Funding Youth Empowered Solutions to the Global Plastic Crisis

A Bit About Us:

Upon her first visit in 2017, Alexis Jablonski often reflected on the immense about of plastic waste in Techiman; spilling from waste bins, clogging drainage systems, and embedded within the soil. According to the United Nations’ 2017 environmental report, Ghana wastes 666,219 pounds of plastic each day, 81% of which is mismanaged (UN Environmental Report, 2018).

Ghana currently lacks the infrastructure to promote recycling habits throughout the country. Communities such as Techiman are unable to access recycling centers. Therefore, they turn to improper, yet convenient methods of disposal. Such as; littering, street dumping, burning of plastic, and landfill disposal.

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The high school senior returned to Techiman in February of 2019 to develop a solution to the complex plastic waste issue within the community.

She taught the P6 class about the importance of proper waste management and encouraged the students to clean plastic water sachets from the school campus.

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Students and volunteers washed, cut, and weaved the former plastic litter into a soccer net for the school campus.

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Watch the Entire Weaving Process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z71D31X2wQQ&t=1s

The Global Crisis:

Single-use plastics have overcome developing countries around the world. Though plastic is convenient and cheap, it does not decompose naturally in the environment. As we continue to produce 300 million tons of plastic each year, only 9% has been recycled, 12% incinerated, while 79% has accumulated in the natural environment; including landfills, rivers, and oceans.

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While there is a building awareness regarding the environmental implications of plastic waste, the federal government is not moving fast enough to solve the problem. It is imperative to promote youth empowered solutions across the world to combat the global plastic crisis. Like-minded students around the globe who organize toward a common goal can create immense change.

Help Us Fulfill Our Mission

After recognizing the call to action, the For One World: Plastic Initiative was created. Over a short period of time, students at the Ayi-Owen School understood the problem within their community and implemented a solution. Shortly after the St. Johnsbury Academy volunteers left Ghana, the P6 students and their teachers created two additional nets for the campus, a tennis net and a volleyball net. These nets stand as a representation of the students’ education and ambition to better their environment. Their intrinsic desire to better their environment proves how youth around the world can make an immense impact.

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The Ayi-Owen school plans to continue to weave nets and sell them within the community. They will raise awareness within the community to promote environmental cleanliness, as Ghana strives to become a nation free of litter. Nevertheless, it starts with the collaboration on a local scale, which will naturally enable students with similar motivations to act as one.

Fund Our Initiative:

The goal of the For One World: Plastic Initiative, is to support student-led methods to reduce the impact of plastic waste. Alexis Jablonski, head of the initiative plans to raise funds to support contests for youth on a global scale to compete for solutions to the plastic problem. We will connect via social media and conduct panel discussions on which projects should be funded. Projects, such as the plastic sports nets wouldn’t be possible without financial support.