The plastic crisis continues and the fossil fuel industry is doing their best to make sure it doesn’t stop. Here are a few stories to help keep you informed and a tip to make your garden more self sufficient!

Those of you who have been following us won’t be surprised by this- the fossil fuel industry has lied for decades about the feasibility of recycling plastics, selling this lie through consumer manipulation. The fossil fuel industry continues to push the narrative that we can recycle all of the plastic they are producing, expecting localities to foot the bill to clean up their mess. A single material recovery facility (recycling center) costs a minimum of $10 million to construct, and that does not take into account staffing or operating the facility, and investment the fossil fuel industry has repeatedly proven they will not fund. The answer to the plastic waste crisis will never be recycling, we must cut the problem off at the source! Listen to the NPR story here.

(Plastic waste being buried in an Oregon landfill, Lauran Sullivan, NPR)

The pandemic has had all of us ordering a lot more take out food, digital orders of food have increased 127% from the same time period in 2019. This has caused a drastic increase in plastic and expanded polystyrene being used by restaurants. Take out food doesn’t have to mean excess waste, there are a few restaurants in the DC area that are working to reduce the waste they send to customers. Jaleo is providing their takeout on metal pans that customers can return and get $10 off their next meal. Oyster-Oyster uses reusable and recyclable glass jars for takeout orders and doesn’t even use plastic wrap in their kitchen. Read about a food critic’s efforts to reduce his waste stream here.

(Katherine Frey/ The Washington Post)

There have been some images of glowing algal blooms in the Virginia section of the Chesapeake Bay, while these algal blooms may look interesting, they are definitely not a good thing. These algal blooms have been linked to shellfish mortalities in the Chesapeake. These specific types of algae have been found in the Gulf of Mexico where they have caused massive fish and shellfish kills. Researchers think this algae is becoming more common in the Chesapeake because water temperatures have been rising, creating conditions for the harmful algae to bloom. Read the full story from the Chesapeake Bay Magazine here.

(A dense bloom of the bioluminescent alga Alexandrium monilatum lit up the York River during August 2015. © Susan Maples/VIMS.)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has faced rollbacks over the last few years at the request of fossil fuel lobbyists and corporate polluters. Lawmakers are asking for NEPA to be restored to protect people and the planet. NEPA was the first major environmental law in the US and ensures environmental implications for proposed projects are taken into consideration before construction begins. NEPA is a critical tool to address social justice because it gives the general public a voice to protect their land and water. Read the full report about NEPA rollbacks here.

Last week we helped you get your fall gardens started, so this week we thought we’d help you build a rain barrel to provide water for your garden! Fairfax County usually offers ‘build your own rain barrel workshops’, because of the pandemic they have had to put a pause on these workshops, but still provide a helpful sheet you can use to build your own rain barrel. Here’s the link to the rain barrel cheat sheet!