Oak Parkers challenged to give up single-use plastics in July

Oak Park has joined the international movement to challenge citizens to reduce their impact on the environment by giving up single-use plastics such as bags and straws during the month of July.

Called Plastic Free July, this annual global effort aims to raise awareness of the amount of single-use disposable plastic items in everyone’s life and challenges individual citizens to do something about it.

Oak Parkers willing to accept the challenge to avoid single-use plastic in July are urged to visit www.plasticfreejuly.org and sign a pledge to choose what they will give up, urge others in the community and workplace to follow their lead and keep a tally of their successes for an August survey to tally the worldwide effort.

The longer-term goal, officials say, is to demonstrate to individuals that if they can reduce their consumption of single-use plastics for a single month, they may realize it would not be that difficult to change their behavior for a lifetime.

An estimated 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes and 19 billion pounds of plastic enter the oceans each year, experts say. These discarded items can last for decades, littering shorelines and beaches, affecting wildlife health and habitats, and as they break down into smaller pieces, enter the drinking water supply with unknown, long-term consequences.

The local Plastic Free July effort is two-pronged — get residents to refuse single-use plastics like straws and bags, and get merchants to stop automatically offering them to their customers.

The members of the Village’s Environment & Energy Commission who initiated the local Plastic Free July effort say they know that Oak Parkers avoiding single-use plastic for a single month isn’t likely to change the world, but it is a start. And if every community would get involved, it will become a movement that can bring change, they say.

In addition to urging residents to sign the pledge, the Village also will be working through the various Oak Park business associations to do their part. A step as simple as not automatically giving out plastic straws unless asked could prove to be a small, but effective step, officials say.

For more information on the Oak Park approach, visit www.oak-park.us/plasticfreejuly.

What You Can Do

• Stop buying plastic water bottles – Use a stainless steel or glass reusable bottle. Steel and glass are infinitely recyclable with a robust market.
• Bring what you need with you – Pack to-go containers for restaurants and Farmers’ Market berries. At first it may be awkward but can become fun with practice and be a great conversation starter.
• Keep reusable bags handy – Single-use shopping bags — both paper and plastic — consume enormous amounts of natural resources in their manufacture, create damaging, unsightly pollution when improperly disposed of and add to the administrative costs of a retail business. Free reusable bags are available at multiple places in Oak Park, including Village Hall, 123 Madison St., and the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd.
• Share your opinion and get involved – Change.org is one of a number of organizations available to people who want to make their voices heard by policy makers. Dozens of petitions are posted concerning plastic pollution and many other important issues. The Plastic Free Challenge does not focus on politics, but personal responsibility and each person’s ability and responsibility to lead by example. Take action and get involved in whatever way suits you the best.