Climate Action
EARTHDAY.ORG IN ACTION UP ON CAPITOL HILL: THE BIG LOW DOWN ON PLASTIC HILL WEEK
July 2, 2025
Authors: Aidan Charron, Evan Raskin, and Aminah Taariq-Sidibe
THE BIG LOW DOWN ON PLASTIC HILL WEEK
On June 10, 11, and 12, 2025, several key staff members from EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO)—Aidan Charron (Associate Director), Aminah Taariq-Sidibe (Manager, End Plastic Initiatives), and Evan Raskin (National Campaign Manager)—joined other campaigners and volunteers for Federal Plastic Policy Hill Week.
While on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., they met with lawmakers and their staff to advocate for a range of proposed plastic-related legislation, including the Farewell to Foam Act, the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, and the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (BFFPP). Here’s what happened on the Hill—and how it all went down:
Diary from the Hill: Aidan Charron
Day 1: Tuesday June 10, 2025
Mood: Nervous & Excited
Weather: Hot as Hades! Of course…
Day 1 of EDO’s Federal Plastic Policy Hill Week. I wake up early, a bit nervous, but excited to see who from our Break Free From Plastic coalition will show up. Formed in 2016, the coalition includes organizations like Greenpeace and Oceana.
Aminah, Evan and I met up with everyone at the kick off meeting in the basement of an office near the Capitol buildings and I am happy to see that it’s a really good turn out. We quickly split up into our respective groups; each is given a name – I am in Team Gibbon (we went with animal themes)!
My group is composed of campaigners from all over the United States, including Louisiana, Texas, Philadelphia, Michigan, and Georgia. We all said our ‘hellos’ and then set off for the Cannon House Office Building to meet with Rep. Seth Magaziner from Rhode Island. He’s previously supported our efforts on Farewell to Foam, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, and a strong global plastics treaty, so we expect a quick and supportive meeting—and it is. His office confirms their continued support. We grab a small bite to eat in the Cannon before walking across Capitol Hill to the Hart Senate building.
At this point, I am slightly regretting wearing my suit jacket, and I have a newfound respect for people who are suited up every single day and who somehow avoid overheating. Once inside the Hart building, we head directly to the office of Connecticut’s Sen. Richard Blumenthal and speak with him briefly outside. Then, we sit down with his extremely friendly (and up to date ‘on all things plastic’) staffer. Looks like we have his support around all three pieces of pending legislation – Farewell to Foam, Reducing Waste in National Parks, and reintroduction of the Break Free From Plastic Act.
Diary from the Hill: Aminah Taarique-Siddibe
Day 1: Tuesday June 10, 2025
Mood: Excited to advocate for plastic policy on the Hill!
Weather: Perfect weather to fight for the environment
My group, Team Giraffe, has three congressional office meetings booked for Day 1 – and we all share the same vision – we are here to advocate for stronger national policies addressing the growing crisis of plastic pollution. I’m excited as it has been a while since I’ve been on the Hill meeting our elected officials.
Our goal is to promote effective, science-based solutions to the plastic crisis – which means extended producer responsibility, reducing the production of single-use plastics, and regulating chemicals of concern are all on the agenda. Plus, supporting environmental justice communities disproportionately affected by plastic waste and incineration are key. Something my team knows all too well given they are from frontline communities in Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi, and their personal stories of how the plastic industry has impacted their communities really hits home.
Our first meeting is with California’s Rep. Kevin Mullin who has co-sponsored the Farewell to Foam Act and Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (BFFPPA). So clearly, we have his support, but it is always good to let our lawmakers know that we appreciate their actions and work on plastics.
Next up, and to be honest the highlight of the day for me, is meeting with Michigan’s Rep. Rashida Tlaib. In 2018, she became one of the first of two Muslim women ever to be elected to Congress! It’s wonderful to meet her in person.
