plastic-free | Ecology Center

Plastic-Free July Inspiration: Jackie Omania’s Zero Waste Classroom at Oxford Elementary

July 11, 2016 by Ecology Center

Note from the Ecology Center: Jackie’s inspiration to create a Zero Waste classroom came last summer from an Ecology Center event on plastic. We’ve hosted activities for Plastic-Free July again this year. This interview with filmmaker Wang Jiuliang offers a snapshot of the film that compelled Jackie to take action. Reposted with permission from Berkeley … Read more »

Earth Day Shoreline Clean Up, 4/23/16

April 20, 2016 by Ecology Center

Give back to the Bay and all the creatures who call it home! Start off with an all-levels donation based yoga class at 8:00am. At 9:00am we’ll learn about pollution and clean-up strategies. Then we’ll head out to collect litter and record data, which will help change laws to improve the health of our ecosystem.… Read more »

Close to Home: San Francisco Bay Teems with Microplastic Pollution

September 23, 2015 by Ecology Center

A new study by the San Francisco Estuary Institute shows that millions of pieces of plastic are entering the bay every day, contaminating wildlife and moving toxins up the food chain. At least 3.9 million pieces of plastic are coming into the bay daily from the waste water treatment plants. These tiny particles are coming… Read more »

From Here to China: Secrets of Plastic Recycling

August 7, 2015 by Ecology Center

We hosted a panel event as part of Plastic-Free July that asked: why do we send so much of our plastic waste to China for recycling? What actually happens to it once it’s there? Why don’t we handle our own plastic waste? With its “Green Fence” policy, China has become choosier about the plastic waste… Read more »

Why Is there Plastic in this Soap?

July 22, 2015 by Ecology Center

Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic that are used in bodycare products like toothpaste and face washes to help scrub (and begs the question: why?!). After they do the job that natural alternatives have done for thousands of years, they get washed down the drain. These tiny pieces of plastic are so small, water treatment… Read more »