Upstream is incredible! They have inspired me in so many ways to live my life more sustainably and inspired projects I am working on to systemically reduce single-use plastic pollution in my town. Their resources, reports, and indisposable podcast have been informative and inspiring, and their staff is very knowledgeable and willing to help anyone looking for support. I don't where I would be without Upstream.
I joined UPSTREAM's board when I aw that its leadership has the vision and skillss to make real positive change happen. Many of us have come to an understanding that products we use -- prime examples being single use disposable plastic -- is burdening the essential habitat, the life support system for all. A first instinct in response is: let's gather up and collect that waste. Another response is: let's recycle more. UPSTREAM understands that the critical changes need to be made up the production chain with the very processes of design, manufacture and consumption of the goods and services at issue. This thinking can spark a fundamental shakeup and revamping of this chain of commerce. UPTREAM is working with key partners to bring about such hopeful change.
There is a better way than throw away. Upstream is on the forefront of a cultural change that will help decrease the use of single use plastic and increase the use of reusables. They attack this issue on all fronts with sharing informative content on social media; presenting new policies on waste reduction to local and state governments; and building partnerships between food & beverage providers and reusable companies.
Review from Guidestar
I have tracked UPSTREAM's work since 2016, and I joined the board in 2019. I'm proud to support UPSTREAM's innovative, collaborative, and thoughtful approaches to fulfilling the organization's mission. In doing so, the team has also committed to solidarity against injustice and to becoming an anti-racism organization.
I have worked for decades with many environmental organizations and I am honored to be on the Board of UPSTREAM! Its vision and advocacy for a non throw away culture shines a light on how each of us can help solve our environmental challenges. To paraphrase President Kennedy: Our problems are man made, therefore they can be solved by us. I am confident that UPSTREAM's hard working and engaged team will help us find and forge creative new ways !
Upstream has the right mission-reduce plastic at source,
the right strategies-creating plastic free places for example,
and the right people-very passionate, experienced leadership,
to make a huge difference.
Per dollar, this is as high impact as you can get.
Previous Stories
My wife and I, along with some local friends, were looking for a way to organize, and then focus our efforts on reducing single use plastic in our community. We ended up finding Upstream and quickly realized they were already leaps and bounds ahead of us. They have deep knowledge of the issues, are connected to hundreds of powerful organizations around the world, and have a unique and powerful approach that we believe will make a big impact. So we've decided to throw our efforts into helping them. It's a great fit, it's been great fun so far, and we are excited for the future.
I have engaged with Upstream wearing several different hats -- environmental consultant, representative of local government, citizen, consumer, and Upstream board member. In each instance Upstream met me where I was, offered value, listened to my voice, leveraged my power, and advanced the cause of the greater good. Upstream staff's tenacity, creativity, efficiency, policy chops, and humor make them one of my go-to advocacy groups. I hope you will join them too.
Having founded a recycling company in the bottle and can redemption industry several years ago, I became increasingly aware of the environmental challenges we all faced in our throwaway society well beyond the focus of our business. I got involved as a board member with UPSTREAM in part to help promote sustainable practices in markets our business could not influence. UPSTREAM Is raising awareness and helping to define best practices in this challenging and essential space on a global scale.
I met the UPSTREAM group at an event last year and was so moved by the work they were doing, I immediately wanted to get involved. A group of us who all reside in the same town decided to start working together with UPSTREAM in hopes of helping our community implement some of these Throw-Away-Free policies. Their insightfulness, tenacity and dedication to helping making single-use plastics seem uncool is amazing. I cannot recommend learning more about UPSTREAM and getting involved in your local community to create more sustainable solutions.
When UPSTREAM started out as Product Policy Institute they worked to get laws enacted that made industry set up take back programs for pharmaceuticals, carpet, electronics, paint, mattresses, lighting, and more. Altogether, UPSTREAM helped enact 74 laws across the U.S. in 13 different categories of waste. What an amazing track record of success!
When they started working on packaging and plastic, they became a leader in the US movement to reduce single-use plastics, creating a national network of plastic pollution advocates that is now called Break Free From Plastic US.
More than any other organization I know, UPSTREAM embraced the idea of ending the mindless consumption of single use products. Preventing the waste before it starts became the operating procedure. It's amazing that there is one organization out there single-mindedly focusing on hacking the Throw-Away culture.
The organization now works not just on policy, but on creating the business environment, infrastructure, and public engagement to foster true culture change.
I have watched UPSTREAM continue to grow and evolve into a team that combines the best creative talent for culture hacking. They have evolved into a multi-faceted culture change organization.
I have worked with many non-profit organizations over the past 25 years. UPSTREAM stands out for its authenticity, transparency and selflessness. Whether lifting up the work of partner organizations or taking the back seat if another group is better positioned, UPSTREAM focuses its time, energy, and expertise solely on the work that is needed to tackle plastic pollution and ADD TO what is already being done. As a leader in organizing the U.S. non-profits working on plastic pollution which has now morphed into #breakfreefromplastic U.S., UPSTREAM continues to be a respected thought leader while moving forward innovative ideas. Their Throw-Away-Free Places work is brilliant for two reasons: 1) it meaningfully tackles both plastic pollution and climate change; and 2) forces change upstream with the food and beverage industry and how they wastefully package food and drinks. There's a better way than throw-away.