Features | Trash Hero World

Come Join The Trash Isles!

by Leslie Finlay on 22/10/2017 16 comments

This month, UN spokesman for the UN’s Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric was granted a certificate of honorary citizenship to an area that hopes to become the world’s 196^th nation – the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or formally known today as The Trash Isles. He’ll join the ranks of other citizens like Al Gore (the first applicant) and actress Judi Dench.

Source: LADbible

The movement to designate the France-sized garbage patch as its own nation was spurred by advocates from the Plastics Oceans Foundation and UK-based entertainment company LADbible. Today it boasts its own flag, passport, currency (appropriately called ‘debris’), and more than 140,000 “citizens” from countries spanning the globe, making The Trash Isles the 25^th-smallest country in the world.

The “country” hopes to be the latest member to the United Nations. As a member-country, the other 193 UN nations would be compelled to help clean up the new nation per the UN’s charter.

Source: LADbible

The Trash Isles itself is actually a massive soup of floating microplastics, which renders it incredibly tricky to clean up and severely dangerous to the ecosystem. Through bioaccumulation, these microplastics have a good chance of winding up in our food supply, harming marine life along the way.

The campaign, and its vast multinational participation, draws attention to the enormity of our waste problem and the fact that it is our collective responsibility to mitigate and remedy it.

So what can you do?

We can stop adding to the problem by limiting our use of single-use plastics and employing sustainable alternatives, like Trash Hero bottles and bags.
Pick up trash in your community, either on your own or find a cleanup in your area.
Separate your trash. Recycle what is possible for your area, and find ways to use items that are non-recyclable. Ecobricks provide one solution for plastic waste, or up-cycle items to use for art, furniture, even stand-up paddle boards!
Encourage others to also develop sustainable habits.
Start a local Trash Hero chapter to establish enduring, consistent change at your local level.

Through this collective behavioral change we can keep this new nation from growing in size.

To help raise further awareness, “apply for citizenship” of The Trash Isles here.

Let’s Get Plastic Off the Menu

by Leslie Finlay on 07/10/2017 No comments

This week, Malta hosted the annual EU-backed “Our Ocean 2017” conference to support measures to improve ocean health. This year’s discussion revolved heavily around the necessity to reduce plastic waste from entering the marine environment.Prince Charles of the UK delivered the opening speech urging for the movement away from a “throw-away, convenience lifestyle” that dumps more than eight million tonnes of plastic into the ocean every year.

“We are very close to reaching the point when whatever wild-caught fish you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is indeed now on the menu,” he said.

While policy-making and inter-governmental cooperation are of paramount importance, change can begin today among all of us. Trash Heroes globally pledge the commitment to break the cycle of single-use plastic like bags, bottles, straws, cutlery, and other everyday items.

Trash Hero’s Bottles and Bags program is expanding across many participating countries, substantially reducing the amount of plastic bottles and bags that end up on the beaches, in the sea, and in our communities. Just one reusable water bottle or bag can save huge amounts of plastic from winding up in the environment.

Trash Hero’s goal is to distribute 115,000 bottles through 500 participating businesses in 30 locations worldwide within the next three years, and 150 business distribute 51,000 reusable bags. This initiative can save an estimated 41 million plastic bottles and 5.1 million plastic bags from being used.

Want to buy a reusable bottle or bag or learn how to become a participating business? Get in touch to find out how!

Meet our Heroes – A Cleanup in Greece

by Leslie Finlay on 04/09/2017 No comments

Stephan, Claudia and Julia were on holiday on the Greek peninsula of Sithonia this summer. From a distance, the scenery was breathtaking – a lush green paradise flanked by crystal blue waters. But the isles face the same problem coastlines globally struggle with – an unmanageable influx of waste.

When sharing his story with us, Stephan said that the human impact was clear and troubling.

“The people there put all their purchases in small plastic bags, and you will encounter these bags all over again. There is so much other waste like cardboard, tire, metal, beercans etc.,” he said. “When talking to the people about it, you realize that they are not sensitive to it and interpret it as if it was always like this. They are accustomed to it.”

He continues to describe his experience and how he decided to take action, rather than just accept the waste as reality.

“Our house-beach where we swam every day was in Vourvourou. It is a small, sheltered bay with lots of sand and shallow ground. The garbage flooded from the other side of the bay directly into the beach and was caught there. In the water were many small plastic parts, like ice cream or chip packs and other foods. This waste often comes from the people who are traveling there by boat. Again and again we have found trash on the beach, which came from everywhere. When we were snorkeling with our diving masks, we noticed that there is also a lot of waste on the seabed.

On the third day, we had the idea to collect the garbage together on the beach and by diving in the sea. We used our air-matress as a stationary garbage collector and we dived around in the bay for one hour. We even found a cartire. The landlord from whom we rented our apartment, was excited about our clean-up. This is typically Swiss, he said.

