Earth911 Podcast: Rachael Z. Miller Tracks Microfiber Pollution

Rachael Z. Miller is a leading voice in the fight against microfiber pollution, the plastic smog that trails our clothing like exhaust from a car. You might not see them, but our synthetic clothing sheds millions of tiny plastic fibers that make their way into our atmosphere, oceans, and rivers. It’s been less than a century since the introduction of synthetic textiles — nylon was the first about 90 years ago — but microfibers are already found everywhere on the planet, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the guts and bloodstreams of our bodies and those of mammals and marine life. As the founder of the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, Rachael has dedicated herself to documenting and mitigating the impact of this invisible pollutant, including launching the Cora Ball, a laundry accessory that reduces the microfibers released during a wash.