Water
Canada issued a ban on the manufacture, import, and sale of all toiletry products that contain microbeads! “Microbeads are small plastic particles used in a variety of personal care products, including soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste brands. Ranging in size from 10 micrometres to less than 1 millimetre, microbeads can't be filtered out by water-treatment systems, and therefore end up in lakes and rivers.” The U.S. implemented a similar ban in 2017 .
To take personal action against plastic pollution, click here .
In Ontario, Nestlé – the largest water-bottling company in the world – is extracting approximately 5 million litres (1,320,860 gallons) of fresh water every day for the purposes of privatization. Click here to watch The Story of Stuff’s video about Nestlé’s operations and the community’s response, and click here to petition for an end to Nestlé’s water privatization! “If we can stop the extraction of this water, we can protect natural ecosystems and prevent single-use plastic water bottles from entering our waste-stream at disposal.”
Immigration
Half of the 100 immigrant children under 5 have been reunited with their parents, as of Tuesday . The remaining children are still separated from their parents, due largely to procedural mistakes and parental deportation. The 2000 older children who were separated have been ordered to be reunited with their parents by July 26. In addition, a federal judge has ruled that the administration must adhere to the Flores Agreement, which limits the amount of time children crossing the border illegally can be detained, even with their families.
Please read our latest Just Act social justice resource, “Immigration Reform: Relationship before Citizenship ,” for more information and to take action.
Also, remember to send cards and letters to encourage these children and their families in this difficult time:
• Southwest Key Programs, 6002 Jain Ln. Austin, TX 78721
• Esperanza Center, 430 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
• Upbring, Attn: Amanda Angell, 8305 Cross Park Dr., Austin TX 78754
Trafficking
A few important documents regarding human trafficking have been issued recently:
Please take time to read this month’s International Solidarity Reflection from Shalom: “Anti-Human Trafficking;” “Stop Trafficking ,” the Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter by U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking; and the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Person’s Report (Pages 32-35 provide a good overview).
Haiti
“Protests erupted Friday hours before the government-set price of fuel was to rise by up to 50 percent, part of a plan endorsed by the International Monetary Fund to modernize the economy. The Haitian government canceled the increase amid protests that left several people dead and prompted airlines to cancel flights to the impoverished country.” Please pray for the people of Haiti during this time of unrest.
