tobacco free

Press Release:

More than one billion people in 200 countries around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22. Reality Check teens started the celebration early by participating in a 3-day Earth Day Summit in Niagara Falls from April 13-15.

Seniors from Batavia High School, Judith Newton and Abbi Leone, joined youth from across Western New York and the Finger Lakes to learn about the impact of tobacco products and the tobacco industry’s manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics that attract and addict youth to nicotine.

The Summit was broken into two parts:

1. Monday, April 14 – a day of education with speakers from the Public Health Law Center, Monroe County Department of Environmental Services and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and sessions with youth leaders from all regions.
2. Tuesday, April 15 – “A Day of Poster Making” where youth created posters promoting cleaner, greener tobacco-free environments for Earth Day to display in their communities. Messages encouraged audiences to “Make Every Day Earth Day,” by eliminating tobacco product use and picking up tobacco product litter polluting our environment.

“This summit provides a platform for young people to share their ideas, concerns, and solutions for environmental challenges caused by tobacco products and the tobacco industry,” said Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Coordinator, Tobacco-Free Genesee,
Orleans, Wyoming (TF-GOW). “It also helps shape the next generation of environmental leaders who will not only become active participants in protecting our environment, but to become champions for policy changes and solutions in their communities.”

“Tobacco doesn’t just negatively impact our health as individuals, it also endangers the health of our environment,” said Judith Newton, a senior at Batavia High School. “E-cigarette and cigarette waste makes its way into the environment and pollutes water, air and land with toxic chemicals.”

Niagara Falls lights up for Earth Day message. 

On Sunday, April 13, Niagara Falls was lit up in green to recognize Earth Day and the work the youth engaged in to preserve and protect the natural surroundings of this natural wonder.

Tobacco trash is an eyesore, as well as toxic litter.  

All tobacco litter, including cigarette butts, is harmful to the environment because they contain non-biodegradable plastic filters and leach toxic chemicals into the soil and water, impacting wildlife and ecosystems. The USDA estimates that about 360 billion cigarettes are consumed in the U.S. each year. Close to two-thirds of those butts — 234 billion — are tossed as litter.

Cigarettes make up the largest category of tobacco products and are the most polluted product, but as e-cigarette sales continue to rise, their contribution to environment waste is growing.

Harmful Components:

• Cigarette butts contain filters made of non-biodegradable plastic (cellulose acetate) that can take years to decompose.
• These filters contain and trap toxic chemicals, including nicotine, pesticides, and heavy metals (like arsenic and lead) that can leach into the environment.
• These chemicals can contaminate soil, water, and harm wildlife. 

Environmental Impacts:

• Water Pollution: Cigarette butts can be washed into drains and waterways, contaminating rivers, beaches, and oceans.
• Soil Contamination: The chemicals from cigarette butts can seep into the soil, potentially harming plants and organisms.
• Wildlife Harm: Animals can ingest cigarette butts, leading to poisoning or other health problems.
• Plastic Pollution: Cigarette butts are one of the most common types of litter, contributing to the overall problem of plastic pollution. 

Beyond Cigarette Butts:

• The entire tobacco lifecycle, from cultivation of tobacco crops to disposal of cigarette butts, has significant environmental impacts.
• Tobacco farming can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution.
• Tobacco product packaging also contributes to waste and litter. 

By addressing cigarette butt litter, we can support smokers in their quit attempts. 

Reducing the environmental impact of tobacco waste can raise awareness and potentially encourage smokers to consider quitting for their own health and the environment. For additional help, the New York State Quitline is a confidential service for all New York State residents who wish to overcome dependence on commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Free offerings include individualized coaching and assistance with quit-planning from highly trained tobacco treatment specialists, text and online chat support and free shipping of stop-smoking medications such as nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges or nicotine gum for those 18 and older.

Residents of all ages may contact the Quitline for support and educational materials. In addition, the Quitline encourages teens and young adults (ages 13-24) to text “DROPTHEVAPE” to 88709 to join “This Is Quitting,” a free texting support program for help with quitting vaping. For more information, text QUITNOW to 333888 or call 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) seven days a week, beginning at 9 a.m.

Press Release:

Tobacco Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming (TF-GOW) and Reality Check invite youth ages 13-18 to participate in a contest aimed at shining a spotlight on the tobacco industry’s use of smoking imagery on screen to normalize and glamorize tobacco use. The statewide winning video will be highlighted on the Reality Check and Tobacco-Free New York websites and promoted through social media. 

As reported by The University of California San Francisco’s in its Smoke-Free Media ‘What is Hollywood Hiding from Parents Action Toolkit:

“Big Tobacco secretly bought its way on screen for decades. The U.S. entertainment industry still refuses to give parents and audiences advance warning before exposing kids to tobacco imagery that is proven to recruit millions of new young smokers and kill them as adults. Tobacco on screen is the single biggest media risk to children and teens. Hollywood has known of the danger since at least 2003. Yet movie studios and TV producers have never updated their rating systems to even mention smoking or tobacco. They are concealing toxic content. Ratings, warnings, and TV parental controls all need to be reinforced to stop tobacco addiction from trapping another generation. With the streaming revolution now underway, it’s easier than ever for kids to watch movies and TV shows packed with toxic tobacco content. And, the more young people see smoking on screen, the more likely they are to start smoking."

Contest Details:

Create a 60-second video exposing the tobacco industry’s manipulative tactics within the entertainment industry. Show how tobacco imagery is used to promote and glamorize smoking and e-cigarette use. Judging will be based on quality, creativity and effectiveness, and accuracy of messages. Each video must have the following key facts and a minimum of one key statement from the following:

 

Key Facts:

 

1.    Youth who are exposed to images of smoking in movies are more likely to smoke. (US Surgeon General)

2.    It is projected that on-screen smoking will kill two million U.S. children and teens alive today. (US Center for Disease Control)

3.    R-rating future movies with smoking would reduce the youth smoking rate in the United States by 18%. (US Center for Disease Control)

 

Key Statements:

 

·       One little letter could save a million lives. Rate smoking R. 

·       Protect youth from on-screen exposure to tobacco. 

·       Smoking in movies kills in real life. 

 

Video submissions are due February 9, 2022. One video will be recognized as the statewide winner. This video will live on www.realitycheckofny.com and highlight the issue through the lens of New York State youth. Four regional winning videos will also be awarded and recognized at the regional level. All winners will be announced on March 9, 2022 as part of the New York Tobacco Control Program’s annual Statewide Legislative Education Day. All awards will be recognized at regional press events (dates and locations to be determined) and promoted through local media outlets. All youth participating in the contest will receive a Reality Check Swag Bag. 

For complete contest rules and to submit entries, visit www.realitycheckofny.com. For questions specific to the contest, please email tobaccofree@cvfamilycenter.org