In 2007, while recovering from surgery, Beth read the article and saw the photo that changed her life. The article was entitled, “Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic… Are We?“ and the photo showed the carcass of a dead sea bird, its belly full of plastic pieces: bottle caps, cigarette lighters, even a toothbrush. She looked at her own life and realized that through her unconscious overconsumption, she was personally contributing the the suffering of creatures she hadn’t even known existed.
That week, she committed to stop buying new plastic, and a passion and blog were born: My Plastic-free Life (known originally as Fake Plastic Fish.)
For over three years, Beth has been blogging, collecting and tallying her own plastic waste — in 2010, her plastic waste was 2% of the U.S. average (2 lbs vs. 100 lbs). She also began researching plastic-free alternatives and adding to her Plastic-Free Guide. She enjoys reviewing alternative products from ethical companies.
Beth expanded her reach in 2008, by spearheaded a massive campaign, Take Back The Filter, to ask Clorox to take back its plastic Brita water filter cartridges for recycling, as was already being done by the Brita company in Europe. The campaign was a success for all involved, and Brita filters can now be recycled in the U.S. and Canada.
An engaging and compelling speaker, Beth has proven that living with less plastic is really not as hard as it seems and the act of collecting and tallying your personal plastic use can be transformative. She invites everyone to collect and tally their own plastic waste for a week and upload the results to a new Show Your Plastic Trash web site.
PDF Speaker Summary available on request .
Activism and Corporatism: Co-creating a Better Way to do Business
Saving the Planet, One Cheese Wrapper at a Time
Top 10 Things to Get Plastic Out of Your Life
Activism and Corporatism: Co-creating a Better Way to do Business
The Irony of Organic and Plastic Packaging
How to Make Plastic More Transparent
“Beth has a lively creative sense of what it means to live “on” and “with” this sweet earth. Originally I met Beth because she is one of our customers– buying organic toys for her special kitties. She called us directly after her first order arrived to praise our packaging. I remember thinking, “Wow! How great of her to call and encourage us!” This encouragement has continued–I subscribe to her blog and correspond by email. I am impressed by her steady incremental approach to lowering her personal use of plastic and her awareness of how plastic impacts on our environment. Her support and enthusiasm has been very helpful as we also work to lower our use of plastic at home and at work.” Pam Wheelock, Owner and Designer, Purrfectplay
Full Speaker Summary available upon request.
Plastic-Free Guide.
Plastic Crap Wall of Shame
UselessPlasticCrap
TO BE PUBLISHED SOON: Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and You Can Too.
CONTACT US to book Beth. Please let us know the date/time/place of event, type of audience, and topics that your audience wants to hear. If Beth is unavailable, we’ll be able to offer suggestions without you doing additional work.