Tlaib is a longtime advocate for environmental protection policies, who passed legislation protecting her constituents from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS. PFAS are not technically plastics, but they are synthetic chemicals with strong carbon-fluorine bonds, giving them plastic-like durability and resistance. They are often used as coatings or additives to make materials water- and stain-resistant, but chemically, they differ from traditional plastics like polyethylene or polypropylene.
Finally, we head off to meet Illinois Rep. Sean Casten’s staffer, Nikki Roy. When I introduce myself as part of EARTHDAY.ORG, he immediately shares that he was just 13 years old for the very first Earth Day back on April 22nd, 1970. He recalls learning about environmentalism for the first time through that momentous event, telling us that the following year at school, he had a “hippie” teacher who was passionate about sustainability. They brought him to the very next Earth Day in 1971. Nikki said that from then on, he knew he wanted to work to protect the environment.
It’s incredible how powerfully Earth Day impacted him and so many others, leaving a lasting mark. His work with Rep. Casten, who has co-sponsored the Farewell to Foam, BFFPP Act, and the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, is evidence of that.
Diary from the Hill: Aidan Charron
Day 2: Wednesday June 11, 2025
Mood: Ready
Weather: Don’t ask!
Another early morning meeting to prepare for a day full of meetings and chug a few cups of coffee. Then time to head off directly to the Hill for my first meeting – this time in the Longworth House Office Building.
We were meeting with freshman representative George S. Latimer of New York. He is an original co-sponsor on Farewell To Foam, and after meeting with his knowledgeable staffer, who led the first rounds of legislation on Reduce Waste in National Parks Act, we felt like we were in great company. We discussed different ways to communicate on the legislation and on plastics generally before leaving for our next meeting in yet another building, this time the Rayburn House Office Building.
Navigating these buildings is like trying to figure out how to get through three different mazes, with zero instructions, all while wearing a blindfold with an incessant buzzer. This buzzer, officially known as the alert system, signals to members of Congress what votes, quorum calls, or other important legislative actions are coming up or about to start. This buzzer is played in congressional offices and hallways—so you cannot escape it and it is frankly a little unnerving!
But we made it through the maze, and the buzzing, to our next meetings with the offices of Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, and Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas. All of the representative’s teams were extremely receptive to our talking points, especially around health and plastic. Our meeting with Garcia turnedout a little differently from the others because a member of my group is a constituent of theirs and after speaking with a staff member we got the opportunity to meet Rep. Garcia face to face.
Despite this being the first time on the Hill for Caro Bustos, a BFFP fellow, she spoke out on behalf of her community against plastic pollution. I was really impressed at how she told Rep. Garcia, politely but firmly, about the risks plastics pose and the potential consequences if substantial legislation is not passed. Garcia was receptive and we hope to get her support in the 119th congress. It felt like a potentially important win.
Diary from the Hill: Evan Raskin
Day 1: Tuesday June 10, 2025
Mood: Energised
Weather: Kind of hot!
The room is buzzing with energy as I arrive at the kickoff meeting at the Cannon House Office Building. I am greeted by a constellation of faces both familiar and new; after four consecutive years, this nationally dispersed movement has grown into a community.
While many participants are part of the local ecosystem of environmental advocates, many others come from further afield. Within Team Grouper — my advocacy team for the week — we had four DC-area locals, one member who had flown from deep in the heart of West Texas, and another who had driven over 30 hours from Mississippi to attend this Hill Week and represent his community.
Our team has three congressional meetings scheduled today – Rep. Donald Beyer from Virginia, Rep. Mike Ezell from Mississippi, and Rep. David P. Joyce from Ohio. Joyce, who co-chairs the House Great Lakes Task Force and has long been a champion of Lake Erie, represents a district that borders the Cuyahoga River, which not only flows into Lake Erie but is also famed for helping spark the first Earth Day when the river caught fire in 1969.
Yes, you heard that right — the river caught fire due to the high concentrations of industrial waste and oil that had been dumped directly into it. The river became an environmental and public health issue, and by catching fire it helped trigger the first Earth Day march in 1970. Clean water and air is a necessity, and a river on fire makes both impossible.
