JBM Packaging

🌊 On , we’re reflecting upon the pale blue dot we call home. 🌎

The world is so vast, and the ocean so enormous, that it can be difficult to imagine that a single action by a single human can make a difference. Perhaps you’ve felt that way on occasion. Perhaps there have been times when, say, a plastic wrapper got caught in a gust of wind and blew away from you, and you didn’t chase after it, figuring it probably didn’t matter.

But perhaps, on other occasions, you’ve come across trash blowing across a beach. Perhaps you’ve seen plastic bags and bottles floating in waterways and wondered who could possibly have been so thoughtless.

We’ve all been both people—the ones who think our actions don’t matter, and the ones who are affected by others’ actions and know they do, in fact, matter.

The ocean is the place where all the little choices you think don’t matter—forgetting to pick up trash, using disposable bags instead of reusable ones, picking plastic over a compostable material—come together. According to Ocean Conservancy, more than a garbage truck’s worth of plastic waste enters the ocean every minute. And because plastic can take a century or more to break down completely, the amount of plastic waste in the ocean just grows. It tangles and chokes animals, and it gradually breaks down into micro- and nano-plastics that make their way into nearly all living things.

That sounds bleak, doesn’t it? But in fact what it means is that our actions can have an impact: on those around us, and on the entire world. If every piece of errant trash can make a difference for the worse, then eliminating that waste can have an equally positive effect.

This World Ocean Day, we hope you’ll reflect on how you can take action to protect the blue in our blue dot—from swapping out single-use plastic products for reusable and sustainable substitutes, to advocating for more sustainable practices at your workplace.

The ocean is vast, it’s true. But it also connects us.

On a sunny Saturday earlier this month, JBM continued its celebration of with a ceremony honoring team members striving for Better Lives.

Twelve team members were honored as graduates of the Better Lives Program. This year-long course combines structured coaching with resources to help newly hired Fair Chance team members set and achieve their goals.

In the six years since the program began, participants have accomplished amazing things! Their goals have included saving money, reconnecting with family and regaining custody of children, earning promotions at work, maintaining sobriety, and other achievements that have helped these team members walk a new path after incarceration. JBM is proud to be part of that journey.

Congratulations to all the graduates working hard to build Better Lives every day!