Senate Resolution No. 5300

BY: Senator PERSAUD

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
June 5, 2018, as World Environment Day in the State
of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious issues
that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 5, 2018, as World
Environment Day in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, World Environment Day is the United Nation's most important
day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of
our environment; since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global
platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100
countries; and

WHEREAS, World Environment Day is the "people's day" for doing
something to take care of the Earth; that "something" can be focused
locally, nationally or globally; it can be a solo action or involve a
crowd; everyone is free to choose; and

WHEREAS, World Environment Day is held every year to encourage
people across the globe to re-think the way they use plastic on a daily
basis; this year's theme, "If you can't reuse it, refuse it," invites us
all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce
the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our
wildlife, and our own health; and

WHEREAS, Plastic pollution has become an epidemic; every year,
individuals throw away enough plastic to circle the Earth four times,
and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates;
and

WHEREAS, At any given time, an estimated 165 million plastic
particles are floating in the estuaries which stretch from the Tappan
Zee Bridge, along the lower Hudson River, south to Sandy Hook Bay, in
New Jersey; that is more than 256,000 particles per square kilometer;
and

WHEREAS, While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over
reliant on single-use or disposable plastic, with severe environmental
consequences; around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are
purchased every minute, and 500 billion disposable plastic bags are used
worldwide every year; in total, 50 percent of the plastic we use is
single use; and

WHEREAS, Nearly one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes
collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city
streets and polluting our natural environment; every year, up to 13

million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where it smothers coral
reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife; and

WHEREAS, Plastic also makes its way into our water supply, and thus
into our bodies; plastics contain a number of chemicals, many of which
are toxic or disrupt hormones, and can also serve as a magnet for other
pollutants, including dioxins, metals and pesticides; and

WHEREAS, If you can't reuse it, refuse it; there are so many things
each and every person on this planet can do: ask restaurants to stop
using plastic straws, bring your own coffee mug to work, pressure your
local authorities to improve how they manage your city's waste, bring
your own shopping bags to the supermarket, pressure food suppliers to
use non-plastic packaging, refuse plastic cutlery, and pick up any
plastic you see the next time you go for a walk on the beach; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of
this serious environmental issue, and more must be done to increase
activity at the local, state, national and international levels to
promote water conservation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 5, 2018, as World
Environment Day in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.