Trash Heroes in Myanmar Integral to Nation’s Ambitions for a Sustainable Future

by Leslie Finlay on 05/06/2019 1 comment

Our Trash Heroes in Myanmar met President U Win Myint at a World Environment Day event in Nay Pyi Taw. The President was originally introduced to Trash Hero in 2018, then honoring the growing national movement and its local chapters for their fantastic work, and for promoting the spirit of sustainability within their individual communities.

Trash Hero Myanmar Updates President U Win Myint on the year’s project successes

Addressing more than 400 stakeholders representing state and regional ministries, academic institutions, businesses, and special interest groups, the President urged the Burmese people to look at their own relationships with waste in their everyday lives. His message mirrored the spirit of the Trash Hero mission: that lasting, high-level change occurs from collective adjustments to our mindset and behaviours.

The President’s message is supported by a record of growing public action and awareness against waste. Myanmar’s first Trash Hero community clean was organized in Yangon in July 2016, coordinating 135 volunteers who collected more than 400 kg of rubbish. Today, Trash Hero Myanmar has expanded to 10 national chapters, who together have collected 46,517 kilograms of trash with the help of almost 17,000 volunteers – more than 5,000 of which are children.

The President’s support for movements like Trash Hero is predicated on a national ambition to develop the country as a climate-resilient, low-carbon, low-waste society.

Trash Hero Myanmar has grown quickly with 10 national chapters actively reducing the waste problem in their communities

He announced two new policies that recognize the increasing threat of extreme weather and other climate change impacts this economic and social development. These policies – called the National Environmental Policy and the Myanmar Climate Change Policy – recognize the need for collaboration among ministries, civil society, businesses, and academia. But the President also highlights the importance of public participation – through initiatives like Trash Hero – to establish a sustainable national mindset.

“I would like to urge Myanmar citizens, including all of you, to participate for the current and future sustainable development of our country by changing your daily lifestyles in order to support environmental conservation,” he said while addressing participants at the World Environment Day event.

The Heroes of Trash Hero Myanmar in Action!

Leatherback turtles return to nest in Trash Hero Khao Lak’s community!

by Seema on 30/12/2018 2 comments

For the first time in five years, leatherback turtles have laid eggs on Thai shores.

Leatherbacks are the largest, deepest-diving and farthest-ranging of all the sea turtles, and are known to have existed on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, 110 million years ago. Yet they are on the brink of worldwide extinction.

Mai Khao Beach in Phuket and Thai Muang Beach in Phang Nga were once their favoured spots in Thailand to lay their eggs, but the turtles have rarely been seen here for the last 15 years, with the last recorded nesting in Mai Khao in 2013.

Leatherback turtles prefer beaches with a slope, to limit the distance from the sea to dry sand; without bright lights; and free of debris. If no suitable spot is found, the female may return to sea without laying her eggs. It will be another 3 – 4 years before she is ready to try again.

Coastal development and marine pollution are therefore the key factors in their recent disappearance from Andaman shores.

But on 17 December 2018, a 1.25m female leatherback was spotted on Khuk Khak Beach in Phang Nga province, nesting in front of Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort during daylight hours.

Perhaps disturbed by the people observing, the young mother laid her 118 eggs slightly below the high water mark. After being alerted, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (8th Division) recovered 93 viable embryos to be moved further up the beach for safety. The 89 surviving eggs are now under 24 hour surveillance and monitoring.

You can see a live web feed from the 6 CCTV cameras monitoring the nesting site here: http://loveseaturtle.dmcr.go.th

Nine days later, another leatherback nest was found by villagers just before dawn in Ban Tha Sai, Thai Muang district, some 39km from the original spot in Khuk Khak. It is not known whether the eggs are from the same mother, although the size of the imprint suggests the second nest was made by a larger female – and this time it was above the high water mark. These eggs are also under surveillance.

Pakawat “Parn” Winyukul, the leader of Trash Hero Khao Lak, visited the team from the DMCR tasked with the monitoring the Khuk Khak site a few days after the find. He reported that there was great excitement and that every care was being taken to ensure that the eggs would be safely incubated. Surface temperature of the sand was being checked every two hours, and the relative humidity and temperature of the nest, 90cm under the ground was also being monitored.

The eggs should take between 60 – 72 days to hatch. Temperature plays a large part in the success – and also determines the sex – of the brood.

Parn visiting the DMCR team at the Khuk Khak surveillance site

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources extended thanks to all Trash Hero volunteers for helping to keep this stretch of coastline clean over the past two years, saying this had directly contributed to the turtles’ return.

