I was born in February 1970 just before the first Earth Day celebration on April 22nd. Though I didn’t participate in that first celebration, I have always felt I grew up with the movement – I was two when the Clean Water Act passed. Over the last five decades, I have seen the good and the bad, the expansion of our water protections as well as the destruction of long-held policies; and through it all we've built coalitions. Environmental champions, Clean Water Action members, and communities stood together, took our concerns to those in power, and demanded our water be recognized as a human right. On September 25, 2012 in California, then-Governor Jerry Brown signed AB685 into law establishing that every human being in California has a right to water for consumption, cooking, and sanitation, and our very own State Director, Jennifer Clary, helped lead the coalition that made it a reality.
As I reflect on the last 14 months of this administration, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. So much of our work is being dismantled, and many of us wonder if we can pull ourselves back from the brink yet again. I believe we can. I have seen what we can do when we work together.
Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program turns 14 this year. When it started with a waste assessment study and a plan to reduce single-use disposables, we hoped to collect enough data to support funding for restaurants to switch to dine-in reusable foodware. Over the past 14 years, ReThink staff have collaborated with so many different groups — with city and county governments to help meet Zero Waste goals, with foundations who were looking for proof of concept, and with over 700 local food service businesses throughout California to aid in foodware conversions. Our work has diverted millions of single use disposables and harmful plastics from our waste stream, all while saving money for these small business owners who feed our communities.
When it all feels overwhelming, when the intersections between human health and the environment feels stretched in opposing directions and the advocacy feels heavy, I reflect on this year’s Earth Day theme “Our Power, Our Planet”, and I know our power is collective. I believe we will hold the line. Together.