We want to show the world that there is a lot of waste in many places and near the sea, and it does not belong there. We will not be able to clean up Greece completely, but we want to show the world how little it takes to make it cleaner and we like to encourage everybody to do the same everywehere. We could not collect much trash, but a little is also a lot for the world.

So when you see garbage in the sea, take a bag and take it away. All childrens of this world will be thanksful that they can still swim in 100 years and of course also the fishes!

The future says “Thank you!”

No matter how big or small your contribution, every small action taken makes a difference. It’s only through heroes like Stephan, Claudia and Julia that we can realize a reality of a waste-free world.

It Only Takes One Hero to Make an Impact – From Bali Beaches & Beyond

by Leslie Finlay on 29/08/2017 No comments

Esther Thomet recently attended the National Geographic Student Expedition, a student travel program run through various locations around the world that aims to inspire and educate middle school and high school students.

While in Tulamben in Northeastern Bali, a representative from Trash Hero introduced the student group to the organization before they took to the beaches to help clean alongside local Balinese children. During the presentation, Esther said that the group was shown video of a sea turtle with a straw up its nose.

“I cried because it was devastating to watch the harmful human influence on nature,” she said. “I knew then that I wanted to help.”

While she participated locally, the spirit of Trash Hero instilled within Esther long after her trip. She said that the strongest part of Trash Hero’s message is not only that they actively clean and conserve, but they are teaching others in the process.

“From a single beach cleanup and small lesson I learned what kinds of plastics to look out for and where they are commonly hidden, how to help prevent the use of plastics in everyday activities, and what affects we will have on the ocean, and world in general, if we continue to use plastic at this rate,” she said.

Education of this sort is lasting and far-reaching, and inspires others, like Esther, that they can make a difference.

“I wanted to go home and fundraise because I was very inspired by the thought that someone like me could make an impact,” Esther said. “I wanted to spread Trash Hero’s message to my friends and family.”

Returning home, Esther coordinated donations totaling $500 for Trash Hero World, in the process living up to Trash Hero’s message of education and inspiration, eager to share what she had learned with others and incorporate changes into her everyday life.

“The trip mainly changed the way I view the world,” Esther said. “I am very conscious about how much trash I am producing, how to limit my trash production, and how to make others aware about how they can get involved and help as well.”

Collaboration and togetherness are the clear keys to transformative progress. For other aspiring heroes, Esther believes that by remembering the reasons for why we work for a passion, we can achieve anything.

“I once had a teacher who told me that it doesn’t matter what career or life path I choose, as long as I do so with pride, dedication, and hope for the future,” she said.

“Trash Monsters” at Wonderfruit Festival Dazzle and Inspire

by Leslie Finlay on 23/08/2017 1 comment

The three day “Wonderfruit Festival Pattaya” is the biggest music- and arts festival in Thailand with a mission to “encourage, develop and innovate creative solutions for sustainable living and bring together a global community to celebrate them. We use our platform to catalyze creativity and make a meaningful, positive impact.”

Alongside well-known musical acts, workshops, art installations, banquets and presentations are also held in the spirit of this ethos. Topics encourage participation and range from sustainability and the environment to social responsibility.

This year, well-known Thai artist Tom Potisit created a 3-meter long “trash monsters” on behalf of Trash Hero Thailand that came to life for several performances with the help of professional dancers.

The “Little Monsters”, named DukDik and KukKoo, were inspired by deep-deep sea animals such as Anglerfish and extinct shrimp-like animal called the Anomalocarididsx to raise awareness about how the waste we create affects all living organisms – even deep seas creatures. He worked to collaborate between active Trash Hero chapters along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coast to collect trash from the ocean, including fishing equipment, lighters, toys, sunglasses, and more. His production team carefully assembled DukDik and KukKoo and created a personality for both creatures in order to make them truly come alive at the festival, fully equipped with LED lights to light up the campaign.

The founder of Wonderfruit, Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha, was originally inspired by environmental projects from his community, but sought to celebrate social awareness in a fun, relevant and contemporary way.

The attitude is put into practice at the festival, as well. On-site water filtration allows festival-goeers to refill reusable water bottles on sale, and all drinks and food are served in biodegradable or reusable containers. A local organization, Thailand Young Farmers, provide locally-grown, organic produce for the banquets, and a portion of each ticket sale is contributed to the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve in Borneo, Malaysia, to offset carbon emissions and make Wonderfruit a carbon neutral event. A collaboration between the festival and Johnnie Walker contributed a portion of drink sales to the planting of more than 1,000 mangrove trees in Myanmar. Several Trash Hero volunteers held presentations during the festival, as well, about their experiences in the field to raise more awareness about waste issues.

A Lasting Trash Hero Souvenir

by Leslie Finlay on 25/07/2017 No comments

The story below is from Trash Hero Blanka Szecsenyi.

I met Trash Hero in Thailand in 2014. It was a beautiful holiday I took with my boyfriend while living in London. I thought it was just a leisurely activity, a free boat trip to join Trash Hero, but it became much more than that.

