Bill Text: NY J01536 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 5, 2019, as World Environment Day in the State of New York

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-21 - ADOPTED [J01536 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J01536-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1536

BY: Senator PERSAUD

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        June  5, 2019, 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, 2019, 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, 2019, 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.