For World Environment Day, Representatives Rick Hansen and Abe Hudson Announce Commitments to #BeatPlasticPollution

Minnesota Representative Rick Hansen and Mississippi Representative Abe Hudson joined a diverse group of government, business, and nonprofit leaders in New Orleans to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th. The event was hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme with the theme of addressing single-use plastic waste throughout the Mississippi River corridor.

The event was hosted at the historic Carver Theater and featured speakers from Dell, Hostels International, LifeCity, No Waste NOLA, and more all committing to reduce plastic waste and help #BeatPlasticPollution. Legislators were joined by members of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, including the mayors of Bemidji, MN, St. Gabriel, LA, and Gretna, LA. Following the program, everyone participated in an urban cleanup alongside the North American Director of the UN Environment Programme Barbara Hendrie and Actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador Adrian Grenier.

Minnesota Representative Rick Hansen and Mississippi Representative Abe Hudson made commitments to convene study commissions to identify strategies for reducing and eliminating single-use plastics, identify ways to reduce plastic waste in state and local government facilities and to increase education and awareness of plastic pollution at the state and local level.

“No matter how small your city or town is we all must play our role in making the world a more environmentally friendly place,” said Representative Hudson.

Both legislators are excited to begin implementing these solutions at the state and local level. Representative Hansen and Hudson are both members of NEC’s Mississippi River Legislative Caucus and will share these commitments with their colleagues at the group’s September convening to facilitate a regional effort to reduce plastic waste.