activism
Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.
Why Are Companies Getting Rid of Plastic Straws? The Answer Shocked Me
If you’re anything like me, from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed you’re sipping on coffee, tea, or red wine. Try as I might, no amount of Crest Whitestrips can keep up with my drinking habits, so I often turn to straws to prevent my teeth from getting stained. However, thanks to non-profits like Plastic Oceans and Lonely Whale, straws might become much harder to find. Why? Well, apparently many of the straws we use and toss every single day end up polluting our seas. According to Plastic Oceans’s website, 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year—and this number is growing.
By Lily Hoffman8 years ago in The Swamp
An Era of Censorship?
I stumbled across an article while wandering online yesterday and it scared me a little. I’ll cover why and the implications I think we have seen, are seeing, and will continue to see in regards to this problem. It’s probably best you give the article a read before continuing on with the rest of this post:
By Lewis Convery8 years ago in The Swamp
Overcoming Phone Anxiety Through Civic Engagement
Most of my friends know that I suffer from debilitating phone anxiety. Having to call someone I don't personally know makes all of my muscles tense up, and asking for something over the phone is often physically painful. In an effort to overcome my phobia and ameliorate the despair I've been feeling from watching the news for the past few months, I started using 5Calls.org.
By Robert Wells8 years ago in The Swamp
The Politics of Being Queer: How the LGBTQ+ Community Swapped Protests for Parties
On June 28, 1970, the Christopher Street Liberation Parade marked the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The first 'Gay Pride March' encompassed the fifty-one blocks between the Stonewall Inn and Central Park. Politics and protest infiltrated to its core: this idea of queerness as something innately political continued for years afterwards.
By Eleanor Noyce8 years ago in The Swamp
How Long Does It Take Plastic to Biodegrade?
Plastic takes approximately 450 years to decompose according to a Google search. Plastic items can take 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. Landfills consequently are not the best way to take care of garbage in general. Plastic bags take 10 to 1,000 years to decompose. With biodegradable plastic, decomposition can happen faster. Recycling plastic can make more plastic. Disposable diapers, for example, make up a huge chunk of what goes into a landfill. Sometimes ordinary people don’t see how much they contribute to the garbage problem, which is not getting any better if it takes diapers 250-500 years to decompose.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
My Experience at March 4 Our Lives LA
17. Students. Teachers. Children. Parents. Siblings. Loved ones. Killed. February 14, Valentine's Day. A day to tell the people you love just how much they mean to you. But, on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida, it would become the worst day of their lives.
By Mina Johnson8 years ago in The Swamp
Pride Is the Protest, Not the After Party
Pride has come to be an annual beacon of hope for the LGBTQ+ community, a place for us to celebrate our identities, a safe space to express ourselves, supposedly without fear of repercussions. With such a celebratory tone, it’s easy to forget amidst the rainbow paraphernalia, alcohol, and spandex that Pride exists thanks to trans women of colour protesting for equality for the LGBTQ+ community. While the world has changed dramatically since the Stonewall riots, this year’s London Pride highlighted how far we have yet to go before we can pop the champagne for a job well done.
By Ziggy Moth8 years ago in The Swamp
The Thing About Homelessness and the Rejected Products of a Broken System
The thing about homelessness is that it is a product of a blatantly inefficient society. Few in power recognize it as an existing problem or something they can help solve. But the sooner we acknowledge it, the faster we can solve it. Sounds simple, and it is simple, but no one in a real position of power (Trump, May, Putin) is doing anything about it, simply because they don't care enough.
By ovaryacting8 years ago in The Swamp
The Environmental Hazards of Chemical Pollution
Chemical pollution exists. Some right-leaning people would like to deny this exists. This type of pollution can affect soil, water, and the air itself. Organic pollutants serve as endocrine disruptors, from "Environmental Protection: What Everybody Needs To Know" by Pamela Hill (16), because “endocrine disruptors are substances that interfere with the endocrine system, the system responsible for regulating hormones throughout the body. They are associated with reproductive and developmental problems” (17). Chemical pollution from chemicals such as DDT is rampant in our society right now. Nobody is doing anything about it since the scientists who study this have their hands tied up along with their funding.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
The End of the World
While an apocalyptic event is not newsworthy, we humans are great at one thing: destroying our planet. Star visitors laugh at our ignorance daily. In the United States, at least, we are not tackling climate change at all. Climate change is real. The most ardent Republican needs to know this. Climate change could kill us with rising sea levels. In 30 years, the coastal cities could flood unless we do something about it now. We live during a time when tyrannical leaders are popular with the masses. People want to feel safe in order not to think about much.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