It’s this drive for public health that led our advocacy back then and still does today. We met with every Congressional office on our list to ensure that they understood that each and every one of us is directly affected by plastic exposure, and we cited EDO’s groundbreaking Babies Vs Plastics report to illustrate the message..
For Representative Ezell, this message hit particularly close to home. Artis, our Team Grouper member from Ezell’s district in Mississippi, operates an oyster farm whose harvests have been contaminated by persistent microplastic pollution. Ezell enjoys oysters and other seafood and has demonstrated support for this vital industry, so he understood that he is almost certainly ingesting microplastics as a result of pollution in his own district.
We highlighted not only the health risks associated with this exposure, but also the enormous price tag it carries. In 2018 alone the US spent a quarter trillion dollars, a full 1.22% of the country’s GDP, on plastics-associated healthcare costs. This combination of public health and economic messaging supported by personal accounts from constituents left a mark and received bipartisan recognition. Our message was heard.
Afterwards, all three teams met up to debrief the meetings, take a group photo in front of the Capitol, and prepare for the next couple of days.
Diary from the Hill: Aminah Taariq-Sidibe
Day 2: Wednesday June 11, 2025
MOOD: Feeling more confident
Weather: Clear skies and a clear vision
Having said that, I felt more prepared for these meetings, and my group, Team Giraffe, got into a great flow for these presentations. We adapted our approach from the previous day by starting the discussion by asking the representative or staffers what they knew about plastic pollution and policy. This allowed us to address the gaps in their understanding, empowering them to ask us questions. It is a tactic I will use again. Some of the people we spoke to were more candid about the current efforts and challenges of their office, which I really appreciated. But these meetings underscore the HUGE knowledge gap about plastics. It takes time to really understand all the nuances and intersections, so I think we really helped educate today!
Diary from the Hill: Evan Raskin
Day 2: Wednesday June 11, 2025
MOOD: Ready for a packed day!
Weather: Cooler
Day Two of Hill week is a marathon for Team Grouper: We have meetings with the offices of Rep. Katherine Castor of Florida, Rep. Kelly Morrison of Minnesota, Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, and the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).
Even with such a long day ahead of us we were determined to make every meeting matter, and our efforts would pay off; staffers showed real concern about the dangers of microplastic exposure. I began each discussion by emphasizing that our coalition is advocating for policy to improve the health and wellbeing of their constituents. I stress in every meeting that the worrying thing about microplastics is they are not only widespread in nature; they are just as ubiquitous in our own bodies. And have been found in our circulatory, respiratory, and found in endocrine systems as well as there being evidence they can cross the blood-brain barrier.
This leads to health issues ranging from hormone disruptions to cancer. However, the reproductive issues associated with microplastics, such as infertility and miscarriage, especially caught the attention of congressional offices on both sides of the aisle. Microplastics have even been found in breast milk and placentae.
For this reason, I was especially grateful to speak with the office of Rep. Castor, whose background includes healthcare advocacy, and the office of Rep. Morrison, who spent 20 years as an OB-GYN before being elected to Congress. I think these meetings really hit home the most! Was Team Grouper exhausted – yes. Was it worth it – yes!
Diary from the Hill: Aminah Taariq-Sidibe
Day 3: Thursday June 12, 2025
MOOD: The end is in site
Weather: Hot Hot Hot
Day three of Hill Week is a packed day with Rep. Mike Levin, Rep. Pete Aguilar and Rep. Sara Jacobs, all from California, Rep. Morgan McGarvey from Kentucky and Rep. Blake Moore, from Utah, Rep. Suzan K. DelBene from Washington.
I begin the day with coffee and a shot of espresso to keep the energy going! We advocate for federal policy to regulate plastics in every meeting, shared facts and never stopped talking!
Each office has different levels of knowledge about the plastics crisis and different levels of engagement with environmental policy. Some are long-time champions, others are less engaged. This difference in priorities reflects how diverse the United States is – ideologically and geographically which is all part of the process.
