Frances

Protecting the environment has been a big part of my life since I was a young girl when I first visited Yosemite. We didn’t stay long on that visit because our family was moving from New Mexico to California, but I never forgot the incredible beauty. Eventually I became a strong advocate for the environment in my private life and my career.

As a teenager, I and my school friends, part of the environmental club, convinced our City to save a bit of the last remaining open space in our community, and 50 years later it is still a park!! This experience gave me a taste for what is possible when we work together. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and began a science career and then discovered my real passion and became an environmental attorney. I’ve spent 40 years enforcing laws to protect and clean up our surface and groundwater. Now, in retirement, I have the opportunity to join together with others to do something about single-use plastic.

Like most of us, I’ve just gone along with the normal approach to single-use plastic. I’ve bought plenty of water bottles and ziplock bags, used lots and lots of plastic bags in the grocery stores, and not paid much attention to the rest of the single-use plastic I’ve used in my life. Like my sisters, I recently awoke to the devastating impact of that plastic on our world. Microplastic has now spread to nearly every part of our planet - our rivers, oceans, animals, and even impacting the organisms that remove carbon dioxide – the phytoplankton. So, I’ve made radical changes in my use of single-use plastic – constantly seeking different methods to store food, shop, cook, and travel. And, I’ve made a commitment to encourage others to make those changes in their lives too. It’s actually quite easy!! We invite you to read this blog and start making a difference for all of us.