“Of course, Khuk Khak beach [the site of the first nest] is kept pretty clean by the two hotels located there,” explained Parn, “and other groups such as the Department of National Parks also do cleanups on this coast, so we can’t take the credit. It’s really a whole community effort that has led to these wonderful events.

“But DMCR did stress that the [10+ tons of] garbage we have removed in this area over the past two years has had an effect on the local marine ecosystem, as that stuff would blow or wash back into the sea without regular removal.

Trash Hero Khao Lak volunteers cleaning Thai Muang beach with the Dept. of National Parks

“It was a really proud moment for me to know that our small efforts can have such an amazing effect – really the best New Year gift ever!” continued a visibly emotional Parn. “The leatherback mother turtles and their babies will be an inspiration for everyone at Trash Hero Khao Lak as we continue our work in 2019.”

Prof. Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, Thailand’s leading marine biologist and veteran environmental campaigner, pictured below (in the white polo shirt) with Parn, visited the surveillance centre at its launch. He also expressed his gratitude to local community groups who have been cleaning the beaches, and appealed for more efforts to reduce single use plastic bags in particular, which the turtles mistake for jellyfish – their main source of food.

He said the sites in Phang Nga were leading the world in terms of the protection provided for the leatherback nests and that the evidence of healthy females gives him hope of a recovery in the Andaman population. There is certainly a renewed sense of optimism after the dire warnings issued last year by the Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation about the continued absence of the giant turtles.

The nesting season for leatherbacks is usually from November to February, with females returning to the area where they were born and laying up to 10 times, with intervals of 10 – 12 days. So all concerned are praying there will be more eggs to come.

According to the Leatherback Trust, only 25 % of hatchlings will make it through their first few days in the ocean, with around six percent surviving their first year. The Royal Thai Navy’s Sea Turtle Nursery at Thap Lamu, located near the nesting sites, will therefore look after the baby turtles until they are strong enough to be released back into the wild.

UPDATE: 11 February 2019

The first set of baby turtles have hatched:

Bring your own container campaign takes off in Trang

by Seema on 17/09/2018 No comments

Our amazing Trash Hero chapters are always going the extra mile to involve their communities. In Trang Province in Thailand, the team have recently launched a campaign to “bring your own” reusable bottle, bag, cutlery or container when out shopping or ordering takeaway food.

Their aim is to persuade local businesses – and not just the usual suspects like hip coffee shops, but market stalls and travelling street vendors, too – to offer a discount to any customer who brings a reusable container to take home their products, avoiding the use of a disposable, single-use plastic equivalent.

So far more than 30 vendors have signed up to the scheme, offering discounts of anything from 5 baht (15¢) to 10% off your purchase.

Jean-Luc, one of the Trash Hero Trang leaders (pictured top), reported a positive response to their efforts, saying “the issue [of plastic pollution] is now very big in Thailand. As well as being concerned personally, shop owners understand this initiative is another way to attract customers and also save costs”.

If you’re visiting Trang, check out the list of participating businesses on the Facebook link here : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2188193051253079&type=1&l=e40f0258ee – and don’t forget to bring your containers!

Trash Hero meets with Thai Prime Minister

by Seema on 30/08/2018 No comments

It’s been an extraordinary month for Trash Hero in Thailand.

We were delighted to see the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-ocha, highlight the growing problem of plastic waste within the kingdom on his weekly address to the nation. His second report on the topic, broadcast across all channels on 10 August 2018, outlined the various measures being implemented to tackle the crisis, as well as encouraging all stakeholders to do their part to help.

During this segment, Mr Chan-ocha drew attention to the activities of Trash Hero, whose volunteers have worked tirelessly to bring issues of waste – and the solutions – to the forefront of public awareness over the past four years.

The Prime Minster held Trash Hero up as an example for the country’s youth and for the power of people working together. After presenting our latest waste collection figures to the country, he also asked a pertinent question, saying “these results were achieved by only 100,000 people. If all 60 million citizens would join in, how big would the impact be?”

Trash Hero is honoured by this recognition and support for our work and approach.

Shortly after the broadcast, we had the opportunity to meet both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Education Minister of Thailand in person at events in Chumphon Province.

On 20 August 2018, Clin. Prof. Udom Kachintorn, the Deputy Minister of Education, visited Ban Hin Kob to see the work of six local schools taking part in the Trash Hero Kids program – the highlight of which was a dramatisation of our story book by Year 4 and 5 students from Ban Don Takian School. The play was well received by the Minister and we presented him with a Trash Hero gift bag containing our shirt, bottle and kids’ books.

