Re: Southwest

  {NAME}, This week, Southwest Airlines shelled out the big bucks to sponsor Shark Week on Discovery channel. Yet airlines like Southwest toss tons of plastic cups, drink stirrers and other trash every day. But we see past Southwest's promotional gimmicks. The truth is, the biggest threat to sharks is the plastic pollution created by companies like Southwest. We noticed your name is missing from the petition, {NAME}. [Can you join the 24,000 people and counting to pressure Southwest to ditch its wasteful ways?]( To rain on Southwest's Shark parade, SumOfUs members like you crashed the #SharksTakeFlight hashtag on Twitter and shared this parody video on Facebook.  [Image: Shark Week Video Screenshot]( Not on Facebook? [Watch here on Youtube.](  Thanks for all that you do, Allison and the team at SumOfUs  Here is the original petition below: --------------------------------------------------------------- It's Plastic-Free July — but Southwest is the only major US airline not tackling wasteful single-use plastic. It’s time for a new standard. Call on Southwest Airlines to pilot a zero-plastic flight and prove its commitment to sustainability. [ Sign the petitionÂ]( {NAME}, Airlines like Southwest generate over 5 million tons of cabin trash each year. The single-use plastics that airlines churn out are devastating our oceans. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In January, Portuguese airline Hi Fly flew the world’s first plastic-free flight. And Air New Zealand and Ryanair are phasing out single-use plastic entirely. Meanwhile Southwest, the nation’s biggest domestic airline, hasn’t even gotten rid of plastic straws or stir sticks. This month is Plastic-Free July. Join us in calling on Southwest to take its sustainability commitment seriously by pioneering the first plastic-free flight in the U.S. [Southwest Airlines: take responsibility for your plastic pollution! Fly the country’s first plastic-free flight.]( Southwest trumpets the fact that it repurposes or recycles 35 percent of its waste — but that’s not enough. Only 9 percent of all plastic sent to be “recycled” is actually recycled. The rest is burned, landfilled, or washed out to sea. Plastic never really goes away. Throwaway items like straws, cups and cutlery are only used once, but they last for centuries, breaking down into toxic, ever-smaller pieces. Southwest competitors Delta and American Airlines have already gotten rid of certain single-use plastics, replacing them with compostable alternatives. But as the biggest airline in the US, Southwest can do more than just keep up with the competition: it can set a new plastic-free industry standard. [Call on Southwest to make history: Fly the first plastic-free flight in the U.S.]( SumOfUs is poised to win this fight. Last year, members like you got McDonald’s to ban straws in the UK. And in Canada, nine months of pressure from SumOfUs members just won historic legislation that will phase out a range of polluting single-use plastics. Around the world, the fight against plastic pollution is picking up steam, with countries banning the plastics that kill ocean wildlife and litter our communities. Help push Southwest Airlines to get with the times and go plastic-free. [ Sign the petitionÂ]( Thanks for all that you do, Allison, Katie, Mark and the team at SumOfUs More information: [The world’s first plastic-free flight is here - but will other airlines follow?,]( The Telegraph, 2 January 2019 [Airlines are Producing Millions of Tonnes of Unrecyclable Waste Every Year,]( Vice, 21 August 2018    --------------------------------------------------------------- SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when they don’t. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3 [Chip in $3]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. | [Unsubscribe](