• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 3, 2024

Despite that inspired comic line in the 1968 movie “The Graduate,” plastics are so not “the future.” 

Rather, they are petrochemical waste from the past that tends to hang around in the atmosphere and our oceans, and, as microplastics, even show up in our organs and bloodstreams.

To raise both money and awareness to combat plastic pollution, Blueland, an eco-conscious home products brand, has partnered with the drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia to create the “Pointless Plastics” campaign.

“Literally every minute, one garbage truck full of plastic enters the ocean. That is so much plastic, and so not a slay,”  Gonia tells us in the video, explaining the pointless part of the campaign.

By tagging Blueland and posting to Instagram, the brand, which created the campaign in-house, makes it simple enough to get involved.

First, it’s raising awareness for  Plastic Free July, a worldwide movement to reduce single-use plastic waste in our everyday lives.

What are single-use plastics? Basic things like straws, bottles, plastic cups, cutlery, and bags, aka the detritus from every takeout meal or delivery -- and these days, the pointless wrapping that covers almost everything we buy in the supermarket.

Even natural, organic things. Or as Gonia entertainingly asks in the Insta story, while holding a banana in a plastic wrapper , “Why is it covered like this? It’s already covered in major Saran Wrap. It’s called a peel!”

So for every “swap” photo shared on Instagram carrying a Blueland sticker, the brand will donate $10 to Beyond Plastics, a leading nonprofit in the fight against plastics. And they’ll donate an additional dollar for every comment. They aim to raise $25,000.

The swap photo can be something as simple as using a tote bag instead of asking for a plastic one, or a reusable water bottle in the place of plastic.

For Sarah Paji Yoo, CEO and co-founder of Blueland, fighting plastics pollution is about making “sustainability a core part of the business strategy and culture, rather than just a marketing angle.” 

Certainly, partnering with Gonia, who has been promoting both social justice and environmental activism for years, gets attention.

 “I’ve even rock-climbed in heels!,” PG, who rocks a big red wig and mustache, told Vogue three years ago.

“ I wanted to share my environmental advocacy through my art form of drag—and also make the outdoors as gay as possible.” They’ve dubbed a certain Earth Mama “Mother Natch,” and as part of the work to support her, went to Alaska to perform a funeral for a glacier.

According to a  Blueland spokesperson,  the campaign, launched on the first of July, has already “raised about $15,000 and had over 4,500 people participate.” 

We have until the end of the month to get involved on Instagram, and, as Gonia put it in the video,  “Stop being trashy queens.”