I was devastated by the state of an uninhabited island, yet amazed by the motivation of all the people of Trash Hero, to keep cleaning up what they might never be able to stop coming.

When I got back to cold and gray London from the winter sun, it took me a while to adjust to the everydays. Not only that for 3 weeks I was able to live out of a back pack, but also that I spent a day cleaning up rubbish while probably generating more at home in a week than I collected in a day. Hoping of course that my rubbish does reach the recycling factories, but still disgusted by the amount of unnecessary packaging in every shop.

I started to get rid of plastic bags. Those were always my weak point. Of course, it feels good to hold dozens of bags after a shopping spree on Oxford Street, but it feels even better to put all into one bag when I get on the tube. When I get home with all the new stuff (most of them probably not necessary), I generate a bag full of other bags and cut of labels, stickers, etc. Then I keep packing those bags inside each other, keeping them in the cupboard, in case I will need it. When did all this start?

I remember having maybe one nice plastic bag in a year – I kept my piano notes in them for months of classes. The only reason for it was that they were too big for my school bag and I did not want to get them wet on the way. I also remember a classmate from uni – I used to train him as he always skipped classes, but it helped me to prepare for the exams. When he had to take some notes from my place, he refused a plastic bag for it as his father, captain of a ship said he would never want to be seen carrying anything in a plastic bag, it is so not masculine – compared to being a captain.

Feeling energized by Trash Hero event, I skipped using the plastic bags. When we got Ocado home delivery – where the driver takes your old Ocado bags – I just wanted to be so quick unpacking that he would take what he just got me as well. I just did not want to store one more of those monsters. I still had to convince my boyfriend, he would join me when we were together, but when he was shopping on his own, he would still end up bringing them home. Half success I guess?

2 years later we moved home, back to Budapest with my now husband. We spent the first 6 months in-between-homes, renovating and simply not settling properly. I ended up living out of boxes and with bags of bags once more – but not for long. I got my shopping bags again and recycling every single plastic bag I end up with.

I shared this story on the below event (speech is in English, title in Hungarian – to be updated soon) as an exercise for public speaking. I tried to find a topic which I believe is worthy enough to take the time of 80 people and maybe achieve something with my message.

I ended up with dozens of messages now, about how they, who heard my speech stopped using plastic bags now. I don’t even dare to imagine how many of those there might be who did not tell me their related actions.
You see, every little counts. I was just one city girl on holiday looking for a cheap trip – ended up motivating dozens to stop using plastic bags.

http://speakacademy.hu/speaker/szechenyi-blanka-speak-academy-galaest-2017-junius-21-marriott/

Trash Hero Gili Meno Wedding

by Amelia Meier on 06/05/2017 No comments

6 May 2017 – Trash Hero Gili Meno (Indonesia)

We are super happy to announce that two of our trash heroes from Trash Hero Gili Meno (Indonesia) have just gotten married. Supriyadi and Husnul Hatimah, on behalf of all of us at Trash Hero, CONGRATULATIONS! Wishing you all the best for a healthy and happy life together, and thank you for all you for Trash Hero Gili Meno.

Happy and motivated Heroes on Koh Samui

by Amelia Meier on 09/03/2017 2 comments

9 March 2017 – Trash Hero Koh Samui

Our friends of Trash Hero Koh Samui have just produced an awesome video showing how much fun goes into the activities they do. See it here. Keep up the good work guys!

Trash Hero Alex’s Birthday

by Amelia Meier on 09/02/2017 No comments

9 February 2017 – Trash Hero Indonesia

A few weeks ago, Trash Hero Indonesia volunteers received this message:

“Hey Trash Hero,

I need your help! My son, Alex, is incredibly concern with the trash on Bali and has truly taken it to heart. For some reason, he really wants a Beach Cleanup Party for his 7th birthday, which is on February 2. His exact words were “On my 7th birthday, I want to go to the beach and find a big table with all the things we need. I want to get many strangers to come, and we can then tell tell them what to do to clean the beach” We all want to make this happen, and are hoping that you guys can help. I want to make this event public and make my Alex’ dream come true. Please let me know if you can be a part of this. Thank you”

Hélène and the other volunteers of Trash Hero Indonesia immediately got on board and assisted wherever possible. Alex’ mom did an amazing job at making the event known to the public and inviting people, and last Sunday they all gathered at the beach in Canggu and enjoyed a cleanup and some real birthday fun.

Alex has since gone on to be a regular hero, as you can see here. How awesome is it that young Alex is already infected with the Trash Hero virus?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX, AND ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR TRASH-FREE FUTURE!

From Trash Hero Trang

by Amelia Meier on 23/01/2017 No comments

23 January 2017 – Trash Hero Trang (Thailand)

Trash Heroes from Trash Hero Trang (Thailand) have just made the news. Watch it here. Making us proud!