From “this is everywhere” to “here is what I can do”
Personal choices help, but policy, product design, and infrastructure determine pollution at scale. Pick one action to do today and one to do with other people.
Four ways to make a difference
Each link goes to the organisation or public agency running the action—not a generic search page.
- 01
Write your California legislators
10 minutes
Ask your Assembly Member and State Senator to support source reduction, stormwater controls, tire-wear research, and transparent implementation of California’s plastics laws.
Find my California representatives - 02
Join a science-led nonprofit
Ongoing
The California-based 5 Gyres Institute connects research, community education, and policy campaigns. Sign up for action alerts or bring its resources to a school or community group.
Join the 5 Gyres movement - 03
Stop debris before it fragments
One morning
Join California Coastal Cleanup Day, adopt a beach, or organize a neighbourhood cleanup. Inland litter matters too: storm drains connect streets to rivers, bays, and the ocean.
Find a California cleanup - 04
Host a documentary discussion
One evening
Screen “Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics,” then use its discussion guide to turn concern into one shared local action.
Open the screening guide
A short letter is enough
Add one sentence about a beach, creek, neighbourhood, or health concern you care about. Specific local context makes the message yours.
Dear [Senator or Assembly Member],
I am a constituent from [city]. Please support strong implementation of California’s microplastics strategy and policies that prevent plastic pollution at the source—especially controls for stormwater, tire wear, and unnecessary single-use packaging.
Please also support transparent public monitoring so Californians can see whether these measures are working. I care about this because [one local sentence].
Sincerely,
[name and ZIP code]
Community changes what one household cannot
A cleanup builds local knowledge and keeps debris from fragmenting. Pair it with a request for upstream source reduction so the same material does not return.
Start with evidence
A Bay fish, a feeding whale, and a clear explanation of uncertainty are more memorable than a page of abstract claims. Share one California case study before you ask someone to act.
Open the wildlife cases