June 5th is #WorldEnvironmentDay

The theme of World Environment Day 2023 is to focus on solutions to plastic pollution. #BeatPlasticPollution 

Plastic is being consumed in large amounts by elephants primarily in Asia and India largely due to increased population growth which has caused habitat loss, fragmentation, and forced elephants to search for food in unhealthy places.

As this video  will explain, in Sri Lanka alone, elephants have been found to consume enormous amounts of plastic from toxic waste sites causing them a horrific painful death. In India, elephants consume plastics from nearby village dumps and transport them deep into forests. 

85 percent of waste found in elephant dung in the town of Kotdwar, India, was plastic. This has a cascading effect on other animals feeding off their dung and is a leading concern of what the effects of plastic are on land ecosystems. 

Because elephants are prolific seed dispersers and a keystone species responsible for the ecosystems in which they live, plastic is a grave danger to all species involved in the chain reaction.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has stated that the amount of plastic that is produced annually is set to triple by 2060, driven by rising populations and income. 

In their report they propose concrete policies that can be implemented along the lifecycle of plastics that could significantly curb, or even eliminate, plastic leakage into the environment. What can we all do to expedite some of the initiatives and policies outlined in this report? 

Set a personal #Goal to help end #PlasticConsumption and #BeatPlasticPollution 

• Adopt a circular lifestyle. … meaning reuse the waste that you produce instead of filling up landfills and oceans and exploiting raw materials.
• Rethink your fashion and laundry choices…buy second hand.
• Make sure your toiletries are plastic-free.
• Say “no” to plastic when shopping. … take your own bag!!
• Don’t accept plastic containers for takeout … approach owner of business and encourage them to purchase cardboard takeaway containers … a great example of environmental, social, and governance strategy (ESG) is Snooze, a restaurant who has been a leader in ESG for years. Support restaurants like this who are making necessary transitions for a healthier planet!
• Roll up your sleeves and get cleaning. … volunteer with an organization who does plastic clean up.
• Recycle!
• Join the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Clean Seas campaign.
• Support an elephant conservation organization – Elephanatics – whose core values and beliefs are:

Sustainability – Environmental and social sustainability are our core values and is reflected in    the work we do and how we do it.
Professionalism – Being transparent, accountable, and responsible for all we do within      our organization and how we project that through the work we do.
Community – Our community of social media followers, partners, and volunteers are key      components in achieving our goals of spreading awareness and holding fundraising events. Education is key to change and must be done in a compassionate, environmentally friendly, manner.

Enjoy World Environment Day by setting a goal to make the world a better place for all of us, especially elephants!