Hello friends, family, classmates, colleagues, teachers, and strangers!

Did you know that plastic is set to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050? 

This is Wally. He doesn't like that prediction. 

Plastic is terrible in the ocean but also isn't much better in landfill. Due to a landfill's anaerobic environment, plastic will emit CO2 and methane as it photodegrades (and I think anyone who's read this far will know why that's not good). Oh, and bioplastics don't actually biodegrade fast enough to stop turtles and whales from choking to death on the stuff. And plastic recycling is often a myth; in virtually all "recycling" systems, plastic is in fact downcycled, leading to its eventual demise in a graveyard of soil, water, or fish. (But still use your recycling bins please!) Downcycling isn't the case with metal and glass, both of which have a closed recycling loop.

This is why I've made the radical decision to: Create no plastic waste for July. I've actually done this before and published an article about the experience, but it's going to be much harder this time for reasons you'll read below. So why am I doing this? I can tell you that it's not some hippy form of masochism. I'm going plastic free because I want to break ground for better lifestyle choices, government policy, and corporate transparency. I'll be putting my money where my mouth is, and learning experientially on what products can be easily ditched and replaced with greener alternatives, versus those products that don't have good alternatives, and therefore must be produced and disposed of in a greener way. 

Purging myself of plastic waste isn't going to be easy:

- I have to find alternatives (or ditch altogether) generic shampoos, chip packets, plastic razors, take-away containers, plastic wrap, straws, micro-beads, soy sauce packets, M&Ms... the list doesn't end!

- I will be TRAVELING during July, starting in Cairns Australia, then heading to Florida USA, and ending the month in London UK. Each day will bring about new challenges, and strange looks and questions from people wondering what exactly I'm up to.

- I will VLOG the whole experience, to keep you updated about the highlights, lowlights, and insights. That's gonna look weird too, talking into my phone the whole time. 

- For every piece of plastic waste that I do produce, I'll be donating $1 to my parent's PFJ page.  

How to help:

I would love for you too to sign up for Plastic Free July (it's an international movement!), or support my efforts to reduce my plastic use by making an online donation, sharing my fundraiser with others, and following me on my journey. Donations made through this platform are secure and will be remitted directly through to my charity of choice.

What you're supporting:

I'm fundraising for the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC), who have been advocating for environmental protection in Far North Queensland since 1981 (and I'm currently interning for them!). Your donation will help initiatives such as the Marine Response Team - a group of dedicated volunteers taking action to protect our Far North Queensland (FNQ) marine environment. In the past year, CAFNEC has hosted over 25 plastic reducing awareness and education events in Far North Queensland including the Cairns Drain Stencil Project, Boomerang Bags Cairns, film screenings, workshops on plastic-free living, a family fun day and events for Plastic Free July in 2016. They also campaigned for a ban on single-use plastic bags and a container deposit scheme in the State of Queensland (which is finally happening from 2018!).

Thanks so much for your support!

What you get:
"What's in it for me?" you ask. Well, I'll be vlogging throughout my journey. For every person who either joins Plastic Free July or gives a donation, you'll get exclusive access to a weekly video of my adventures. All others will have to wait for the compilation video at the end of the month ;)