Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who have to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us. It will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal…Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, making a new start despite their mental and social conditioning. We are able to embark on new paths of authentic freedom. No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and beautiful or our God-given ability to respond to divine grace at work in our hearts. (-Laudato Si’ 202)
From Cultural Suvival.org
“On the savannah plains of Kenya a new beast now prowls the land. It doesn’t growl. It doesn’t bleed. But it is everywhere. It is plastic, the new lion destroying our cattle, our land and our culture. For Kenta, a young woman of the Maasai tribe, plastic isn’t just litter. It is a silent predator. It wraps around trees, clogs sacred rivers and hides beneath the soil where cattle graze. ‘One time we opened a dead cow and found kilograms of plastic inside. We cried. That cow wasn’t just meat. It was school fees, milk for the children and respect for the family.’ In 2017 the Kenyan ban on single-use plastic bags made international headlines. Yet today lack of enforcement, tourist waste, and black-market smuggling pour plastic into this country. People like Kenta cry out, ‘This fight is not just about waste. It’s about the future. It’s about justice. It’s about dignity and life.’”
From Beyond Plastics
Environmental justice is a commitment that prioritizes the protection of all people, regardless of their race, nationality or income from environmental damage. Plastic production and petrochemical pollution disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color in the Ohio River Valley, Texas and Louisiana – where the bulk of production is concentrated – and where fossil fuel, plastic and chemical companies intend to build even more facilities. People of color and those living below the poverty level are more likely to live within two miles of multiple facilities and are sickened by cancer and other diseases that are linked to pollution at disproportionately high rates. Over 98% of plastics are made from fossil carbons such as oil and gas. Turning these substances into plastic involves the addition of petrochemicals “of concern.” These chemicals are toxic and pose serious risks to human health because they can leach or migrate at every stage of plastic’s life cycle.
Let us, as members of the SNDdeN Dorothy Stang Initiative, join together during Plastic Free July in our consciousness and prayer regarding the crisis of plastic pollution. During this first week of Plastic Free July 2025 you are invited to read and ponder the implications of the above reflections. There will be a new reflection offered each Tuesday.