May 2026

"Forever Plastics" Poem

Checkout Ronald Carson's poem on poets.org. The poem is written with plastics speaking - another way to get the message out about plastics (and microplastics). The last stanza is: 

We are the heirloom you did not ask for, 

the inheritance that cannot be refused, 

the future fossil of your present, 

already here.

Posted on 05/272026 by Gwen Morrison

10 Visions

A lot of work now to reduce plastics is ‘baby steps’ because we must start somewhere. We need some successes to encourage more people to care about the impact of plastics on ourselves and all living things on our planet – to get the ball rolling to push back on the laissez-faire approach toward the plastic producers that seems to be the status quo around the world. We know that it is an uphill effort and will take a lot more people becoming alarmed/getting involved.

I’ve been thinking recently about what I would like to see beyond ‘baby steps’…and have picked 10 ‘visions’ to share in this week’s Plastic Crisis post.

1. Plastic-Free labeling on food/cosmetic packaging is common – and plastic-free products are widely available. Remaining plastic packaging is required to be free of toxic chemicals particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals.

2. Tea bags, cans, and snack wrappers don’t contain plastic and there are no single-use plastic shopping bags.

3. Plastic bottles for food and cosmetics are phased out…replaced with glass or distributed in dry form and packaged in paper/cardboard.

4. Biodegradable tires have been developed – created without toxic biproducts and recycled at the end of life into new tires. Fragments from tire wear biodegrade in the environment.

5. Plastic producers are paying for plastic waste disposal (using less toxic methods than available in 2025…i.e. not releasing toxic chemicals into the air, water, soil…so no landfill or burning, etc.)

6. Mining of landfill material from high plastic times is beginning to reduce the ‘time bomb’ toxicity of the plastic era.

7. Synthetic carpets and plastic/vinyl flooring are replaced with biodegradable materials.

8. Water treatment plants filter out most microplastics …and technology is being developed to reduce nano-plastic particles as well.   

9. The perception of plastic is ‘toxic’ rather than ‘clean/sterile’ as it was historically.

10. Chemicals are considered toxic to humans until proven safe. There will be no more ‘forever’ chemicals that are new and heavily used….and then discovered to be toxic.

Posted on 05/25/2026 by Gwen Morrison

Beyond Plastics Ozarks - Newsletter May 2026

Hello Beyond Plastics Ozarks Community,

Thank you for continuing to support our work to reduce plastic pollution and build a healthier future for the Ozarks. We wanted to share a few recent highlights, upcoming events, and ways to get involved this summer.

Recent Events

Earth Day Music Festival

Beyond Plastics Ozarks recently hosted a table at the Earth Day Music Festival, where we connected with more than 100 attendees to discuss plastic pollution, sustainability, and local action opportunities. We appreciate everyone who stopped by to learn more and share ideas.

Regional Roundtable Event

We also participated in a regional roundtable discussion hosted by the Show-Me Less Plastic project. The event was attended by representatives of local governmental organizations, including City Utilities.

Missouri State Parks Plastic Reduction Bill

We’re encouraged to share that legislation focused on phasing out plastics in Missouri State Parks has recently moved out of committee. While there is still work ahead, this marks an important step forward in statewide conversations about reducing unnecessary plastic waste. Learn more about HB 3193 here.

Upcoming Events

June 6 – Master Gardeners Presentation

Gwen Morrison will be presenting to the Master Gardeners on June 6th about microplastics and their impacts on gardening, soil health, and the broader environment. We’re excited to facilitate an exploration of plastics use and impact with attendees.

Volunteer Opportunity – Farmers Markets

Beyond Plastics Ozarks is currently reaching out to local farmers markets to coordinate educational tabling opportunities throughout June.

One of our first initiatives is “Bring Your Own Bag,” where our group serves as an intermediary between people who have extra reusable bags and community members who need them. Our goal is to hand out reusable bags to shoppers at farmers markets while starting meaningful conversations about plastic pollution and practical ways to reduce plastic waste in everyday life.

We are looking for volunteers who would be interested in helping staff these tables, engage with community members, and support the Bring Your Own Bag initiative.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please reply to this email or contact us directly at beyondplasticsozarks@gmail.com.

Next Meeting – June 9 at 6:00 PM

Our next Beyond Plastics Ozarks meeting will be held on:

📅 June 9
🕕 6:00 PM

If you would like to attend, please RSVP by emailing beyondplasticsozarks@gmail.com.

To learn more about our work and mission, visit our website:

Beyond Plastics Ozarks

Thank you for being part of this growing movement for a cleaner, healthier Ozarks.

— Beyond Plastics Ozarks

Emailed to individuals that signed up at our both at the Earth Day Music Festival in April. 

Plastic and Conservation After School Program

I participated in a program about plastics and conservation for an after-school program at an area school. The grade range for the 43 participants was first through eighth grade. We did the program twice…to make the group size more management for the activities.

The gym was equipped with a projector for our short slide show to set the stage (featured a short video of animals in Missouri, a beautiful view of the Missouri river/a view of the river bank full of plastic waste), a little about how plastic is produced, and a picture of peanut the turtle (a turtle rescued with band of plastic around its middle deforming its shell).

There were two activities that the students rotated through: 1) a web game where a ball of yarn was thrown to participants in a circle representing parts of a Missouri ecosystem  to help the students visualize what happens as plastic impacts a web of life– usually in negative way and 2) looking at a piece of synthetic fabric under a microscope and talking more how many things we use every day are plastic and are shedding tiny pieces as we wear them…and launder them.

The whole group was back together for the last activity. There was a bin of water to represent a river and a small empty bin to represent a landfill. Every 30 seconds another small bin of trash was dumped into the ‘river’….and there was an effort to scoop it up and put it in the ‘landfill.’ It didn’t take long before 1) the landfill was overflowing and 2) there were still some trash in the river that we didn’t get out fast enough!

As we summed up, we asked what kinds of things they could do to reduce plastics…lots of interesting ideas emerged. When we asked if they thought their school could try a plastic free lunch day next school year …they were enthusiastic. Some of them said they should try a week or a month plastic free. It might not be as hard for their school since the cafeteria has reusable items. They agreed that those that brought their lunch might need to rethink small plastic bags!

At the end we were handed Thank You notes the children had made!

Posted on 05/11/2026 by Gwen Morrison