79. Microplastics 101 with Madeleine MacGillivray
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
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.
Learn more about Madeleine Wallace:
Website: https://madeleinewallacenyc.com/
Instagram: @madeleinemacgillivray
Seeding Sovereignty on Instagram: @seedingsovereignty
5 Gyres Institute on Instagram: @5gyres
Also mentioned:
Quote: “There’s nothing you can’t tell me, there’s nothing I don’t wanna hear.” - Janet Macgillivray
Book: Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith
Mantra: “I’m all flowers and no-one can take that away”
Our film recommendation to learn more about the plastic industry: The Story of Plastic
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/
Legislation: https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/482614-new-bill-calls-for-us-to-address-source-of
2x microplastics in bottled water than tap: https://www.statista.com/chart/13255/study-finds-microplastics-in-93-of-bottled-water/
