Recall: Ziya Tong

Wrapping up Earth Month, we're revisiting Jann's conversation with Ziya Tong and her incredible work on the documentary Plastic People.

In case you're not familiar, she is an award-winning author and broadcaster, best known for her work with Discovery’s flagship science show, Daily Planet, and NOVA ScienceNow on PBS. She is the author of the best-selling book ⁠The Reality Bubble⁠, which was shortlisted for Canada’s most prestigious non-fiction literary prize, and won the Lane Anderson Award for best science writing. Ziya served as the Vice Chair of WWF Canada and currently serves as a trustee of WWF International. Ziya co-directed a new documentary called Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics with Ben Addelman, and she stars alongside Executive Producer Rick Smith.

Jann, Caitlin and Ziya discuss the dangers of microplastics in our bodies and the environment. Ziya shares that microplastics are found everywhere, including in our blood, placenta, and even the human brain. They discuss the impacts to our health such as increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Ziya emphasizes the need for individual and collective action to reduce plastic consumption and advocates for joining organizations that are working towards solving the plastics crisis.

Ziya and her team are still raising money for the documentary's impact campaign and they plan to release a podcast to delve deeper into the dark secrets and stories of the plastics industry. You can support the campaign ⁠HERE⁠.

Watch Plastic People on CBC Gem:

https://gem.cbc.ca/the-nature-of-things/s64e11

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