Welcome

Tamela Trussell

MPP Founder:

Environmental Educator Founder   of   Trussell   Learning   and   Community   Education   & TLC     Foundation     and     the     Move     Past     Plastic,     MPP, campaign Tamela   has   been   a   science   educator   for   youth   and   college level   students   for   over   30   years.   She   was   born   in   Virginia   and had   the   privilege   of   running   wild   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    25    years    she    has embraced    the    lush    green    forests    and    streams    of    Central Pennsylvania    while    homeschooling    her    now    grown,    three children with her husband Larry. 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.   For   the   past   year   she   has   immersed   herself   in   hundreds   of webinars,    conferences,    and    courses    such    as    the    Beyond Plastics   course   by   Judith   Enck   at   Bennington   College.     She has   also   become   a   Climate   Reality   leader,   Master   Watershed Steward,     and     serves     on     several     Conodoguinet     Creek Watershed     board     committees.     She     also     serves     as     an executive    member    of    Carlisle    Climate    Action    Commission and with Cumberland County 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    over    the    past    year    is    that    plastics    are    the Keystone   issue   facing   the   globe.     It   is   a   ubiquitous   part   of our   lives   that   impacts   every   system   on   Earth   including   all     of us    and    the    organizations    we    represent.       It    impacts    our environment,    social,    cultural,    institutional,    legislative,    and economic   fabric   of   our   lives.   It   is   for   this   reason   that   she founded   Move   Past   Plastic,   MPP.     This   group   of   individuals and    partners    seek    to    educate,    design    municipal    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.         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..