Plastic Free July calls on all global citizens to collectively address one of the world’s greatest environmental issues, plastic pollution.

Over 2 million persons from 159 countries participate in this challenge each year. While Plastic Free July is a month-long campaign, the movement aims to raise awareness and motivate individuals and organizations to reduce single-use plastic use throughout the year.

Single-use plastic refers to disposable plastics that are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, for example, grocery bags, food packaging, beverage bottles, straws, containers, cups, and cutlery. While the usage of plastic can not be eradicated completely straightaway, companies are still trying their level best to move towards sustainable food packaging by manufacturing products like rice paper bags so that they are more Eco-friendly.

As part of Plastic Free July this year on St. Kitts, the SDC will build a broad coalition of businesses and institutions to adopt and educate others about sustainable practices reducing or eliminating single-use plastics. For example, Plastic Free July calls on all restaurants and food and beverage vendors to distribute items like plastic bags and straws only upon request. At the same time, the SDC will be executing a public awareness campaign on the demand side encouraging consumers and business purchasers to refuse plastics.

The SDC has a range of activities planned to motivate everyone to participate in Plastic Free July. These include: partnerships with local businesses who will reduce or replace single-use plastics for the entire month (and beyond), a robust public awareness campaign including complimentary screenings of the film, “A Plastic Ocean,” with group discussion afterwards, promotional materials and even eco friendly containers for food were available to replace single-use plastics, made possible by the SDC.

For all details of Plastic Free July, and find out how you can be involved, stay tuned to the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council Facebook page (@stkittsSDC), as well as the Heart of St. Kitts website: www.HeartOfStKitts.org.

Everyone is invited to join the challenge and #ChooseToRefuse plastic bags, straws, bottles, and other single-use plastics to create a #PlasticFreeSKN!Together, we can #beatplasticpollution. For more information, contact SDC at iasdmc.sk@gmail.com or 467-1390 or saradramirez@gmail.com or 661-6462.

The Sustainable Destination Council (SDC) is an advisory body made up of public and private representatives with interest in sustainable tourism development in St. Kitts. The SDC facilitates partnerships and functional relationships among public and private sectors and all people in St. Kitts, to ensure that development in our destination preserves and benefits our environment, culture, heritage and community livelihoods. The SDC implements awareness campaigns, development projects and policy advocacy around destination action priorities. The SDC supports various initiatives including the Heart of St. Kitts Foundation and Sustainability Charter. St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council: Good for Us, Better for All .For more information about the SDC, please call (869) 467-1390 or email iasdmc.sk@gmail.com