Plastic – not so fantastic
Reuse, reduce, recycle, change lives
Mounds and mounds of plastic garbage are appearing more and more in the news. The oceans have floating garbage patches the size of France, whales and dolphins wash ashore – with stomachs full of plastic waste and once pristine beaches are covered in plastic. Convenience it seems, comes with a price… Here are some initiatives that are tackling the issue and some ideas on what you can do to help.
Hug It Forward is a grass-roots organization that facilitates education and awareness by empowering communities in Latin America to build “bottle schools”. You may first have heard about it on “Oprah”.
Bottle schools are schools built using “eco-bricks”: plastic bottles stuffed with inorganic trash. Bottle schools are built using tried and tested post and beam construction. The foundations, columns and beams are made from concrete reinforced with rebar. The difference with traditional construction is that instead of cinder-blocks, the walls are made using these “eco-bricks”. Bottle schools are much cheaper to build than traditional schools, they clean up the environment, teach lessons about environmental sustainability, and involve the entire community in their construction, resulting in a sense of pride and ownership. Entire communities come together to make the dream of educational opportunity a reality, by building their own bottle school. If you are interested in volunteering you can participate in a Bottle School Voluntourism Trip
If you like to learn more about bottle schools here is a manual
The aim of plasticbank.org is to alleviate extreme poverty and prevent plastic from entering our oceans and reducing ocean plastic.
Recyclers bring plastics to a Social Plastic recycling market where they exchange plastic for cash, items, or services.
Plasticbank has partnered with the world’s largest brands to use Social Plastic.
Social Plastic® helps improve the life of a person in need, while preventing plastic waste from entering our oceans. Over 8 trillion lbs of plastic already exists on this planet, we don’t need to make any more if we increase the global recycling rates through ethically sourced Social Plastic® supply chains.
All over the world steps are being taken to reduce the use of plastic – especially the single-use plastics like straws, go-cups and plastic bags. An example is the announcement of a plastic ban in Canada
Reducing the use of plastic is the best way to reduce the production of plastic waste. Take part in a challenge to go without: plastic straws (drink straight from the cup), plastic bottles (use a reusable water bottle) and plastic bags (use a reusable bag). In the comments, please share what you are doing to limit your use of plastic and share ideas on how to reuse, reduce and recycle.
Companies use recycled plastic in new products:
Visit the Plasticbank.com website to find out how you can go Plastic Neutral and earn your Plastic Neutral Certificate.
This video shows you what 4Ocean.com is all about: removing plastic from the ocean one pound per bracelet at the time. How 2 surfers made a difference…
Avangard Innovative in Houston is an example of a company addressing this environmental concern. This a company that helps other companies push more recyclables into the Circular Economy, lowering their waste costs and maximizing their profitability. By showing how recycling can improve a company’s bottom line, AI assists company’s in reducing their carbon footprint while making it financially attractive. Additionally Avangard Innovative’s 3E Foundation was created as an environmentally and socially responsible alternative for companies who have a heavy replacement cycle of IT equipment. The Foundation replaces current ITAD programs by collecting, wiping and cleaning, and then donating usable electronics to institutions focused on expanding opportunities for low-income communities.
In the comments, please share what you are doing to limit your use of plastic and share ideas on how to reuse, reduce and recycle.
Remember: YOU can make a difference!
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