The following day, representatives of Trash Hero Chumphon, Trash Hero Kids and Trash Hero World were invited, along with other community groups, to King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (Chumphon campus), to meet the Prime Minister. He spoke warmly of Trash Hero, and posed for photos with many of our young volunteers.

We were able to convey information about our activities, not only to the PM’s aides, but to other government ministers and provincial governors who were also present. In a direct conversation we thanked Mr Chan-ocha for his support and assured him that we are ready to work together with all parties to increase engagement and cooperation on tackling plastic pollution at the source.

Trash Hero Thailand currently has 27 active chapters and is registering as a legal entity.

Picture credits: ไทยคู่ฟ้า, PMDU and A. Nestcharat Photography

Paddling the Thames – Source to Sea

by Leslie Finlay on 18/06/2018 1 comment

Our friends over at The Whale Company are currently carrying out a 300 kilometer mission to deliver “a message in a bottle” to the UK Parliament about the rising tide of plastic pollution.

The team is stand-up paddling its way along the famed UK river route – from source to sea – aboard their trademark plastic bottle boards. Along the journey they’re stopping by local communities to conduct workshops and clean-ups, visit schools and constituencies, and collect letters from the public urging their government leaders to prioritize the fight against plastic pollution. The “message in a bottle” will be delivered to Parliament on June 26, just before completion of the 300 km stretch.

The Whale Company travels the world aboard SUP boards made entirely of plastic bottles removed from the environment. Check their website for detailed how-to guides on creating your own SUP board!

Follow their journey on their website or Facebook page, and check out their route.

“It’s been great to see public awareness of plastic pollution growing, but we need our politicians to stop dragging their heels and act now,” said Carolyn Newton, co-founder of The Whale Company. “The longer we delay in taking action, the more difficult it will be for our oceans and waterways to recover from the damage we’re causing through not only our plastic use, but also our poor recycling rates.”

Currently, just 24% of the five million tons of plastic used in the UK each year is recycled.

Founders Carlos de Sousa and Carolyn Newton are no strangers to plastic pollution, having travelled the world making SUPs out of plastic bottles and completing 12 marathon paddles in 12 countries across Europe in 2017 on their Bottle Boards.

Carolyn and Carlos, founders of The Whale Company, discuss the goals of their journey with the BBC

Education is an important part of their philosophy, which led to the creation of their Bottle Boards workshops. By talking about how to use plastic waste in a different way and highlighting the problem to children and teenagers, Carlos and Carolyn hope to inspire the next generation.

Ahead of their Source to Sea paddle they have given several assemblies in schools and ran a Bottle Boards workshop at the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, resulting in their first expedition board produced with the help of more than 200 kids.

Along their route, The Whale Company is stopping by local communities, schools, and constituencies to spread their message and collect letters to Parliament from members of the public

For more information about their epic paddle, their plastic bottle SUPs or their efforts to promote more sustainable lifestyles, contact Carolyn Newton on 07870685994, visit their Facebook page, or send a message to supmarathon@gmail.com.

Koh Lanta Gets Creative with Upcycling

by Leslie Finlay on 02/04/2018 1 comment

Many countries around the world have banned the use of polystyrene – also commonly known as styrofoam – because of its extremely negative environmental impact.

For years the material was a popular packaging for food items, electronics, furniture, and disposables because of its light weight, low expense, and wide availability. However, the material is essentially non-biodegradable meaning it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose, and can also easily break apart into little bits that are ingested by animals and sea life. What’s more, both the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have classified polystyrene as a possible human carcinogen.

Polystyrene is one of the most difficult nonrenewable materials to responsibly dispose of. Its light weight and bulkiness means it easily travels around via wind or waves.

In 2016, the Thai Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) launched its Safety Without Polystyrene Foam in Food Packaging project to encourage the domestic food industry to quit using the product in its packaging. The government has also been open to discussions about subsidizing more sustainable alternatives for vendors like cardboard. The subsequent reduction nationwide has been dramatic in some areas, but our Trash Heroes continue to collect vast amounts of the discarded material washing up on the beach. The point source is almost impossible to estimate, as winds can waves can easily carry the lightweight chunks over hundreds of kilometers of ocean.

Trash Hero Koh Lanta meets every Sunday at 4:00PM at Long Beach park to preserve this stunning paradise.

