You may have noticed I haven’t been blogging super regularly. That’s because I’ve been traveling around giving talks on plastic-free living in lots of cool places and meeting some amazing people. Check out my new Calendar of Events to find out if/when I might be coming to your town. And if your area is not on the schedule, then contact me and let’s schedule something!
Give a Talk with Me
Are you reducing plastic in your own life? Do you have information about resources and strategies where you live? Then please consider joining me on stage or at the front of the room for a plastic-free presentation. Last week, I got together with Danielle Richardet (of the blog It Starts With Me), who cleans up plastic trash on her local beach with her kids and worked on getting smoking banned at the beach, and Bonnie Monteleone (of The Plastic Ocean Project), who has taken several trips out to the Pacific Garbage Patch to see ocean plastic pollution for herself. The three of us gave a couple of joint presentations on plastic in the ocean and ways to reduce plastic in our homes and on our planet. I discovered that presenting with other people, especially local people, is way more fun AND way more effective than simply doing it myself.
We talked to folks at the library in Greensboro, NC:
And we talked to folks at UNCW in Wilmington, NC:
The video from the UNCW talk will be up, hopefully by this weekend, and I will share it here. In the meantime, here is an example of the kind of talk that I give when I am by myself. This is a short version. The longer version contains more information about solutions, as well as a whole section on the drawbacks to recycling.
But speaking alone isn’t as effective as speaking with other local people. Why? Because this isn’t about me. And especially because people need to know that reducing plastic is doable wherever they live… not just in the San Francisco Bay Area. And that someone who lives in the community is actually doing it.
On April 2, I will be giving a presentation in Tulsa, OK along with Lisa Sharp, who blogs at Retro Housewife Goes Green and founded Green Oklahoma. Lisa Sharp is one of the people profiled in my book, and while I’ve known her via the Internet for years, I’m so happy to finally meet her in person! Here are details of the event at the University of Tulsa.
Let’s Talk
If you would like me to come to your town for a talk and book signing, please contact me or leave me a comment here with your contact information. I can let you know what kind of sponsorship I would need in order to come (because, unfortunately, I am not independently wealthy) and what dates I have available. And if you are willing to get on stage with me and share your story, that would be even better!
I'm excited about how the plastic-free movement is growing. If you would like to arrange for me to come and give a talk, please email me directly at beth@myplasticfreelife.com. That's easier because I am not able to keep up with comments as much as I would like.
Alice Williams O'Dea could you please email me directly re possibilities for plastic-free talk in TN? Would love to come. beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com
Margaret McDonnell, Jantil Moon, Sandy Weex, Claire Wallerstein, Larisa Lieberman, Sabina Lucia I would need some serious sponsorship to cover travel costs and honorarium to come to U.K. / Europe. I would do it if I could arrange several different talks in order to justify the carbon emissions. Do you guys have ideas of what organizations might be interested?
Cathy Go, Sarah Mazzone, LJ Livingston, Heat Dziczek, Suzanne Meyer, Jeanne Bruner if any of you want to discuss logistics of arranging talks in your area, please email me at beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com. We can talk about what is required. Thank you so much!
Jackie Davison, how close is Sunnyvale to Los Altos? I'll be in Los Altos on May 6. Details to follow.
Lynette Dumas, you should meet Kay Pere. She also lives in Connecticut and would like to arrange something. I can put you two in touch if you want.
I've had a quick stroll around your website you are based in San Francisco (I think) but if you are near the UK please let me know (i will bookmark this page) as it sounds like something my company would be very interested in. My company deals in recycled plastics and we are always looking at ways to help the environment and from what I have read you are a very inspirational woman who could help us alot.
I personally recycle what I can at home and try to reuse bags and stuff but to do what you are doing is great - I honestly don't know how you do it so much! `Next time I find myself in the supermarket I will find myself seriously considering the packaging that I am buying along with the food I buy - Thank you for that I think you have given me the wakeup call I needed.
I will link in my company website below and you can find my office contact details on there if you are ever in the UK - just ask for Maddy.
http://www.virrgo.co.uk/plastic-buyers/
spokane wa would love to have you and I would love to speak with you!
@ShelleyBurns Hi. Please send me a direct email at beth@myplasticfreelife.com to figure out how we could arrange a trip to Spokane. I'll actually be in the San Juan Islands in a couple of weeks. Is that anywhere near Spokane? (I know... I could look it up on the map. Just being lazy.)
Would love it if you could make it to Indy sometime!
@robbie How can we make it happen? Email me. Let's figure it out.
we enjoyed having you in lafayette with ECOlunchboxes !
@Sandra Ann Harris Thanks! I'll be in Lafayette again for Earth Day on Sunday the 21st.
I hope you can come to Austin Texas! Maybe at in.gredients?if no one else here would talk I'd do it, but I'm sure there are people here who are free-er of plastic than me.
Dear Beth,
My husband and I would love to have you come speak in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.
