Plastic is a product that has taken over the world. From toys to packaging, this material is so prevalent it often seems that it’s in pretty much everything. The reason it skyrocketed to success is the combination of a low price, convenience, and ease of use. But unfortunately, every piece of plastic ever made still exists.
Plastic is not compostable nor considered a natural substance. Once it is used and thrown out, it sits in a landfill for 500+ years. It pollutes water and land around the world, breaks down into microplastics, and is continuously responsible for wildlife deaths. In a nutshell, it has a bunch of problems.
Recognizing this problem early on, Diana Cohen was determined to make a change. As an artist turned business founder, Diana has been given awards for her environmental activism and the difference she is making in all of our lives as she fights every day to secure a future that is livable for ourselves, our children, and many generations to follow. Let’s take a look into the life of Diana Cohen and the incredible work she has been able to produce.
The Problem With Plastic
The planet we live on does not have a limitless amount of space. Even the area we do have on Earth is 71% water. That means that 29% of the livable land is filled with animals, plants, wildlife, farms, homes, cities, and everything that requires land to live on.
Plastic is a material that is made durable and built to last. Unfortunately, that means it lasts forever. Even more unfortunate is the fact that so much plastic is single-use. These are the plastic items like bags or takeout containers that are only used once and then tossed out. Because there are so many, they end up polluting every corner of the planet, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. These plastics are taking up a lot of the little space we have.
As time goes on, we discover more and more damage stemming from plastic. It has been found to break down into microplastics that are invisible to the eye but are consumed by humans constantly. Surprisingly, humans eat up to a credit card-size equivalent (5 grams) of plastic every week. The negative health effects of this are unknown and largely unstudied.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Perhaps the most obvious and easily seen negative impact of plastic is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This horrifying human-made creation is a collection of litter, largely plastics, reaching 1.6 million square kilometers (620,000 square miles) in size. This astonishing formation comes from the likes of trillions of individual pieces of plastic.
As bad as it sounds, at least one good thing came out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: inspiring Diana Cohen to work on solutions. After learning about it, she was inspired to form the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
The Plastic Pollution Coalition
In order to address the enormous problem that plastic poses, the Plastic Pollution Coalition was formed. Currently, the coalition has over 1,200 organizations on board that are working together to fight against the negative impacts plastic is having. Their vision includes a multi-tiered approach that addresses the individual zero-waste living, vast reduction of single-use plastics, collaboration with NGOs, and policies that are crafted and implemented to enact the principles of a circular economy.
A Plastic-Free Future
The ultimate goal of the Plastic Pollution Coalition is to forge a future that has dramatically less plastic in it and is entirely plastic pollution-free. With increased awareness of the strain that humans are putting on the Earth, it’s clear that plastic does not fit in the equation when calculating a future that is sustainable. Despite plastic being in so much around the world, it is leaders like Diana Cohen that are breaking the norms and making it clear that just because things are a certain way doesn’t mean we can’t change them for the better.
Key Takeaways
Plastic is a substance that has benefits like durability and strength, but as a result, it doesn’t break down into the ground. Therefore, it is not sustainable and not something we should be using.
Despite plastic being ingrained in society, there are real ways to break free from plastic.
Inspiration can strike in unusual ways. It’s important to keep an open mind, open eyes, and stand up for what you believe in.
A profile on Diana Cohen and her efforts to eliminate plastic.
Plastic is a product that has taken over the world. From toys to packaging, this material is so prevalent it often seems that it’s in pretty much everything. The reason it skyrocketed to success is the combination of a low price, convenience, and ease of use. But unfortunately, every piece of plastic ever made still exists.
Plastic is not compostable nor considered a natural substance. Once it is used and thrown out, it sits in a landfill for 500+ years. It pollutes water and land around the world, breaks down into microplastics, and is continuously responsible for wildlife deaths. In a nutshell, it has a bunch of problems.
Recognizing this problem early on, Diana Cohen was determined to make a change. As an artist turned business founder, Diana has been given awards for her environmental activism and the difference she is making in all of our lives as she fights every day to secure a future that is livable for ourselves, our children, and many generations to follow. Let’s take a look into the life of Diana Cohen and the incredible work she has been able to produce.
Plastic is a product that has taken over the world. From toys to packaging, this material is so prevalent it often seems that it’s in pretty much everything. The reason it skyrocketed to success is the combination of a low price, convenience, and ease of use. But unfortunately, every piece of plastic ever made still exists.
Plastic is not compostable nor considered a natural substance. Once it is used and thrown out, it sits in a landfill for 500+ years. It pollutes water and land around the world, breaks down into microplastics, and is continuously responsible for wildlife deaths. In a nutshell, it has a bunch of problems.
Recognizing this problem early on, Diana Cohen was determined to make a change. As an artist turned business founder, Diana has been given awards for her environmental activism and the difference she is making in all of our lives as she fights every day to secure a future that is livable for ourselves, our children, and many generations to follow. Let’s take a look into the life of Diana Cohen and the incredible work she has been able to produce.
The Problem With Plastic
The planet we live on does not have a limitless amount of space. Even the area we do have on Earth is 71% water. That means that 29% of the livable land is filled with animals, plants, wildlife, farms, homes, cities, and everything that requires land to live on.
Plastic is a material that is made durable and built to last. Unfortunately, that means it lasts forever. Even more unfortunate is the fact that so much plastic is single-use. These are the plastic items like bags or takeout containers that are only used once and then tossed out. Because there are so many, they end up polluting every corner of the planet, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. These plastics are taking up a lot of the little space we have.
As time goes on, we discover more and more damage stemming from plastic. It has been found to break down into microplastics that are invisible to the eye but are consumed by humans constantly. Surprisingly, humans eat up to a credit card-size equivalent (5 grams) of plastic every week. The negative health effects of this are unknown and largely unstudied.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Perhaps the most obvious and easily seen negative impact of plastic is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This horrifying human-made creation is a collection of litter, largely plastics, reaching 1.6 million square kilometers (620,000 square miles) in size. This astonishing formation comes from the likes of trillions of individual pieces of plastic.
As bad as it sounds, at least one good thing came out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: inspiring Diana Cohen to work on solutions. After learning about it, she was inspired to form the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
The Plastic Pollution Coalition
In order to address the enormous problem that plastic poses, the Plastic Pollution Coalition was formed. Currently, the coalition has over 1,200 organizations on board that are working together to fight against the negative impacts plastic is having. Their vision includes a multi-tiered approach that addresses the individual zero-waste living, vast reduction of single-use plastics, collaboration with NGOs, and policies that are crafted and implemented to enact the principles of a circular economy.
A Plastic-Free Future
The ultimate goal of the Plastic Pollution Coalition is to forge a future that has dramatically less plastic in it and is entirely plastic pollution-free. With increased awareness of the strain that humans are putting on the Earth, it’s clear that plastic does not fit in the equation when calculating a future that is sustainable. Despite plastic being in so much around the world, it is leaders like Diana Cohen that are breaking the norms and making it clear that just because things are a certain way doesn’t mean we can’t change them for the better.
Key Takeaways
Plastic is a substance that has benefits like durability and strength, but as a result, it doesn’t break down into the ground. Therefore, it is not sustainable and not something we should be using.
Despite plastic being ingrained in society, there are real ways to break free from plastic.
Inspiration can strike in unusual ways. It’s important to keep an open mind, open eyes, and stand up for what you believe in.
