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Game Changing Legislation To End Tobacco Litter!

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URGENT CITIZENS ALERT!  LETS MAKE HISTORY! NO BUTTS ABOUT IT!

It is time to extinguish Big Tobacco's pervasive trail of litter.
We have a unique legislative opportunity to stop tobacco litter once and for all.

But we have to act NOW...and we need YOUR help.

In early 2020, California will be voting on a bill that finally eliminates tobacco waste by banning both single-use cigarette filters which are plastic (the most littered plastic in the world) and single-use e-cigarettes. The pioneering bill, Senate Bill (SB) 424 by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson is the first of its kind in the world.  Successful passage of SB 424 in California will spark tobacco litter measures across the country which NSAC will support. The time has come to finally institute a ban on the most littered plastic in the world and California must seize this opportunity and lead the way. 

National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC), the sponsor of SB 424,  is a network of committed proponents comprised of governments, non-government organizations, businesses, nonprofits and consumers who advocate that producers fairly share responsibility in a "Circular Economy." NSAC  has 100% successful track-record of advocacy work related to legislation in California. NSAC 's record of legislative successes includes winning the battle with Big Pharma to pay for the safe disposal of medicine and needles in California (passed in 2018 and also authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson).  Passage of SB 212 was a monumental victory and spurred other states to pass similar bills in 2019.

NSAC  needs the  funding to grow an army of caring public citizens, smokers and non-smokers, who are fed up with tobacco litter and wish engage and work towards the passage of SB 424. Please invest in the public campaign to ensure the Tobacco Litter Elimination Act to become law! As a 501(c)(4), NASC  can lobby elected officials while educating the public to advocate successfully to pass the bill. We must fight the likely strong opposition by Big Tobacco by building an aggressive campaign of support for SB 424 .

          We are seeking $50,000 by February 29th, 2020.
          Time is of the essence!

NSAC needs the funds now to ensure the bill is not killed quickly early in the 2020 session. The push to pass SB 424  must not risk defeat by being underfunded with the public not yet fully engaged in helping us!    We cannot let that happen!  We need your help immediately to keep up the momentum for SB 424 .

HELP US ELIMINATE TOBACCO LITTER!


"Cigarette filters are made of a plastic called cellulose acetate. When tossed into the environment,  they dump not only that plastic, but also the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals they’ve absorbed into the surrounding environment."- National Geographic



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE PROBLEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tobacco Waste, Including Filters, Contain Plastic
Cigarette butts contain plastic. They contain cellulose acetate which do not biodegrade, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces known as microplastics, which have now been found in our water and in the air. E-cigarettes, the new tobacco trend are also contributing to plastic waste because many of their components are made of plastic, including single-use components.

Cigarette Butts Are The Most Littered Item In The World
For over 25 years littered cigarette butts have been the most collected item at Ocean Conservancy's annual Coastal Cleanup event (Rath et al., 2012). The majority of smokers report that they have littered their cigarette butts and more than half of smokers report littering their butt in the last month (Rath et al., 2012).  According the National Geographic, trillions of cigarette butts are discarded each year and only an estimated 1/3 of those end up in the trash; the rest are irresponsibly flicked outside (littered). 

 Tobacco Waste Costs Us Millions Of Dollars 

 A city the size of San Francisco will spend between $500,000 and $6 million on tobacco waste removal efforts (Rath et al., 2012) According to California Department of Public Health, California public agencies spend $41 million every year on  litter cleanup. In 2017, fires caused by cigarettes in the US resulted in $6 Billion dollars of property loss and over $2 Billion in costs to put out the fire (ANRF, 2018).

Cigarette Butts And E-Cigarettes Cause Fires
Every year in the US 1,000 people are killed in fires related to tobacco making it the number one cause of fire deaths (National Parks Services). E-cigarettes also cause fires. Between 2009-2012, twenty-five e-cigarette explosions and fires were reported (US Fire Administration). From 2015-2017 the number of explosions reported was 2,035 (Rosesheim, 2018).

Tobacco Waste Is Toxic
Evidence shows that cigarette butts and e-cigarette parts contain chemicals harmful to the environment, including pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and other hazardous materials such as heavy metals. When tobacco product waste is discarded into the environment, it leaches thousands of chemicals, including 50 different chemicals that are known to cause cancer (Puls, 2011).

Tobacco Waste Pollutes Our Water
Most littered waste makes its way into our bodies of water. An estimated 80% of littered cigarette butts make their way into the water system. This compromises the quality of our drinking water and is toxic to marine life.

