E79. Microplastics 101 with Madeleine MacGillivray

Hey Change Podcast

Did you know that there isn’t a single corner of the Earth where microplastics do not exist? Yes, plastics are taking over our world, but how bad is it, really? We sat down with our friend and colleague Madeleine MacGillivray to take a deep dive (no pun intended) into the topic of microplastics. Tune in to gain a full understanding of what they are, where they come from, and what we can all do about it!

In this episode:

• What are microplastics?
• How do microplastics affect human health?
• That recycling is a myth (but that we should still keep recycling)
• The truth behind biodegradable packaging
• What plastics are actually recyclable?
• How microfibers (from clothes) actually make up most of the plastic pollution
• What you - and all of us - can do now to make a difference

Nerd out further:

Blood plasma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6586940/

They're literally everywhere: https://www.americanscientist.org/article/plastics-plastics-everywhere

Microplastics and male fertility: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967748/

Madeleine MacGillivray is a microplastics expert, a 5 Gyres Ambassador, and a model with Role Models Management in NYC. Since the age of nine, she has been speaking out against water issues when she founded her first non-profit organization, raising awareness about climate change and drought in Africa, and was acknowledged by Bill McKibben's national climate rally. At the age of 16, she was part of the highly influential Our Children’s Trust lawsuit, which sued the US government and the EPA.

Madeleine specializes in marine microplastic pollution and legislation, conducting research in Indonesia, the Arctic, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Galápagos Islands. She’s also the Microplastics Policy and Science Fellow at the women and Indigenous-led environmental organization Seeding Sovereignty. This conversation is so informative and helpful to understand what is going on when it comes to plastic products and their impact on our world. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about microplastics this is your episode.

Website: https://madeleinewallacenyc.com/

Instagram: @madeleinemacgillivray

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Podcast Instagram: @heychange_podcast

This episode is sponsored by Parents for the Planet, a new platform created by our very own Robin Shaw. Parents for the Planet is helping families create a better planet for our children and better children for our planet. Empowered parents change the world, so follow along on IG at @parentsxplanet or check out https://parentsxplanet.com/ and stay tuned for resources, blogs, and a podcast coming soon! Parents for the Planet is here to help you raise the next generation of changemakers.

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