SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Hundreds of community members gathered Thursday evening for the fifth annual Plastic-Free Expo, where local organizations, businesses and environmental advocates shared practical ways to reduce waste and cut back on single-use plastics.
Hosted as a free community event, the expo featured interactive exhibits, reusable products, educational demonstrations and local vendors, all focused on making sustainable living more accessible.
One of the exhibitors, local author Gary Robinson, used storytelling to raise awareness about plastic pollution through his book The Rise of Plasti Kong.
"I'm here helping to spread the word about what a monster plastic pollution is," Robinson said.
Throughout the event, attendees explored alternatives to disposable products, from reusable household items to innovative products designed to reduce waste.
"This is a multi-patented reusable menstrual cup. Absolute game changer," said Christine Brown, founder of Kind Cup.
Visitors also learned about building materials made from recycled plastics instead of virgin resources and participated in interactive activities that demonstrated the long-lasting impact of everyday trash.
One exhibit challenged visitors to guess how long common items take to decompose. While an apple core breaks down in about two months, organizers said a Mylar balloon can remain in the environment for more than 400 years.
Community Environmental Council representative Kathi King said reducing plastic pollution starts with understanding the limitations of recycling.
"Only five percent of plastic ever gets recycled," King said. "We're kind of being sold a bill of goods by companies that pretend things are recyclable when they're not."
For Santa Barbara resident Rowan Fields, the event reinforced the importance of taking action.
"The environment is definitely one of those things that we need to really tackle and address because it's a big pressing issue for the world," Fields said.
Organizers emphasized that sustainability doesn't require perfection. Instead, they encouraged attendees to focus on simple daily habits such as bringing reusable coffee mugs and grocery bags.
"It's not about one person doing everything perfectly," King said. "It's about millions of people taking small steps."
Organizers hope those small changes continue long after the expo ends, showing how individual actions can collectively make a lasting impact on reducing plastic waste.
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