It’s inspiring to once again have witnessed the power of the people successfully working for a common cause. In this case, for International Coastal Cleanup Day 2018, which took place on September 15.
What started over 30 years ago, with just two individuals and their idea to bring people together with the common goal of removing trash from our beaches, has turned into a true global movement.
Today’s guest blog is from Héctor Loyola, co-founder of Qactus and communications director.
Qactus is a company that merges two worlds as never before: plastic waste and 3D printing technology.
3D printing came to shake up the way things are produced and bought, since it allows to manufacture objects locally, in a customized way and at low costs. Its 25% annual growth indicates that it will be one of the main technologies in the near future and an important source of opportunities for industries as distant as health, fashion or food.
We are delighted to see Christine Wong’s #PlasticFreeFoodie project continuing on. Volume 2 of her highly popular publication features 60 mouthwatering recipes from 50 inspirational food Instagrammers – all made from ingredients free of plastic packaging and accompanied by photography that is as much art as the culinary creations themselves.
You can buy your digital copy now, for just $8.99. In addition to benefitting our cause, proceeds also go to Lonely Whale, which was founded by actor Adrian Grenier and Lucy Sumner.
Without further adieu, we offer up the official foreword for Volume 2, as written by our Global Executive Director Julie Andersen:
Esta semana invitamos a los chicos de Qactus a escribir un blog sobre su trabajo!
La impresión 3D llegó a revolucionar la forma en que se producen y compran las cosas, puesto que permite fabricar objetos de manera local, personalizada y a bajo costo. El 25% de crecimiento anual que se mantendrá hasta el año 2023 indica que será una de las tecnologías protagonistas del futuro cercano y una importante fuente de oportunidades para industrias tan distantes como la salud, la moda o los alimentos.
Mark Minneboo, Camila Ahrendt, and Antonia Tapia proudly display their official recognition as foundation.
Plastic Oceans Chile has been busy this month! The biggest news is that they managed to finalize the process of being recognized officially as a foundation in Chile this week. This will help them apply for government funds, donations and to begin a variety of collaborations with other organizations.
The Pico Youth and Family Center (PYFC) recently partnered with the Plastic Oceans Foundation (Plastic Oceans) to organize a rally and lobbying effort for a single-use plastic straw ban in Santa Monica, California.
The rain came quickly and without warning. The umbrella was useless against the force of the downpour. The streets quickly flooded and cars sprayed the sidewalk with water. It took just minutes to be soaked from head to foot. I considered turning back to the hotel, but I was already half-way to the cinema and 300 people were waiting. My hosts at the Asian Development Bank were calling.
Like many around the world, we were blown away by the beauty and power of the recently release video for the Novo Amor song, Birthplace. The film is a stunning visual achievement and we are honored be collaborating with the filmmakers, Sil van der Woerd and Jorik Dozy, as well as with Novo Amor to use it as a tool for building awareness on plastic pollution.
We are excited to continue our initiative to bring the value of creativity to the forefront, showcasing it as a powerful tool in our efforts to raise awareness on the issue of plastic pollution, to inspire action and to create meaningful change.
Earlier this week we had the pleasure of publishing an engaging interview with Welshman and musical savant, Ali Lacey, best known as Novo Amor. The release of the video for his song Birthplace has garnered a great deal of attention among music fans and those who have a passion for protecting our oceans from plastic pollution.
Today we turn our attention to filmmakers Sil van der Woerd and Jorik Dozy, the visionary creatives behind the Birthplace.
For decades, art and other forms of creative expression have served as powerful forms of dissent and protest on any number of social and political issues.
We can look to Picasso’s “Guernica” painting, which was based on the Spanish Civil War and captured its atrocities and inhumanity, serving as an inspiration for the modern human rights movement. To Diego Rivera’s powerful murals that spoke out in support of the working class. The Civil Rights photography of Gordon Parks. And today you can certainly get your fill of protest through the street art of Banksy; the eclectic creative output of Chinese dissident, Ai Wei Wei; or the music performances of Pussy Riot.