You Are an Activist!

Years ago one of the VPs at work read the title of my LinkedIn profile “Medical Device Engineer & Clean Water Activist” and said, “Wow! Activist (with emphasis), I’ve never met an Activist!”.

I think sometimes we put too much emphasis on labels and get intimidated by them. You don’t need to chain yourself to a 100-year-old tree to be an activist. You don’t need to go vegan, zero-waste, carbon-neutral, ultra-minimalist to be an activist. (Although if you’re doing any or all these things, awesome job!) My point is that activism involves simple choices. The dictionary defines an activist as “a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change”. I know, this sounds daunting, but the key point is that an activist is someone who 1) wants to see a change and 2) does something about it.

By reading my blog, I hope you want to see less plastic in the world and are making small changes in your life to make this happen. In my book, this makes you an activist!

I call myself an accidental activist because over a decade ago, I joined the Surfrider Foundation to find a husband. Yes, really. I started by making signs for a rally to Save Trestles, got petition signatures at local concerts, and went to chapter meetings. Eventually, while I didn’t find a husband, I found a cause I really believed in and signed onto more and more responsibilities.

Activism starts with small steps. Small steps like joining a creek or beach clean-up for International Coastal Cleanup Day (Saturday 9/21), attending a microplastics panel I’m speaking at to learn more about sustainable fashion’s connection to plastic pollution (Saturday 9/21), or the Global Climate Strike (Friday 9/20). A year ago, Greta Thunberg started striking outside her country’s Parliament, demanding action on climate change. Now, she’s leading climate strikes all over the world and inspiring a new generation of climate activist!

If you can’t make it to a creek or beach clean-up this weekend how about a baby step? Sign my petition for a plastic-free package option when ordering from Amazon. Then think about the next step. Whether it’s covering the plastic-free basics or going bulk shopping for the first time just keep taking baby steps.

And remember, you have the power to make a change. You are an activist!

What small step can you take today to make a change?