News Release: 6/5/2018 - BEAT Plastic

Join #BeatPlasticPollution, United Nations Environment and Isha Foundation “If we continue with our plastic habits, oceans will have more plastic than fish by 2050” #BeatPlasticPollution is the theme for World Environment Day 2018, a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Isha Foundation, an International non profit organization dedicated to environment initiatives, well being and global harmony, is partnering with the United Nations Environment Program to conduct large scale social and on-ground awareness drives. The events will be held in over 300 global iconic locations including 25 cities in US & Canada, the first week of June leading upto the World Environment Day, June 5th to spread the awareness of plastic pollution. Each year, at least 13 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. Plastic also makes its way into our water supply – and thus into our bodies. Scientists still aren’t sure, but plastics contain a number of chemicals, many of which are toxic or disrupt hormones. Plastics can also serve as a magnet for other pollutants, including dioxins, metals and pesticides. Sadhguru, a yogi, a visionary, an environmentalist and founder of Isha Foundation, has been an influential voice at major global forums including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, addressing issues as diverse as environmental issues, socioeconomic development, leadership and spirituality. In the Fall of 2017, Sadhguru initiated Rally For Rivers, which started out as a nationwide awareness campaign for the revitalization of rivers in India. Within a span of one month, the movement received an overwhelming response of over 160 million people and grew to become a global campaign resulting in actual sustainable and long-term policy changes with the government policy holders, to revitalize India’s severely depleted rivers. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences. This year’s environment day theme is ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, and the host is Delhi, India. Sadhguru has been invited to speak with Erik Solheim​ (Head of UN– Environment)​ on this occasion and this event will be web-streamed live. The overuse and mismanagement of single use plastic has become an epidemic and has a direct impact on our daily lives, we just don’t know it. Sadhguru says that to bring about a change it is essential to build a global awareness drive about plastic pollution and generate a more responsible human population”. This change will foster the dialogue that leads to new models for plastic production and consumption keeping in mind the ecological conservation. Apart from changing people’s minds, the solution also needs to fit in economic models causing an economic policy change to solve for the environmental crises. UN recognizes Sadhguru as a ambassador for this initiative and together hopes to work with global leaders for a policy change. Individuals, the private sector, media, corporations and policymakers will have critical roles to play. #BeatPlasticPollution, this World Environment Day, our goal is to inspire the kind of solutions that lead to sustainable behaviour change upstream. Global Plastic Pollution Facts: ● 90% of bottled water found to contain plastic particles. ● 83% of tap water found to contain plastic particles. ● 50% of the plastic we use is single-use or disposable. ● 10% of all human-generated waste is plastic. ● More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are already floating in our oceans. ● A whopping 91% of plastic isn’t recycled. ● 500 billion disposable plastic bags are used worldwide every year. Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes only. ● Each year, at least 13 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. About Isha Foundation and Sadhguru Sadhguru’s vision to transform the world has been unfolding over the past 35 years through programs designed to create an inclusive culture and establish global harmony. He established Isha Foundation, an international non profit, volunteer-run organization, through which he has offered powerful yoga programs and initiated large scale human service projects for rural upliftment, quality education for the poor, environmental stewardship and holistic health, which have impacted the lives of millions of people around the world, earning a special consultative status with the United Nations. ● Internal Commitment – ○ All our centers in North America have stopped using single use disposables and have switched to stainless steel silver ware. On an average we cater 80,000 meals per year. ○ We advocate the usage of using copper bottles and stainless steel ware through our online and on ground retail stores ○ Organizing events and partnering with organization to create awareness about plastic pollution. ○ Partnering with influencers to create awareness about plastic pollution. Contact Information: wed@ishausa.org To participate in the event, please share with us on twitter.com/IshaUSA , facebook.com/IshaUSA by tagging #BeatPlasticPollution #Sadhguru #WorldEnvironmentDay