Even when collected polystyrene is incredibly difficult to dispose of responsibly, especially considering that it’s usually quite bulky. So our heroes on Koh Lanta rose to the challenge and found this creative way to up-cycle the waste while making ultra-cosy bean bag chairs for lounging around after an afternoon clean!

With a little ingenuity and creative spirit, the team built this polystyrene shredder that easily breaks those large chunks down into useable pieces perfect for stuffing plush bean bag chairs. It’s a great answer to taking a local challenge and turning it into a cheap, new indulgence for their paradise.

Trash Hero Koh Lanta developed a polystyrene crusher to help dispose of the chunks they collect during cleanups, and create awesome new additions to their beachfront!

While these awesome methods help manage our waste in the present, the best option is to always aim to reduce our single-use waste in our everyday lives. Shop for items that aren’t wrapped in plastic and carry your own reusable containers and cutlery to limit the need for single-use takeaway items. It’s these small changes on the individual level that can help us all ensure a beautiful future.

What local waste challenges does your community face, and what sort of ways have you found to manage it?

Schnarwiler AG and Trash Hero World fight plastic waste in the hotel industry

by Rahel Schaub on 05/02/2018 No comments

Schnarwiler AG and Trash Hero World launch four refillable beauty products with 100% natural ingredients. Together they make a valuable contribution to reduce plastic waste in the hotel sector.

–Für Deutsch bitte runter scrollen–

Love Earth, Love Water, Love Air and Love Fire – these are the sounding names of the four new products that Schnarwiler AG and Trash Hero World are launching together. The reusable glass dispensers contain a hand and body soap, a shampoo, a conditioner and a body lotion.

4 tons of plastic waste for a hotel with 200 beds – per year
Trash Hero World and Sandro Schnarwiler, Managing Directors of Schnarwiler AG, are both aware of the increasing amount of single-use plastic that pollutes our environment. Schnarwiler sees great potential in saving plastic in the hotel industry: “Many hotels provide guest-amenities in small plastic bottles and tubes – most of them end up as trash even though they are still half full”. He calculates that a hotel with 200 beds and 80% occupancy provides around 500 such plastic containers per night. This results in more than 180,000 pieces per year and thus almost 4 tons of plastic waste. For this reason, Trash Hero World and Schnarwiler decided to launch a joint beauty line.

Hotels will equip all rooms with refillable dispensers rather than small plastic bottles and tubes. By placing small brochures in every room, they will inform their guests about the global plastic pollution and increasing usage of single-use plastic. Schnarwiler and Trash Hero World hope to sensitize the guests for the issue and thus expect that guests will appreciate the dispensers.

Each year, about eight million tons of plastic end up in our seas. Studies from Plastic Soup Foundation in Holland prove that out of these eight, two million come from microplastics from cosmetics and car tires. “To prevent our seas and fish from filling up with more and more tiny pieces of plastic, we all must switch to cosmetics free from microplastic.” says Lea Allemann from Trash Hero World.

Become a Trash Hero at home
But refillable dispensers in hotels are just the beginning – hotel guests and everyone else can buy the products at the reception in participating hotels, on schnarwiler.ch, and from the Swiss online shop siroop.ch. Refills can be ordered on schnarwiler.ch or by simply returning an empty dispenser to Schnarwiler. Furthermore, Trash Hero World and Schnarwiler plan to cooperate with Zero Waste Shops in Switzerland to make the distribution and purchase as simple as possible. For each dispenser sold, Trash Hero World receives a certain amount which is then used to fight global plastic pollution.

Schnarwiler is a Swiss manufacturer and distributor of exclusive brands for health, beauty and sleep and primarily supplies hotels, spas, pharmacies, drugstores, and therapists. Their promise “100% natural products” was made 30 years ago and is still the common denominator of all products.

Medienmitteilung

Inwil, Luzern, 4. Februar 2018

Trash Hero World und Schnarwiler AG sagen dem Plastikmüll den Kampf an

Trash Hero World und Schnarwiler AG lancieren gemeinsam vier nachfüllbare Beauty-Produkte mit 100% natürlichen Inhaltsstoffen. Damit leisten sie einen wertvollen Beitrag gegen Berge von Plastikabfall im Hotelsektor.

Love Earth, Love Water, Love Air und Love Fire – das sind die klingenden Namen der vier neuen Produkte, die Schnarwiler AG und Trash Hero World ab sofort gemeinsam vertreiben. Die wiederverwendbaren Glasspender beinhalten je eine Hand- und Körperseife, ein Shampoo, ein Conditioner und eine Bodylotion.

