Episode 40

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Published on:

15th Sep 2026

Saying No to Plastics - Why & How

Guest Cedar Walters talks about the harms of plastics in our bodies and the environment in this episode and shares tactics to reduce plastic use.

Cedar Walters is Senior Director of Community Programs at West Central Initiative (WCI), where she leads community initiatives and connects people and communities with resources that support sustainability and resilience. In 2025 and 2026 she organized and supported eight community screenings of the Plastic People documentary, which led to the formation of a Beyond Plastics local chapter in west central Minnesota. Prior to joining WCI, Cedar worked at a county recycling facility for six years and became obsessed with waste reduction – specifically for plastics and food waste.

Cedar holds an MS in Biology and Environmental Education from North Dakota State University and has experience in distributed solar development, composting and recycling program development, sustainable food systems, and native prairie restoration projects. In her free time she can be found in her pollinator garden, spending time with family, reading, camping, knitting, and organizing for more inclusive and equitable communities.

RESOURCES

Beyond Plastics: trainings, resources, studies, fact sheets, map of local groups, speaker bureau, and more! https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Reasons to Say No to Plastics: https://files.captivate.fm/library/d7963bca-c38f-4d72-ae91-8cdf07543597/Reasons-to-Say-No-to-Plastics-Beyond-Plastics.pdf

Sustainable Closet Basics: https://files.captivate.fm/library/c83f24bf-6b68-4ec2-8d0a-0f95f0cd47fc/Sustainable-Closet-Basics.pdf

Thrift Tips and Gifts: https://files.captivate.fm/library/891f05db-1ed3-4c39-91e4-8e59fa005d3a/Thrift-Tips-and-Gifts.pdf

Compostable Products Purchasing Guid: https://files.captivate.fm/library/c0e48e78-f7dc-4692-aecc-8dacec5406d6/Compostable-Products-Purchasing-Guide.pdf

Reducing health impacts from plastics - Blog: https://www.beyondplastics.org/ask-a-scientist/avoid-plastic-toxic-chemicals

For West Central MN Specifically:

Quarterly Advocacy Trainings coming up in November – free on Zoom, pick a date that works for you:

Screening of Plastic People -coming up on September 26th at 6:30 pm at the Becker Co Museum in Detroit Lakes, MN https://www.facebook.com/share/1LUpEdwQFH/

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Erika

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About the Podcast

The Global Grit Experience
Stories of inspiring people with grit protecting nature, wildlife and the outdoor places we love.
The Global Grit Experience is about caring for nature, wildlife and each other by sharing stories of people making a difference in small and big ways. Real people, doing the work, who we can learn from, find some inspiration, and gather our grit to step up for the protection of our natural world. Erika Gilsdorf is an international, award-winning video producer and uses this podcast to be able to dive a bit deeper into a variety of environmental topics that are relevant, authentic and inspiring in today's challenging times. It's a podcast built on stories of hope, connection and action.

About your host

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Erika Gilsdorf

Hi! Thanks for being here! I’m Erika, the Global Grit Experience podcast creator and host. Though the podcast format is fairly new to me, I’ve been sharing stories close to 20 years in Minnesota, the U.S. and around the world. Some of those I’ve worked with include The Minnesota Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, General Mills, United Airlines, and National Geographic. I’m an outdoor enthusiast, adventurer, and climate and nature activist. I chose ‘grit’ because everything worth pursuing takes grit - passion, perseverance, courage, curiosity, hope and an unwavering determination to protect. Nature deserves a bit of our grit. Thanks for giving some of your grit for the love of nature.