See Jane Do Everyday Women Doing Extraordinary Things
In addition to inspiring women and men around the country to take their own plastic challenge, Beth initiated a campaign that changed how one of the world’s largest corporations reuses one of its plastic products.85% of what’s bought or purchased in the United States is influenced by women. Beth Terry put her purchase power to the test.
How did reducing your use of plastic become your mission?
“I read an article about the terrible problem of plastic in the ocean. I saw a photo of an albatross chick. The carcass was completely full of plastic pieces; plastic bottle caps and plastic lighters. For some reason, it hit me so hard and I felt that this is what I have to do. I have to reduce my own disposable plastic consumption.”
Tell us about your blog and Brita.
“On the blog I do several things; I tally my plastic waste using myself as an example and I write about plastic alternatives and plastic campaigns.
I had a Brita water filter and I wondered how it could be recycled. I went online and the recycling program was only in Europe. Clorox bought the North American branch of the company and they were not providing a way to recycle in the United States. I wrote to them and asked why can’t we recycle Brita water filters here? And they said, “We don’t have the infrastructure for that.”
I put a call out on my blog asking if anyone wanted to start a campaign. We set up a petition and the website, www.takebackthefilter.org and asked people to send us their used Brita water filters.”
What happened?
“We ended up collecting over 16,000 signatures and collected over 600 Brita water filters. Finally, in November, I got a call from a Brita manager and he said “I want you to be the first to know that we have teamed up with Preserve, the company that makes recycled toothbrushes. They’re going to take the Brita water filters and make them into toothbrushes.”
What do you think that says to everyday women about making a difference?
“It says that you don’t have to be somebody special in order to get your voice heard. Especially now with the Internet, it makes it much easier for anyone to take a stand and be a leader.”
Let’s talk about the plastic challenge. What is it and what are your readers doing?
“I started the plastic challenge because I want other people to do it too. Once you see what plastic you’re collecting over a week then you have an idea of what your impact is. What is it about your lifestyle that’s causing you to use so much plastic? Is there anything you could substitute as a plastic free alternative or give up? We look at our own plastic and take responsibility for it. It’s not about guilt it’s about seeing that our consumer society is set to make it hard for us to live without plastic. It makes us think, “How can I speak out for what I want. How can I write to companies or create a petition or write to my elected officials or get involved in a campaign?” It has to start with our own personal actions.”
What’s your message to women around the world?
“Own your power. There is so much we can do. We just have to believe that our voices are powerful and matter. This isn’t just about plastic it’s about anything that’s important to you. None of us realize the impact that we’re having on other people. There are ripples caused by every single thing we do.”
See Jane Do is a multi-media program capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet. Catch our 1-hr talk radio program on KVMR 89.5FM the first Wednesday of every month from 1-2pm.
Get Involved! Five things you can do today to leave the planet less trashy.
- Go to Beth’s website www.fakeplasticfish.com and take the plastic challenge.
- Re-think items in your kitchen.
- Replace plastic containers with glass or ceramic.
- Buy in bulk to limit the amount of plastic packaging.
- Use canvas or cloth bags instead of plastic bags for groceries and produce
- Volunteer for a community clean up.
- Carry your own water bottle or travel mug for coffee and other beverages.
- Blog, Facebook, Tweet – Share your experiences of weaning yourself and your family off of plastic.
