Plastic Free by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz & Joanna Atherfold Finn

In July 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz challenged herself to go plastic free for the whole month. Starting with a small group of people in the city of Perth, the Plastic Free July movement has grown into a 250-million strong community across 177 countries, empowering people to reduce single-use plastic consumption and create a cleaner future. This book explores how one of the world’s leading environmental campaigns took off and shares lessons from its success. From narrating marine-debris research expeditions to tracking what actually happens to our waste to sharing insights from behavioral research, it speaks to the massive scale of the plastic waste problem and how we can tackle it together. Interweaving interviews from participants, activists, and experts, Plastic Free tells the inspiring story of how ordinary people have created change in their homes, communities, workplaces, schools, businesses, and beyond. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of global environmental problems and wonder what difference our own actions could possibly make. Plastic Free offers hope for the future through the stories of those who have taken on what looked like an insurmountable challenge and succeeded in innovative and practical ways, one step―and one piece of plastic―at a time. About Joanna Atherfold Finn Joanna grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney before moving to Newcastle. She worked in the employment services industry for over 15 years, before completing a communications degree at the University of Newcastle. Changing her focus to creative writing, she completed a PhD in English and was awarded the University Medal. She has taught creative writing at the University of Newcastle and tutors primary and high school students in English. Watermark, published by Simon & Schuster, is Joanna's debut collection of stories. It cracks open the coastal idyll of a quintessentially Australian seaside landscape to reveal fractured relationships and innocence lost. Joanna is currently working on her first novel. She spends most of her time getting rid of characters, drinking copious quantities of tea and talking to herself. Hardcover.  272 pages.  2020