ACT-ATHON RESULTS
Beyond Plastics co-hosted its first ever plastic pollution youth act-athon with Green Ivy Schools on June 25, 2020. We were blown away by the passion and talents of our participants and of our wonderful team of youth mentors from all over the world.
Young people ages 7-13 came together virtually from all over the country to work with teenage and young adult mentors to take action against plastic pollution.
Divided into four teams, these young people used their creativity and passion to tell the world’s biggest plastic polluters that it’s time to clean up their mess. They created beautiful and powerful messages. After meeting each other, the kids headed off to their Zoom breakout rooms to work on their projects with their team of mentors. Below are some images of the work each team created together during the session.
Congratulations to all of our Act-Athon participants for the powerful work they created!
Team Nestlé Bottle Ban: Stop Nestlé from Polluting with Plastic!
Did you know that Nestlé (yes, the same company that makes chocolate and more) is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world? And that one of Nestlé’s most popular products is water, sold in single-use plastic bottles all over the world? Led by mentors Olivia and Joanna, Team Nestlé put their creativity to work to send a persuasive message to Nestlé, influencers, and customers like schools, sports teams, politicians, and more, asking them to stop packaging their products in single-use plastic. See below for a few screen captures and pictures of both the process and the end products.
Team Eco-Hero: Design a Superhero to Fight Plastic Pollution!
The world needs a new superhero right now to fight plastic pollution — one of our most dangerous villains. Led by mentors Nyah, Srichchha, and Madeline, Team Eco-Hero worked to design the world’s first plastic pollution hero to confront companies, politicians, and others who are polluting the Earth with plastic. See below for a few pictures of both the process and the end products.
Team Clear Oceans: Save the Oceans from Microplastic!
Because plastic gets into our water supply, our oceans now contain millions of tiny pieces of plastic in every cubic meter of water (that’s about how much it takes to fill up your bathtub). Microplastics particles are like dust – they are so small you can barely see them. These tiny particles get consumed by sea creatures which end up in our global food chain (including the food we eat!) and are believed to interfere with the ocean’s ability to continue to serve as a crucial carbon sink. Led by mentors, Mary and Fionn, Team Clear Oceans developed a creative visual campaign to raise awareness and help stop microplastics pollution of our water supply. See below for one example of what they came up with.
Team Coca-Cola Cleanup: Make Coca-Cola Take Responsibility For Its Mess!
Did you know that Coca Cola is the #1 plastic polluter in the world, producing 3 million tons of plastic every year? That leaves the public with a big plastic mess. But who is responsible for cleaning up that mess? Right now, it’s governments and citizens but there is a policy called “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) which means that whoever makes the mess has to clean it up (including paying for that cleanup). Led by mentors Maya and Leela, Team Coca Cola Clean-Up combined poetry and persuasive writing in a social media campaign to educate the public about Coca Cola’s polluting behavior and ask everyone to unite in putting a stop to it. See below for a few screen captures and pictures of both the process and the end products.
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