As more Americans become aware of the plastic crisis for our oceans, climate, and health, many are rejecting single-use plastic and opting for reusable alternatives. A bipartisan, common-sense bill called the Research for Environmental Uses and Sustainable Economies (REUSE) Act of 2025 takes an important step toward tackling the plastic pollution crisis. It directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study how reuse and refill systems can be expanded across the country. Reusable packaging is a proven solution in the fight against the plastic problem, and it has the lowest carbon footprint of any packaging option. By reducing reliance on single-use plastics, reuse and refill infrastructure can cut waste, lower emissions, and create jobs in a truly circular economy. Here’s one thing you can do: Urge your Senators to cosponsor the REUSE Act 2025 HERE.

Is that plastic container recyclable? It can already be hard enough to figure out which items go in which bin. But now plastic companies want the Federal Trade Commission to allow them to slap a chasing arrows recycling symbol even on products that are virtually guaranteed to end up in landfills. When it comes to recycling, we deserve transparency. That’s why we’re working to convince the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce accurate recycling labels. The FTC should limit recycling labels to products that are actually being recycled. Act HERE.

This petition is to the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager of the City of Santa Cruz; the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors; and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC):
We, the undersigned, respectfully request pedestrian and cyclist access across the Santa Cruz Harbor via the Murray Street Rail Bridge for the duration of the three-year Murray Street Bridge closure due to earthquake retrofitting. This temporary access is crucial for the survival of small businesses and the well-being of the two neighborhoods that have been severely impacted by the closure. More info HERE.

Youth for Environmental Action (YEA) brings Santa Cruz County high school students together for impactful youth-led environmental stewardship and climate action during the ’25-’26 school year. Take advantage of these opportunities: YEA Leadership Team (No prior leadership required), School Support Teams, and Volunteering at environmental stewardship events. Students apply at tinyurl.com/YEA25-26. YEA team members receive community service hours and gain valuable new skills. Students can apply HERE.

We would love to have you join us in developing Environteers! All of the work (volunteer) is enjoyable, flexible and creative. We need a teammate or 3 who would enjoy networking with other nonprofits, connecting with college student communities, outreach to businesses with community service programs, publicizing with social media, and/or technical advice on Word Press or Mailchimp. Or bring your ideas! Contact us at info@environteers.org

Starting now, you can sign up for People’s Ecochallenge happening this October! Join thousands of changemakers as we explore more than 100 Actions across nine motivating categories: Community, Energy, Health, Food, Simplicity, Nature, Transportation, Waste, Water. Whether your team wants to spend more time outdoors, conserve water, or strengthen your community, the People’s Ecochallenge has Actions to meet you where you are. Pick what matters most and shape your Ecochallenge experience to fit your life. Available en espanol. Join in HERE

Every child deserves the chance to explore the beauty of America’s national parks, forests, and public lands. The Every Kid Outdoors program currently helps make that possible by giving every fourth grader and their family a free annual pass to enjoy these incredible places. But this program is set to expire unless Congress acts. Congress just introduced the Every Kid Outdoors Reauthorization Act, a bill that would make this successful program permanent and expand it to include fifth graders too. This program is not new; it’s tried, tested, and highly popular. Best of all, it helps kids from all walks of life build healthier bodies, stronger minds, and lifelong connections to the outdoors. Act HERE.

Big Ag and Big Oil interests are pushing the California Legislature to back a $20 billion boondoggle that we cannot afford, and we need your help to stop it. Climate change is driving the water crisis in California. But instead of reining in their abuses, water-guzzling agribusiness and fossil fuel operations are pushing our legislators in Sacramento to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project. If completed, the project would redirect water into a massive tunnel that bypasses the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, causing extensive ecological harm and further degrading water quality in the Delta. We already stopped an effort in June to push this legislation through, and we can do it again. Tell your State Senator and Assemblymember to protect our environment and our wallets by voting NO on any bill to support the Delta Conveyance Project. Act HERE.

Congress is considering H.R. 65, the “Armed Forces Endangered Species Exemption Act.” On the surface, this bill claims to support military readiness. But this bill is an overreach that seriously threatens the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by carving out massive loopholes that put vulnerable wildlife in danger. Military lands are biodiversity strongholds. Many endangered species survive on these lands because they’ve been shielded from the kind of development that destroyed wildlife habitats elsewhere. Stripping ESA protections could devastate already fragile populations. Several endangered or threatened species, such as the Florida panther, California condor, and red wolf, have been found on U.S. military lands. What H.R. 65 would do: Exempt the entire Department of Defense from the ESA; Ban ESA protections on military lands; Eliminate accountability for harming or killing endangered species. Speak out HERE

Americans throw away more than 400,000 cell phones every day. Not every year. Every single day. If you stacked these phones flat on top of each other, they would create a tower six times taller than the Empire State Building. If we want to reduce this electronic waste, we need phones that are durable and repairable. All rechargeable batteries eventually die, which means smartphone manufacturers, like Apple, Samsung, and Google, can prevent a big chunk of this e-waste with one simple step: Make the batteries in their phones easily replaceable. Tell tech companies – Let buyers easily replace their phone batteries. Speak out HERE.

