As part of the Earth Week 2018 celebrations, The Office of Sustainability Programs led a Pledge to End Plastic Pollution campaign. Ending Plastic Pollution is the theme for Earth Day 2018 (earthday.org/earthday). According to a World Economic Forum report (2016), it is estimated that our oceans are polluted with 8 million tons of plastic every year, which is the equivalent of one garbage truck emptying into the ocean every minute. By 2030, this rate is projected to increase to four trucks every minute if we continue as business-as-usual.
To help us reduce the amount of plastic in our daily lives, The Office of Sustainability Programs equipped the first 150 students, faculty, and staff who took the pledge on the mall with Ending Plastic Pollution Kits. Kits were comprised of a reusable bag, aluminum water bottle, stainless steel fork and spoon, and a cloth napkin.
352 pledges were signed during Earth Week, which surpassed the office’s goal of 300. You can live out the commitments in the pledge by:
- Saying “no” to single-use plastic straws
- Using re-usable canvas bags when shopping instead of plastic bags from the store
- Using a re-usable water bottle instead of purchasing bottled water
- Saying “no” to single-use plastic cutlery
- Using re-usable containers for snacks and meals
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) posted photos of Creighton’s Earth Week. Please note, an AASHE account is required to view the photos, however, anyone with a creighton.edu email address can sign up for an account. To login or create a new account, students, faculty, and staff can visit: https://hub.aashe.org/login/
