Earth Day in Action: Students Ride for the Planet While Plastics Creep into Our Clothes

On Earth Day, kids in Florida celebrated the planet in style by ditching cars and riding bikes to school. But here in South Africa, while many are waking up to eco-conscious living, another silent threat is creeping into our oceans… from our closets.

🚲 Students Roll for Earth. At the Ohana Institute in the US, students, teachers, and parents rode their bicycles for 13 miles as part of their annual Earth Day tradition. They picked up others along the way, arriving at school cheered on by classmates.

Imagine South African students doing the same, from Soweto to Sandton, from Khayelitsha to Claremont, bringing Earth Day off social media and onto the streets.

But while they're biking for the environment, many of us are unknowingly polluting it... just by doing our laundry.

👕 The Hidden Plastic in Your Closet. From our polyester gym wear to nylon tights and acrylic sweaters, most modern clothes are made with plastic. Every time we wash them, tiny fibers called microplastics break off. They slip through water filters, enter rivers and oceans, and end up inside fish… and eventually, us.

A single load of laundry can release millions of plastic particles. You can’t see them, but they’re everywhere.

🧼 How to Fight Back (Without Throwing Out Your Clothes)

• Washing in cold water with full loads and less friction means fewer fibers.

• Use a stain stick for spot-cleaning instead of frequent washes.

• Try a Cora Ball or microfiber laundry bag, they trap fibers before they escape.

• Avoid cheap fleece and loose-knit clothing, they shed the most.

• Install filters on your washing machine and brands like Samsung and Bosch now make them.

Even fashion giants like Nike, Adidas, and Patagonia are trying to fix the mess. But it starts with us. What we wear, how we wash, and what we support all matter.

 Collective Action for a Sustainable Future

Earth Day 2025 emphasizes the power of collective action. Africans can contribute by

• Participating in local clean-up events.

• Advocating for policies that reduce plastic production.

• Educating communities about sustainable practices.

• Supporting initiatives like the #Plastic4Education campaign, which promotes plastic recycling and environmental education.

💡 South Africans Can Lead Too Just like those US students rode together for change, we can start our own green traditions, bike-to-school challenges, community wash days with filters, or just spreading the word.

Let’s make Earth Day more than a post.