Content Creator Internship for Plastic Tides

For a few months I volunteered my time as a content creator for the Non-Profit organization Plastic Tides, who’s mission is to Explore, Educate, and Empower young people to fight against plastic pollution and climate change. I attended weekly meetings with schedules on what our team was tasked to create for the week, as well as helping brainstorm some posts for each week. For the ones in my schedule I would research, design and illustrate the posts to be shared via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Happy second week of Plastic Free July! Looking to make the swap away from plastics? The best thing you can do is advocate for SYSTEM level change, reuse what you already have, and be persistent.

So we know plastic is bad, but why is it again? Here are some ways plastic goes against the 'Three Pillars of Sustainability': 👇 SOCIAL: Plastic pollution, especially in the ocean, spreads globally, and often ends up contaminating coasts of countries that aren't economically or socially equipped to handle the fallout. Similarly, many North American countries opt to ship their waste to poorer areas to avoid using their own space for landfills. ECONOMIC: Plastic is a product that is created from fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource. This process is expensive on both the harvesting and manufacturing side of things, but it is also going to cost much more than a renewable-resource option in the long-run to the economy. On a smaller-scale for businesses, using products that have plastic packaging is ofen more expensive than finding a packaging-free alternative. ENVIRONMENTAL: Eventually we will run out of the fossil fuels that are used to make plastics, and we rely on those non-renewable resources for more than just water bottles; namely power from oil and coal. Additionally, the production of plastics releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Other emissions are also added pollutants to the air, not to mention those plastics, once made, don't go anywhere after we throw them away and if they ever break down, can take hundreds to thousands of years, but before that often turn into smaler and smaller choking hazards for animals.

Consumers have an important part to play in the cycle of plastic use. Making choices every day to opt for a plastic-free product or reducing the waste we create is a crucial step we can all take to help the plastic crisis. We need a large scale, system chage, let's work together to pressure the industry to #StopPlasticPollution

Happy Emoji Day! Which ocean emoji is your favorite? 🐙🦑🦐🦞🦀🐡🐠🐟🐬🐳🐋🦈

Ever felt a little bit small and hopeless in the face of the world's climate and ecological crisis? You're not alone. #EcoAnxiety is the word for that overwhelming and negative feeling. Defined as "a chronic fear of environmental doom" by the American Psychological Association, eco-anxiety is a psychological response to climate change and other large-scale environmental disasters. A significant proportion of the population, especially young people, experience eco-anxiety. Together, we can do something about these feelings and in the process, drive positive climate and environmental change. We can bring these dicussions into mainstream conversation, support one another when feeling overwhelmed, and encourage ourselves and others to feel powerful against these crisis'.

Just sayin 🤷 ... we're going to need to see some corportions take major actions to help mitigate #PlasticPollution and #ClimateChange

Oyster reefs provide habitats for marine creatures and are able to filter and clean surrounding water which makes them vital in the role of cleaning up polluted waterways. Organizations like the @NOAA Restoration Center are teaming up to restore existing reefs and create new ones with old shells to provide more places for oysters to grow in areas where the population has been damaged or is declining. Often these areas where an exisiting oyster population has been decreased has much worse water quality where it used to, so boosting these habitats and protecting the oysters is crucial to filtering out the pollution. 🦪 The world is your oyster!

#DidYouKnow The research for how long PET plastics take to break down in our environment is estimated because they haven't existed long enough for us to know when they break down! Polyethelene (PET) plastics like water bottles were invented in the 1940s, so they haven't even been around for 100 years - yet it is estimated they can remain intact in our environment for up to 1000 years! There are many ways plastics can break down, but in the ocean they are often affected by sunlight UV rays which causes a process called photodegradation which makes the polymers in the plastics brittle, and start to crumble into micro plastic that remains in the soil or oceans where fish and other creatures can ingest them. This all creates a cycle that comes back to us!

Be mindful, plastics are in a lot of things we don't always think of! Make sure you check the ingredients or look into how things are made, and try to find reusable and sustainable alternatives. Many of these products listed aboe have plastic-free switches that are easy to find and normally inexpensive!

