Welcome

Tamela Trussell

MPP Founder:

Environmental Educator Founder   of   Trussell   Learning   and   Community   Education   & TLC Foundation and the Move Past Plastic, MPP,. Tamela   is   a   mother   of   three   children   and   has   been   married to   her   husband   for   40   years.   She   was   born   in   Virginia   and had   the   privilege   of   being   raised   in   the   wilderness   of   NM during   her   youth.   After   completing   her   master’s   in   science education    from    Virginia    Tech,    she    moved    to    Redmond, Washington   where   she   experienced   daily   precipitation   and sun    that    grew    35    different    plants    and    vegetables    on    her small    third-story    balcony.       For    the    past    29    years    she    has embraced    the    lush    green    forests    and    streams    of    Central Pennsylvania.   She   has   taught   the   sciences   in   the   public   and private   K-12   school   for   thirty   years,   and   taught   biology   and nutrition at Bellview Community College. Having   the   opportunity   to   live   in   four   distinctive   areas   has given   her   a   deep   appreciation   of   the   different   ecological   and cultural   needs   of   different   places.     She   describes   herself   as an   animal   of   the   Earth,   no   more   worthy   than   other   living and   nonliving   things.   She   has   always   loved   nature,   learning, and   sharing   knowledge   with   youth   and   the   community.     She is    an    advocate    for    environmental    civic    action    and    has promoted   this   through   programs   like   Boy   Scout   of   America when   she   was   a   Venture   Crew   advisor   and   the   numerous sport     and     science     programs     she's     developed     for     TLC Education and Foundation and other teaching experiences. From   2019   to   current   she   has   immersed   herself   in   hundreds of   webinars,   conferences,   and   courses   such   as   the   Beyond Plastics     course     by     Judith     Enck     at     Bennington     College, climate,       contaminats       of       emergent       concern,       best management   practices   for   stormwater   management,   pond and tree management. Tamela       believes       knowledge       brings       freedom       and responsibility.   This   is   why   she   founded   TLC   Education   &   the non-profit    organizations,    TLC    Foundation    and    Move    Past Plastic,   MPP.   These   programs   promote   environmental   civic engagement through education. She   demonstrates   civic   action   through   her   participation   in community   organizations,   serving   as   the   South   Central   PA Climate     Reality     Chair     and     Master     Watershed     Steward. Additionally,    she    serves    on    several    committees    of    the Conodoguinet    Creek    Watershed    Association    and    lead    the Monitoring   and   Protection   committee,   volunteers   with   the Alliance   for   Aquatic   Resource   Monitoring   (ALLARM),   stream team,   and   is   a   member   of   the   executive   board   of   the   Carlisle Climate Action Commission.   As   an   innate   systems   thinker,   she   knew   that   plastic   was connected    to    many    positive    and    negative    aspects    of    our lives.     Intuitively   she   realized   that   it   is   in   our   environment and   water   and   in   particular   the   oceans   as   trash.   But   what she’s   learned   is   that   plastics   are   the   Keystone   issue   facing the   globe.     It   is   a   ubiquitous   part   of   our   lives   that   impacts every   system   on   Earth.   It   impacts   our   environment,   social, cultural,   institutional,   legislative,   and   economic   fabric   of   our lives.   Plastic   is   more   than   a   litter   problem   it   is   a   chemical   and     micro     and     nanoplaastic     problem.         Knowlege     of contaminat    of    emergent    concern    that    harm    human    and environmental   health   weren’t   common   knowlege   at   a   local level   for   the   normal   person.   Believing   knowlegde   mixed   with civic    action    are    the    keys    to    healther    thriving    watershed communities   she   founded   Move   Past   Plastic,   MPP   in   June   of 2021 This    a    grassroots    group    of    individuals,    organizations    and business   that   work   to   educate   other   individualss,   business, educator,    organizatoins,    municipal    leader    about    the    issue around    plastics    and    how    to    mitigate    harms    from    them through    personal    lifestye    and    systemic    changes    in    policy, legislation,     and     research     alternatives     while     supporting initiatives   of   their   “Big   Sisters”   like   Beyond   Plastic.   She   is grateful   for   the   opportunity   to   speak   to   you   on   behalf   of those without a voice.

Meet Tamela Trussell - Work Ethic,

Bold Journey Interview, July 23rd,

2024

An interview Tamela Trussell,

founder of Move Past Plastic

In this interview Tamela Trussell, founder of Move Past Plastic, discusses the harmful effects of PFAS and single-use plastics on the environment and human health. She emphasizes the importance of educating individuals and engaging with local municipalities to push for systemic change, such as ordinance changes and education initiatives. Tamela also highlights the dangers of using artificial turf made of plastics on playgrounds and athletic fields and encourages the use of organic natural grass turf instead. This is a quickly growing issue that has now been proven to be extremely harmful to the athletes and children who play on synthetic turf and on playgrounds using artificial materials as well as the environment. Interviewed on June 23, 2023 by AC Stauble, HHN Tamela has been educating herself and others on the harms of plastic since 2020 full time. She's created an incredible toolkit for organizers who wish to understand what is happening at their local level regarding environmental and how to enact change. She includes maps of waste management locations, frack wells, and waterways. She has a sample 10 minute presentation that folks can copy and give at their own local town councils to ensure water testing and proper regulations to protect drinking water from PFAS. Tamela leads workshops to educate the public on PFAS and Artifical Turf. → Visit their profile,  Tamela Trussell  to see what's new, what spaces they're in, and to send a direct message. You can also email support@halttheharm.net to request an Introduction..