PlasticFreeMarin
Our mission is to promote solutions to single-use waste, organize and take action to move policy and inspire behavior change throughout Marin County.
May 12, The UseFull/Good Earth/PFM Ghana Breakfast Club Project
HERE IS THE STORY: On Monday, with incredible support from Joe McGarry at Good Earth Natural Foods(GENF), I had the joy of picking up and delivering 300 stainless steel drink containers to the Ghana’s Children’s Breakfast Club(GCBC) in Marin City—soon to be on their way to Ghana!
PlasticFreeMarin’s mission is rooted in eliminating single-use plastics and protecting community health and the environment locally. Through this project, we deepened our impact not only locally but globally, thanks to a powerful and unexpected connection.
At the Come to the Table event in Marin City—an inspiring gathering that fosters dialogue between Black residents of Marin’s most historically underserved community and neighbors from surrounding areas—I had the privilege of meeting Michael Tabb. Michael’s deep dedication to the health and wellbeing of Ghanaian school children was immediately clear. He splits his time between Marin City and Ghana, where he founded GCBC to ensure children receive a morning meal.
During our conversation, Michael shared that the children are currently served breakfast (hot porridge) in plastic bags—a heartbreaking image that underscored the urgency of our work at PlasticFreeMarin. The health and environmental implications of this practice are deeply troubling and reflect the global scale of plastic pollution.
That conversation stayed with me. I recalled that hundreds of stainless steel UseFull drink containers—with lids—had been sitting unused in storage at GENF, remnants from a reusable cup pilot. This moment of connection galvanized action. With support from UseFull and GENF, we were able to donate 300 reusable cups to GCBC. It will support 150 student meals daily. Containers will be returned, washed and reused.
This project has been a defining example of what PlasticFreeMarin strives to achieve: meaningful, tangible change. It allowed us to redirect local surplus into global impact, build bridges across communities and continents, and replace toxic single-use plastics with safe, sustainable alternatives. It has elevated our mission, expanded our network, and is a reminder of the power of collaboration.
Most importantly, it reinforced that addressing the plastic crisis isn’t just about waste—it’s about justice, health, and dignity for every human, everywhere.
EARTH DAY BYO CAMPAIGN Slides Coming
- PFM 2024 Accomplishments
- 2024 has marked the 6th year of our grass roots Marin community organization, founded and dedicated to promoting solutions to single-use waste and taking action to move policy and inspire behavior change throughout Marin County. Before we usher in 2025, we thought we’d take a look at what we accomplished together this year. These are some of the highlights as we continue in our quest:
- · Marin County’s Reusable Foodware Ordinance (RFO), PFM’s first sponsored initiative, had its first year of nominal enforcement including the charge of 25¢ for single use cups.
- · We used a grant to add a third business offering a reusable cup service.
- · We launched a web site as a community resource and created a PFM logo (thanks to Kim Corona, graphic artist and PFM Secretary!).
- · We organized a tour of Redwood Compost facility and hosted talks from haulers, Mill Valley Refuse and Marin Sanitary Service.
- · We officially received non-profit status by joining with Sustainable Marin as our 501C3 sponsor.
- · We were awarded a grant from Upstream that will allow us to build on “reusable cups as a service” at additional Marin small business cafes.
- · We mobilized our efforts to bring reusables to Marin schools through an understanding of the (many) barriers yet identifying solutions as part of a national movement afoot.
- · We participated in Earth Day and Marin Sanitary Service community celebration days.
- · We had a Marin Voice urging against plastic turf in San Rafael’s Pickle Park.
- · We are an official voice on Zero Waste Marin’s Local Task Force, meeting with ZWM and other Marin County representative organizations semi-monthly to further zero waste goals.
- · Our monthly (2nd Tuesday 6:30-8pm) meetings, mostly on Zoom, provided the forum to share ideas, vent, hear from related speakers and prompted a couple in-person gatherings for as needed, more fun.
- As 2024 concludes, we thank our growing community of concerned citizens who bring ideas, concerns, and time to the problems of plastic and single-use waste. As for 2025, we know there will be no shortage of opportunities to bring creative solutions to change systems and behavior. ACTION: BYO TAKE-OUT REUSABLES
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Help Marin County become plastic free!
We meet on Zoom the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8 pm PST.