One of the most important aspects in childhood development is the food that is served to our kids in school, but unfortunately some of those meals are Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs). UPFs are chemically modified food products that can be made with harmful chemicals and additives to enhance their taste and texture. They’ve been linked to serious health conditions, which include cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, reproductive and neurobehavioral harm, and mental health decline. Right now, California lawmakers are considering a bill that would help phase out UPFs from meals served in public schools, which is a step forward in helping protect kids in school. Tell your state senator: Support AB 1264 to get harmful additives out of our school lunches. Act HERE.

Among the most common forms of microplastics found in the environment are microfibers, thread-like strands that shed from our clothes and textiles when we produce, wear and wash them. A single load of laundry can release up to 18 million microfibers, with many of them eventually making their way into the ocean. The good news? There’s a proven solution that helps address this problem. Congress is considering the Fighting Fibers Act, a bill that would require new washing machines to include microfiber filters, which halt microfibers at the source (our laundry water!). Let’s make sure our lawmakers pass the Fighting Fibers Act. If you’re with us, urge Congress to filter out microplastics now. Act HERE.

Governor Newsom has the chance to protect Californians from toxic PFAS in everyday products, and he needs to hear from you. Last week, the California legislature passed SB 682, which would ban PFAS from household items like cookware, dental floss and cleaning products. The bill is now on Governor Newsom’s desk, and he could decide to sign or veto it at any moment. The chemical and cookware industries have been lobbying hard to stop this bill. The New York Times even reported that Rachel Ray and other chefs who profit from their lines of PFAS-coated cookware are speaking out against the bill. Your voice is urgently needed to counter industry pressure. Send message HERE.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is threatening to veto AB 823 (Boerner), a proactive bill that would ban the sale of toxic plastic microbeads in non-rinse-off personal care and cleaning products, and ban plastic glitter in personal care products. Microplastics have been linked to numerous health concerns, including cancer, dementia, infertility, and hormone disruption. AB 823 would ensure that Californians are using safe products and not polluting the state’s waterways. AB 823 would take effect beginning January 1, 2029. Urge Newsom to sign AB 823 HERE.

Scientists have barely begun to learn about the fragile, complex ecosystems of the sea floor. This mining plan threatens to destroy deep sea ecosystems before we ever get the chance to learn more about them. Many of the species that live in the depths are long-lived and slow-growing. It could take years for them to recover after their habitat is disturbed by deep-sea mining. In addition, some forms of deep sea mining could create plumes of waste that may travel huge distances from mining sites, with wide-ranging negative impacts on other ocean ecosystems. Tell the Interior Department: Don’t mine the deep sea. Act HERE.

Write today to ask you your representatives to defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) against a new bill under consideration in the House. The bill would dismantle: a broad prohibition on actions that harm marine mammals and their habitat; reducing bycatch of marine mammals in fisheries; and using science-based management to recover populations to healthy levels. More info and Action HERE.

Our beaches are the heart of Santa Cruz County. Join the Surfrider Beach Guardian program to help keep our shores clean and healthy! As a Beach Guardian, you’ll monitor a local beach, organize cleanups, report pollution, and participate in efforts to protect our oceans and coastlines. It’s a fun and impactful way to make a difference and preserve the beauty of our beaches for everyone to enjoy. Let’s protect what we love! Info HERE.

We’re excited to announce that we have reimagined a new web experience inspired by your interests over the past few months – featuring more event-focused content, especially around emergency preparedness and home electrification. As part of this evolution, you’ll now receive monthly updates directly from Ecology Action, the nonprofit powering RCC and many other local climate initiatives across the Central Coast. What’s changing? You’ll get climate action tips, webinar invites, and local resources—all in one place. No more login barriers—just open access to tools and inspiration. Exposure to more community climate actions. Sign up HERE.

The White House Office of Management and Budget proposed FY2026 budget calls for substantial funding cuts for NOAA, including the National Estuarine Research Reserve program. If this budget is approved by Congress, the Elkhorn Slough Reserve — one of 30 Reserves established around the country as hubs for environmental stewardship, research, and education—will face substantial reductions in programs and staffing. It is important for community members to voice their support for the Elkhorn Slough Reserve to their congressional representatives. Federal funding covers 70% of Reserve operating costs. Without congressional support, Reserves could stand to lose this funding after October 1, 2025. Three actions you can take HERE.

Following up on promises to ramp up logging — including clear-cutting — across federal forests, the administration has announced plans to obliterate the Roadless Rule, a landmark land-conservation policy that has protected many of the most pristine backcountry areas of our National Forest System against costly and harmful road building and logging since 2001. The roadless rule has protected 58 million acres of our wildest national forest lands from road building, fires, oil and gas drilling, and logging for more than a generation. More than 90% of fires start within a half mile of roads in our forests. Defend the forest protections we have fought so hard for by telling the administration that you oppose increased roads and logging in our most pristine federal forests, and weakening of environmental protections. Take ACTION