We've heard of the #ThreeR's, but don't forget the other two! #Recycling is a great start, but it doesn't stop the production of plastic, which is the main issye with sustainability, so encourage yourself to start with one of the forgotten R's: #Refuse. Then, incorporate the #Repurpose R into your lifestyle to keep plastic from ending up in our environment!

How many of these eco-friendly laundry practices do you already have established in your routine? Plastic gets into our waterways through many channels, so it is important that we pay attention to all of our output, including wastewater from laundry! Saving water by doing laundry less often plus using eco-safe detergents and microfibre filters increases the health of our waterways. Do your part upstream!

It's Fall y'all! 🍁🍂🍃 Instead of remaking your wardrobe with new pieces from fast fashion companies, try donating a buying new clothes from your local thrift or charity shop! There are almost always some cute decor finds to add a SUSTAINABLE autumn touch to your home!

It's Libra season! What's your #PlasticFree horoscope? ♈️♉️♊️♋️♌️♍️♎️♏️♐️♑️♒️♓️

We have so much cool content to help with eco-anxiety. Doing your part can be stressful, but it's easier than you think!

Try buying candy in bulk without individual wrappers! 👻

In connection with the Global Climate Campaign the International Day of Climate Action was initiated in 2005. Today's main purpose is to inform people about the effects of climate change. So get out there and educate yourself! If you have some reliable information, you can take it a step further and share it with your community to spread the word.

POV: Spooky szn but it's the climate crisis 👻 🕸 🎃

Happy Halloween from the Plastic Tides team! Stay safe and spooky out there today! 🎃🍁 🕷👻

We talk about how much we have to work together, but this also means holding the correct people and companies accountable, carbon emissions aren't equal! Data according to "Confronting Carbon Inequality," report by Oxfam delivered in September 2021. 🤯

Multiple individuals acting together sparks collective action! Change starts now, and change starts with you

The Holidays are rapidly approaching! Make sure to keep your planet in mind this holiday season! Some ways to keep being sustainable include: 🎁 buying locally: support your local businesses and save the carbon footprint of imported goods!🎁 gift experiences: sometimes time or activities are wonderful alternative gifts that don't provide waste or clutter 🎁 refuse & reuse: try avoiding gifts with headps of packaging, and try reusing it or making your own repurposed gift wrapping with newspaper or fabric 🎁 buy what you need: another money saver as well as space saver! try gifting things you know the reciever will actually use, or asking for things that you need 🎁 reusables & refillables: some cute and sustainable gift ideas! 🎁 quality first: in the long run, you will be buying less replacements if you invest in a quality solution first! 🎁 donate: a wonderful way to share the holiday spirit is the donate to local or global causes. Have you considered giving to Plastic Tides? Your donations directly support the growth of our #GlobalYouthMentor Program, which provides students with the tools they need to create lasting environmental change in their communities.

Did you know we have a store? Shop online for some fun deals today and this week! Keep in mind shipping is a nightmare for carbon emissions and packaging, so try to find companies that ship sustainably, or local alternatives!

How do you plan to give today? Remember money isn't the only way you can show your support for people and causes, but time and actions count just as much as well! #BeKind

🚨ALERT!🚨 We've reopened our @PlasticTidesGYM Youth Leader applications! Looking to take action in our community and add some leadership experience to our resume? Our #GYMProgram is the perfect fit for you!

Remember to keep the planet and ALL of its inhabitants in mind, especially during the holidays! 🐝🦈🌳

The world's plastic waste production has increased so much that we aren't cutting it with just the efforts taken to mitigate the waste. We need to combine these efforts with and increase in plastic recycling, which has slowed during the pandemic, as well as slowing the production of virgin plastics from fossil fuels.

Happy second week of Plastic Free July! Lookig to make the swap away from plastics? The best thing you can do is advocate for SYSTEM level change, reuse what you already have, and be persistent.

Content Creator Internship for Plastic Tides

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