Sustainability
Plastic Free July
Plastic Facts
- Every item of plastic that has ever been created is stil with us on the planet today.
- We use 20 million plastic water bottles per day.
- Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 percent of all plastic - water bottles, bags and strawk31 days of plastic reduction tips on our Instagram and FB page
- s to the depths of the ocean. In our oceans alone, plastic debris outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of 36-to-1.
- 12 minutes is the average useful lifetime of plastics.
- Americans discard more than 30 million tons of plastic a year. Only 8 percent gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, is burned or becomes litter.
Source: Plastic Pollution Coalition
Plastic Footprint Calculators
Learn More
Videos:
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Netflix A Plastic Ocean
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PBS NewsHour the Plastic Problem
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Ellen MacArthur Foundation Solving Plastic Pollution | Narrated by Sir David Attenborough & Dame Ellen MacArthur
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The Story of Stuff Project The Story of Plastic
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National Geographic Are You Eating Plastic for Dinner?
Organizations:
- a non-profit dedicated to ending plastic pollution and fostering sustainable communities worldwide Plastic Oceans International
- non-profit marine conservation organization that aims to reduce plastic pollution Plastic Soup Foundation
- dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches Surfrider Foundation
- global alliance of more than 1,200 organizations, businesses, and thought leaders in 75 countries working toward a world free of plastic pollution Plastic Pollution Coalition
- non-profit environmental advocacy group that helps formulate ocean policy at the federal and state government levels Ocean Conservancy
CWU News
CWU Trustees to hold special virtual meeting on Friday
March 17, 2026 by Marketing and Communications
Lumina Foundation grant to support high-impact practices at CWU
March 16, 2026 by Marketing and Communications