Oceana Taps Christy Leavitt to Lead Campaign Fighting the Plastics Crisis - Oceana USA

Oceana Taps Christy Leavitt to Lead Campaign Fighting the Plastics Crisis

New Campaign Demands Companies Reduce Plastic Production, Offer Plastic-Free Choices

Press Release Date: September 5, 2019

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Contact:

Dustin Cranor, APR | email: dcranor@oceana.org | tel: 954.348.1314

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Oceana announced it has named Christy Leavitt as its plastics campaign director, tasked with leading a new U.S. campaign against plastic pollution. Leavitt has over two decades of experience working at the national, state and local levels on environmental campaigns ranging from water pollution and climate change to conservation. Before joining Oceana, she was senior director of Environment America’s environmental defense campaign, which fought to protect U.S. public lands, climate, oceans and water. 

In her new role, Leavitt will lead Oceana’s campaign to reduce single-use plastics. She will work closely with Oceana’s team of field organizers, scientists and policy experts to push for policies regulating single-use plastic production and use, as well as advocate for meaningful corporate commitments that stem the tide of plastic entering our oceans.

“Once you’ve seen the extent of the plastics problem — how it’s impacting everything from our oceans and climate to our food and health — it becomes impossible to ignore,” Leavitt said. “We can no longer deny that plastic pollution is threatening our future, and the only solution is to stop plastic at the source. During this pivotal moment, I am honored to have the opportunity to work with Oceana in leading real change and reversing the plastics crisis while we still can.”

While at Environment America, Leavitt also served as national field director and federal clean water advocate. During this time, she spearheaded field campaigns to build public support for the Clean Water Rule to ensure the protection of America’s waterways and for the Clean Power Plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants. She also served as regional director of state operations at the Public Interest Network and as the federal clean water advocate for U.S. PIRG.

“Christy’s extensive experience in environmental policy and her passion for protecting our blue planet make her an ideal choice to lead Oceana’s plastics campaign,” said Jacqueline Savitz, Oceana’s chief policy officer. “We look forward to her leadership as we push for necessary change in single-use plastic production and regulation.”

To learn more about Oceana’s new campaign to stop plastic pollution, please visit www.oceana.org/plastics.