Today, Team Giraffe got the chance to speak with our first Republican, Rep. Moore, who gave us his perspective on what key messaging and issues were relevant to his constituents. For example, Utah introduced legislation to regulate PFAS, but through the lens of controlling trade with China and economic benefit.
I think bipartisan support is possible, especially when realizing the impact of plastics on public health and the economy. Most of the representatives we spoke to this week saw the necessity for bipartisan support on plastic legislation.
It is clear that our elected officials are aware that environmental issues do exist around plastics even if they do not understand all of the details. This reinforced for me the importance of our work. Education and advocacy are both critical to the fight against plastic pollution. I believe that the conversations that were had during this Hill Week made a real difference and had a powerful impact on some of our elected leaders and I am honored to have been a part of it.
Diary from the Hill: Aidan Charron
Day 3: Thursday June 12, 2025
MOOD: Tired
Weather: Muggy
It is the final day of Hill week and I am definitely feeling it. For whatever reason, I can sit through 20 meetings in a row with my colleagues and barely break a sweat, but running up and down the halls of Congress and speaking with these offices takes it out of me. But it is the final day. I power through breakfast, drink a few strong coffees and it is off to the Hill.
I check my schedule and I am relieved to see all but one of my meetings are in the Rayburn House Office Building. One by one, we head to the offices of Representatives Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Frederica S. Wilson of Florida, Mark DeSaulnier of California, and finally Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.
Most of today is seamless, except for our final meeting when we are forced to run through two buildings and what feels like miles of tunnels, only to arrive a few minutes late at Rep. Coleman’s office. Despite this, their staffer spoke with us for longer than originally planned.
This last meeting brought a ton of hope, because of the extra time, and she expressed direct interest in our ‘Babies vs. Plastics’ report. Another day of well received messaging: hopefully it will help to trigger action on plastics in this Congress!
Diary from the Hill: Evan Raskin
Day 3: Thursday June 12, 2025
MOOD: Fulfilled
Weather: It’s becoming a blur!
The final day! I know Aidan and Aminah are tired and I have hardly seen them since we kicked off but it is Day Three at last!
It was another packed day with meetings throughout the halls of the House of Representatives, meeting with Louisiana’s Rep. Cleo Fields, Illinois Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Rep. Chellie Pingree from Maine, and California’s Rep. Sam Liccardo.
Meeting with Rep. Liccardo’s office was a particularly fulfilling experience, as I had previously met the Congressmember when I welcomed him as a guest on my panel in 2022 at COP27, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt. Back then, he was the mayor of San Jose, California and had already established himself as a leading figure in subnational climate action; that leadership appears to have only grown stronger now that he has been elected to federal office.
It was also particularly meaningful to meet with the office of Representative Fields, as his district in Louisiana is near Cancer Alley, an area along the Mississippi River blighted by industrial pollution due to the high concentration of petrochemical plants. It is considered the front line in environmental justice issues in the US associated with plastic production and disposal. Field’s legislative staff mentioned that our meeting was the first time they had heard in-depth about some of these issues, which they were particularly grateful for considering Rep. Fields’ advocacy for community based air quality monitoring.
As the third and final day ends, I took a moment to reflect upon our progress since the 2024 Hill week. This year, we returned to Capitol Hill even stronger, our advocacy teams more tightly coordinated, with the coalition taking on even more meetings with congressional offices, well over 100 this time.
In every single meeting it was clear that our society has reached an understanding that microplastic pollution is real, widespread and that each and every one of us is affected by it personally, a sentiment that was nowhere near as visible last year.
This consensus would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but consistent advocacy and media attention, both on and off the Hill, has created a backdrop of public concern over plastic chemicals and microplastics that transcends party lines. It’s no secret that passing legislation in the 118th Congress faces unprecedented challenges, but nonetheless I left the 2025 Hill Week certain that we are making steady progress towards breaking free of plastic pollution.