I am posting a comment so that you may get in touch with me regarding a speaking engagement.
Thank you,
Heather and Robert
@HeatherA Hi. Would you please email me directly so we can discuss? beth@myplasticfreelife.com. So far I've only visited Portland.
Come to Winnipeg Manitoba Canada. Hook up with a few local 'green' groups and do a large theatre lecture, do a few school presentations, universities....etc You can even stay at my house. :)
@Janice Pennington Can you help me arrange this? Would love to discuss the possibilities. Please send me an email. beth@myplasticfreelife.com
I have been trying to live a plastic-free life... I bring my own shopping bag whenever I go to markets and grocery stores...I installed a water filtering device so I don't need to buy bottled water anymore...I tell my househelp not to bring any plastic inside my home and it work well...Whenever it's unavoidable that I get plastic (containers of oil, detergents, handwash, etc), I encourage my househelp & driver to segregate them and sell them to junk shops, proceeds of which they share.
It's true! It's true! If I can do it so can you! :D
awesome Beth !!
Chattanooga, TN!! I'll start looking into sponsors...
@Alice Williams O'Dea I'd love to come to TN. Will you please email me directly so we can discuss sponsorship ideas? beth@myplasticfreelife.com
Yes, come to London & I will happily co present!
@Sabina Lucia OMG I would love to come to London. I want to visit Unpackaged. I was there once in the mid-90's, but not since. I would have to arrange a lot of different talks in order to justify the carbon emissions. :-)
Come visit Wasilla, Alaska
@Evangeline Navarone As long as I don't have to shoot wolves. :-)
I'm wondering if you're only doing visits in the United States or if you might be open to coming to Canada! I'm in Windsor, Ontario which is right across the border from Detroit, MI. If you might be interested, I could look into getting sponsorship from the University of Windsor as well as local healthy living groups. I am so determined to make this happen! :D
@melanie t Hi. I would be very interested in coming to Canada if I can get sponsorship. Will you please email me directly to discuss? beth@myplasticfreelife.com
Please come to my (adopted) town of London, England.
@Larisa Lieberman Would love to. I doubt it will happen in the near future unless I can arrange a whole tour to justify the carbon expense. Not to mention the money. :-)
Come visit Connecticut, and I'll present with you!!
BienvenuE avec mon ile' !Dalmacija:viva;)))
Come to Bloomington, IN! I could try and get sponsorship via IU or perhaps the city. Let me know what you need!
@Sarah S Yes. I'd love to come to IN. Will you please email me directly to discuss? beth@myplasticfreelife.com
@Sarah S I'd make the drive for this!
(Sorry, I accidentally posted this in the events page comments by mistake!)
I see you're possibly coming to Boston in June - awesome! I work at a university here, so summer isn't the best time in terms of getting sponsorship for an appearance since not many people are around. But I would love to hear more about your plans as they develop!
@_hillary Hi. Unfortunately, the Boston trip has been put on hold. I'll update the calendar when it's back on or when I will be in the area.
Would like to have you in Cupertino, Ca!
Hmmmm wonder how much it would cost to bring you to New Zealand.
Would love to have you in North Idaho.
Beth Please come to Springfield MA Pretty please.
The folks at UCLA would LOVE to have you speak about plastic pollution, especially with Earth Month coming up! We have a lot of great outreach events planned so you will have a platform from which to reach a large number of people, not just those of us who are already sustainably inclined!
Thank you so much for the opportunity!
@alyssadlee Hi Alyssa. Well, it's now too late for Earth Month, but I'd love to come to UCLA at some point. Do you want to help me arrange it? Would need sponsorship. Email me. beth@myplasticfreelife.com
I would love to speak with you in Phoenix. I have a bookstore in mind as well.
I'm a graduate student at UNC Wilmington - unfortunately wasn't able to make it to the event (Monday night classes, ugh!). Looking forward to seeing the video!
and the UK!
I wish you could come to canada!!
Hello Beth, I appreciate your wisdom and your work. I would really appreciate it if you could come to Missoula, Montana and help me with my recycling ACT. I am a college student at the University of Montana and our down does NOT recycle. Our entire city does not depend on recycling or worry about separating garbage. After living in Seattle for 5 years Ive learned a lot about the advantages. I want to help my town to make a difference. Already people have been talking about doing something. So I have created and organized my proposal for the city. But I need your help and I need your expertise. If you would consider coming to see us I would arrange something with my school so you can speak. I would love to hear from you. Please send me and email if you can. Thanks!
@tkins Hi. I love what you are doing. You should totally connect up with Lisa Sharp, who runs the blog Retro Housewife Goes Green and Green Oklahoma. I profiled her in my book. She campaigned to get curbside pickup in her town and can probably give you a lot of good advice. She's at retrohousewife05@gmail.com. Also, if the university would be willing to sponsor me, I would be happy to come and give a talk.