Tobacco Waste Kills Our Wildlife
Cigarette butts have regularly been found in the stomachs of marine and other wildlife. The chemicals leached out of just 1 cigarette butt in a liter of water will kill half of fresh or saltwater fish that are exposed (Novotny, 2014).

Tobacco Waste, Including Filters, Contain Plastic
Cigarette butts contain plastic. They contain cellulose acetate which do not biodegrade, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces known as microplastics, which have now been found in our water and in the air. E-cigarettes, the new tobacco trend are also contributing to plastic waste because many of their components are made of plastic, including single-use components.

Tobacco Waste Poisons Children
Nicotine is poisonous. There have been 4,400 reported cases of ingesting cigarette butts and most of the cases were children 6 years of age or younger (Novotny, 2014). Mild nicotine exposure can result in symptoms like vomiting, tremors, and high blood pressure. Severe poisoning can be life threatening and cause seizures (Poison Control).

Filters Do Not Make Smoking Safer
People have been misled into thinking that filters make smoking safer. They do not. In some ways they even make it more hazardous. The filter decreases the harsh feeling in the smoker’s throat, making them likely to smoke more than they would have without the filter. It is believed that increased rates of certain cancers such as adenocarcinoma are caused by the filters.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE OPPORTUNITY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There now exists an extraordinary window of opportunity to FINALLY win this fight against tobacco pollution! We can not afford to let it slip by.

Simply put, SB 424  is game-changing legislation! This is the first time a tobacco waste bill has made it this far in the California legislature - prior attempts died in the first committee! We cannot lose momentum! Passage of SB 424  not only impacts California, but also signals to the world that tobacco waste can be a thing of the past.

Let's all start 2020 with a spectacular legislative success! 
This is history in the making!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THREE WAYS YOU CAN HELP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>>> YOUR TASK #1 -Donate

National Stewardship Action Council  sincerely requests your immediate and generous financial support. Your contribution will enable NSAC  to quickly assemble the necessary advocacy operations to win this historic fight. We must be ready and equipped if we are to pass SB 424 . 

                WE REQUEST YOUR DONATION BY February 29th, 2020!

This essential legislative fight began this January 2020!

Every dollar counts! Contributions of any size will make an impact, even $1!
While all donations in any amount will be sincerely appreciated, all amounts over $500 will be publicly acknowledged on the NSAC website and related materials. How much litter would you like to end?

Your contribution will be attributed to the following levels, based on a estimated base cost of cigarettes usage: 

Donor level: "Eliminate Pack of Tobacco Litter"..........................................$8.00
Donor Level: "Eliminate Carton of Tobacco Litter"..................................$80.00
Donor Level: "Eliminate Month-Pack a Day Tobacco Litter"..............$240.00
Donor Level: "Eliminate Year-Pack a Day Tobacco Litter"...............$2,880.00

In 2020, NASC  is ready to build upon its perfect legislative success record.  

For transformational donations and campaign sponsorship please call NSAC's Executive Director, Heidi Sanborn at (916) [phone redacted]. 


>>> YOUR TASK #2 - Spread the word

In addition to your anticipated donation, we ask you share this GoFundMe campaign page far and wide. We must reach everyone eager to get rid of tobacco waste once and  for all, starting with the passage of SB 424 .

Suggested social media hashtags: 

         #EndTobaccoWaste
         #ButtChallenge
         #ditchtobaccowaste

         #SB424
         #cigarettebutts


Visit and Share National Stewardship Action Council  on Social Media:
Facebook 
LinkedIn 
Twitter 
YouTube 


>>> YOUR TASK #3 - Contact Your Legislators!

An engaged citizenry is a powerful citizenry.

To contact your representatives visit www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers 
Tell them you support SB 424  and why it's important to you!



Thank you for caring and dedication for all you do.


MORE INFO
For more information please visit nsaction.us
Want to get in touch? 
Phone:(916) [phone redacted]
E-mail: [email redacted]
Mailing Address:
National Stewardship Action Council
1822 21st St
Sacramento, CA 95811

E-mail [email redacted] if you would like to be added to National Stewardship Action Council's Listserv and be kept up to date!

Fundraising team (2)

Ashley Allen
Organizer
Raised $225 from 2 donations
Foothill Farms, CA
Heidi Sanborn
Beneficiary
Keith Politte
Team member

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