In early May, a Winston-Salem woman traveled in the Pacific Ocean between the Marshall Islands and Tokyo. Valerie Lecoeur is part of a research team studying plastic pollution in the ocean.
Now the environmentalist wants to change the behavior of North Carolinians at the grocery store. Lecoeur is planning to bring a proposal before Winston-Salem City Council that would ban the use of plastic bags.
WFDD's Keri Brown sat down with her in our studio to hear more about the issue. Click the listen icon above to hear this interview.
Lecoeur said she's planning to visit Triad elementary schools this fall to educate children about the importance of recycling and picking up trash in their neighborhoods.
She will also be participating in a coastal bike tour with 5 Gyres, one of the research groups she traveled with in May to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the environment. The cyclists will begin on October 1 in Boston and will end their trip in Charleston, SC on November 4.
Lecoeur said she hopes they will also make a stop in Winston-Salem to help push her ban on plastic bags. She plans to bring her proposal before city council in late fall or early winter.
