others than humans eat.[16]
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