Bans involving plastic bags, bottles, straws and cutlery are being implemented and celebrated worldwide. But there’s a smaller, more ubiquitous kind of plastic pollution that poses a bigger problem - and one that’s a little trickier to solve.

As an organization that works to inspire citizen action to protect water, we stand firmly in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en pipeline blockades. Canada is once again reminding us that colonialism and capitalist accumulation are alive and well - and reconciliation remains a 14 letter word.

Like everything on the planet, our lakes, rivers, streams, oceans and the water cycle itself are heavily impacted by climate change. It is important at every step of the way to remember that climate change = water change. Anyone who is interested in protecting our waterways must also be aware and vocal about the impacts of climate change.

As the momentum builds around the movement to rid our planet and our waterways of the endless stream of plastic generated by our throwaway society, community beach cleanups have gained in popularity in recent years. An opportunity for people to come together and clean the trash - big and small - from their beloved beaches, there’s nothing more satisfying than restoring a litter strewn environment back to its pristine state.

It’s #PlasticFreeJuly so it’s entirely appropriate that Councillors on the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) will be considering what the city can do to eliminate and reduce unnecessary and polluting plastics. This could mean bans and fees on single-use plastics in Toronto.

#WorldOceansDay is an opportunity to reflect on the how vitally important ocean systems are to sustaining life - and to become mindful of the ways we can take action to protect our planet's waterways each and every day.