Plastic Free July is a global movement that empowers individuals to take action against plastic pollution, creating cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. At Oniracom, environmentalism and community engagement are integral to our culture and history. We’ve worked with many sustainability-focused organizations over the years and continually seek new ways to become an even greener business. We are proud to help reduce plastic waste in the entertainment industry and support NGOs, artists, venues, and for-profits in acting sustainably.
We’ve compiled a list of 6 exciting ways to celebrate and participate in Plastic Free July this year. Read on to get inspired and join in on the activities below:
1. Volunteer with Local NGOs & Participate in a Beach Clean Up
Make a difference by joining local NGOs and participating in beach clean-ups. By volunteering, you not only help keep our watersheds and beaches clean but also act as an environmental steward, contributing to data collection that helps reduce pollution at its source. Our team has participated in several beach clean-ups through Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s Watershed Brigade. The Watershed Brigade is a community of volunteers dedicated to keeping our local watersheds and beaches clean. Volunteers can also earn points that make them eligible for perks and prizes.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s next big event is a collaboration with the City of Santa Barbara to help clean up our waterfront beaches following the city’s July 4th festivities. The volunteer event will take place July 5th from 9AM to 11AM at three different locations along the waterfront. Participants that are 21 years old or over will receive a coupon good for 2-for-1 beers at Rincon Brewery.
2. Skip the Plastic at Concerts This Summer
Fans have the power to reduce the significant amount of single-use plastic waste generated at music events, promoting a more eco-friendly and sustainable music industry while inspiring others to do the same.
For decades Oniracom has supported initiatives to combat plastic pollution in the entertainment industry. Kokua Hawaii Foundation and its Kokua Festival, Plastic Free Hawaii, Johnson Ohana Foundation, All At Once, and more recently BYOBottle.org are all organizations we work with that are dedicated to reducing plastic waste, especially at concerts where single-use plastics can really add up.
Artists, venues, festivals, and fans can reduce plastic waste in the music industry by promoting reusable beverage containers and water refill stations at music events.
We are proud to have longstanding partnerships with local non-profit Santa Barbara venues, the Santa Barbara Bowl, and the Lobero Theatre. Both are doing their part to reduce paper and plastic pollution and have reusable pint cup programs that allow attendees to reduce plastic waste and gain a reusable souvenir that discounts drink purchases every time the pint cup is used (and re-used!).
3. Attend a Plastic-Free Event
Expand your knowledge on plastic reduction and sustainable living through a local or online event.
The Community Environmental Council is one of the nation’s most accomplished environmental action nonprofits. For 50 years, the CEC has been a leader of the modern environmental movement, driving local action to affect global change. As a proud strategic and creative marketing partner of the CEC and their mission for the past 14 years, Oniracom encourages everyone to take advantage of the valuable events and resources they have to offer.
CEC, together with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and a dozen local businesses, got an early start on plastic-free events with their annual Plastic-Free Expo on June 27, 2024, where they distributed the first ever “Santa Barbara Green Guide,” a handbook for living sustainably in Santa Barbara includes info on how to recycle, compost, volunteer, shop secondhand and more.
CEC is also hosting a free Zoom Webinar “The Plastic Crisis: Science and Solutions” on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, from
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
4. Dine at Ocean Friendly Restaurants
While individual efforts at reducing single-use plastics can go a long way in helping the planet, being mindful of where you dine at is also an important factor. Millions of restaurants around the world contribute to the popularity of single-use plastics, with only a few businesses acknowledging the harm that plastics cause to our environment or advocating for more sustainable solutions.
Taking advantage of the Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants (OFR) program is a great way to both participate in Plastic-Free July and support small businesses. The program recognizes restaurants that are committed to cutting out wasteful single-use plastic and offers a simple, straightforward framework to help them make sustainable choices for our ocean. Celebrate our local restaurants’ efforts to be plastic-free businesses and grab a tasty bite at one of Surfrider’s officially recognized Ocean Friendly Restaurants. The full Santa Barbara chapter list is linked down below.
5. Shop at Local Low-Waste Stores
Individually packaged products account for a large portion of excessive plastic waste and promote the use of single-use plastics. Sustainable stores have emerged with the rise in plastic awareness; they offer refillable products and bulk alternatives to combat the single-use plastic pandemic.
Mission Refill, located in Goleta, CA, is a store dedicated to providing sustainable shopping habits. Simply bring an empty container and you can fill it up with over fifty commonly purchased household goods, or shop from their selection of hundreds of curated items in sustainably plastic-free, recyclable or compostable packaging. Kokua General Store is a sub-organization of the Kokua Hawaii Foundation that is entirely dedicated to providing their community with the tools needed to reduce plastic waste in their daily activities, and another exemplary example of low-waste product stores to look out for.
Both Mission Refill and Kokua General Store are frontrunners in the race for sustainability, with many more businesses joining in on the trend! If these options are out of your area, look for a sustainable refill market around you and join the fight for a plastic-free future.
6. Take The Plastic-Free Challenge
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are choosing to be part of Plastic Free July. There are so many ways to participate in the plastic-free challenge. Plastic Free July provides incredible resources and ideas for ways to reduce plastic waste in forms both big and small, as well as tools to keep you motivated and inspired during the challenge.
“Plastic Free July inspires me to step up my commitment to reducing single-use plastic in my daily life and on tour.“
Jack Johnson, Musician (& Oniracom Friend and Client)
Plastic Free July serves as a reminder of the incredible power we hold as individuals to make a positive impact on our environment. At Oniracom, we are grateful to belong to an active and environmentally conscious community that continually provides us with opportunities to take action. We encourage everyone in our community to seize these opportunities and contribute to the collective effort of creating a cleaner, healthier planet.
No matter where you are, there are ways to join the cause. Let us come together, united in our commitment to reducing plastic waste and protecting our planet. We extend special thanks to Plastic Free July for their dedication to creating and collecting valuable resources for people to participate in this movement across the globe.
Together, we can pave the way toward a plastic-free future and leave a lasting legacy of sustainability for generations to come. Join us in celebrating Plastic Free July and let’s make a difference, one small action at a time.
