Today we’re celebrating the inspiring Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of Plastic Free July !
We've been doing a lot of talking about Plastic Free July recently, so we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the inspiring woman who made a nation re-think their plastic consumption. This is her story.
Passionate, optimistic, creative
Tell us a bit about your story, the work you do, and anything exciting you’re working on at the present (i.e. projects, talks etc.)?
Growing up on a small farm I was always aware of the connection between people and the environment. Mum preserved fruit, made most things from scratch, we wore hand-me-downs or bought second hand…at the time it could be pretty embarrassing but now I am so grateful. My family had to leave the farm when due to salinity problems in the catchment and river systems. I have a science degree in botany and geography but really wanted to work with people and to make a difference.
Fast forward quite a few years and I found myself working in local government with the wonderful Earth Carers waste education program in Perth where the motto is “Full lives, empty bins”. Early in 2011 we did a tour of a recycling facility where a week’s worth of one suburb’s recycling was being sorted and I was overwhelmed. I had always felt like the good green citizen when I recycled but seeing the sheer volume of material and the complex and intense process to transport, sort and then again transport to the point of recycling (often in another state or overseas) made me suddenly question everything in my recycling bin and how I came to have it.
At the same time I started reading about the global problem of plastic pollution in our oceans (18,000 pieces of debris float in every square kilometre of ocean) and the health impacts of food and beverages being stored in plastic. Learning that only about 21% of plastic imported into Australia is recycled and then its mostly downcycled (ie used one more time) was the final straw….I was going to try and avoid purchasing any new single-use plastic in July. With my colleagues and through our Earth Carers network around 40 people joined in the challenge which we later called Plastic Free July.
The initiative has ballooned to the extent that in 2014, over 14,000 participants were involved, including individuals, schools, community groups and businesses from 70 countries around the world. It’s so exciting to be part of this global community of inspired people sharing their ideas, successes, recipes and failures through social media, events and our online campaign. Having organizations like 1Million Women personally participating and then sharing their stories to inspire others is a wonderful example of Plastic Free July in action.
What inspires you to lead a life that is better for the planet?
I think for me its actually not an option to do anything but try and make it better. I live near the sea, my husband is a marine biologist and I feel a responsibility to do something about our impacts. When I see plastic on the beach when I walk in the mornings and look at images of dead albatross with stomachs full of plastic I feel anguish and compelled to act. Every piece of plastic that was ever produced is still on the earth somewhere and its not going to go away. On a positive note what inspires me on a daily basis is the passion and enthusiasm of the thousands of people around the world who have taken on the challenge in their own lives in their own way. Their stories and photos inspire us to keep spreading the word. My favourite today was a mother who wrote that her 3 year old daughter had asked at daycare that they didn’t put her wet clothes into a plastic bag because her mummy didn’t use plastic anymore!
What do you think are the unique strengths of women taking action on climate change and living more sustainably?
Women make up all of our Earth Carers team, most waste educators I know are women and 82% of the followers on our Plastic Free July facebook page are women. Of all the behviour changes for sustainability and around influencing climate change I think that refusing plastic and reducing waste is the least ‘technical’ solution . After all its not about gadgets like rainwater or greywater systems, hybrid cars or PV arrays (not that these aren’t important) but these actions are all about the ‘small’ things which can add up to a lot such as mindfulness and sustainable consumption. As we say in our Earth Carers course “Everytime we shop we buy our waste”. I think women have a unique strength to make a difference because it seems they still do a lot of the purchasing and making choices around food in particular…and its about role modeling too. It is these small daily decisions where inspired and empowered women can “think global but act local” and together make a difference.
We know the time is now to act on climate change! Do you have an inspiring message about living a more sustainable lifestyle you’d like to share with our 1 Million Women community?
Consider our legacy and refuse single-use plastic for the sake of your health, our environment and future generations.