Pro Jahr 4 Tonnen unnötiger Plastikmüll für ein Hotel mit 200 Betten

Trash Hero World und Sandro Schnarwiler, Geschäftsführer von Schnarwiler AG sind sich beide der zunehmenden Verschwendung von Plastik bewusst. Schnarwiler sieht insbesondere bei Hotels grosses Potential: «Pro Gast und Nacht fällt eine grosse Menge an kleinen Plastikfläschchen und -tuben an – die meisten wandern noch halbvoll direkt in den Müll». Er rechnet vor, dass ein Hotel mit 200 Betten und 80% Belegung pro Nacht rund 500 solcher Plastikbehälter benötigt. Pro Jahr ergibt das über 180’000 Stück und somit knapp vier Tonnen Plastikmüll. Vor diesem Hintergrund haben Trash Hero World und Schnarwiler die gemeinsame Beauty-Linie lanciert.

Hotels werden in allen Zimmern die Spender anstelle der kleinen Plastikfläschchen- und tuben für ihre Gäste bereitstellen. Genau gleich wie bei den Handtüchern, werden sie ihre Gäste mit Informationstafeln über die globale Plastikverschmutzung und zunehmende Verschwendung von Plastik informieren und auf die Spender aufmerksam machen.

Geschätzte acht Millionen Tonnen Plastik fliessen jährlich in die Weltmeere. Studien von Plastic Soup Foundation aus Holland belegen, dass zwei Million Tonnen davon von Mikroplastik aus Kosmetikprodukten und Autoreifen stammen. “Um zu verhindern, dass sich unsere Gewässer und Fische immer mehr mit Mikroplastik füllen, sollten wir alle nur noch Kosmetikprodukte ohne Mikroplastik kaufen.” meint Lea Allemann von Trash Hero World.

Auch zu Hause zum «Trash Hero» werden

Aber Nachfüllbare Seifenspender in Hotels sind längst nicht alles – Hotelgäste und alle anderen können die Produkte in teilnehmenden Hotels an der Reception, auf schnarwiler.ch und im Schweizer Onlineshop siroop.ch kaufen. Nachfüllungen bestellt man ebenfalls bei schnarwiler.ch oder man retourniert ganz einfach die leeren Spender an Schnarwiler und erhält die gefüllten Spender per Post zurück. In Zukunft möchten Trash Hero World und Schnarwiler auch mit Zero Waste Shops in der Schweiz zusammenarbeiten, um den Vertrieb und die Nachfüllungen noch einfacher zu machen. Mit jedem verkauften Spender geht ein Beitrag an Trash Hero World und wird zur Bekämpfung der globalen Verschmutzung durch Plastik eingesetzt.

Schnarwiler ist Hersteller und Distributor von exklusiven Marken rund um Gesundheit, Schönheit und Schlafen und beliefert vor Allem Hotels, SPAs, Apotheken, Drogerien und Therapeuten. Ihr Versprechen «alles 100% natürliche Produkte» wurde vor 30 Jahren abgegeben und ist auch heute noch der gemeinsame Nenner aller Produkte.

Trash Hero World ist eine Nonprofit-Organisation, sich für eine Welt frei von Abfall und insbesondere für eine Reduktion von Plastikabfall einsetzt. Trash Hero World ist mit unterschiedlichen Projekten an 42 verschiedenen Orten in 9 Ländern (Thailand, Indonesien, Myanmar, Malaysia, Tschechien, USA, Schweiz, China, Singapur) aktiv.

Trash Hero Indonesia Joins Zero Waste Indonesia 2020 Movement at National Jamboree

by Leslie Finlay on 19/01/2018 No comments

Last November, Greeneration Indonesia hosted the 4th annual National Zero Waste Jamboree 2017 in Banda Aceh. By participating in this jamboree, Trash Hero Indonesia is now listed as national movement that is supported by the Indonesian government.

“We are citizens of countries, but we are also citizens of the world,” said Trash Hero Rima Agustina, reflecting on the message of unity at the event. “Waste is not only a regional or national problem, but also world problem, as waste doesn’t recognize any political borders. Trash Hero Indonesia introduces the concept of collaboration between local people, local government, and volunteers from all over the world to create a better environment.”

Focus group discussion at the National Zero Waste Jamboree 2017 in Banda Aceh.

The event was held November 10-12 in coordination with Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Maritime Affair and Fisheries, Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and Ministry of Health of Indonesia. The 289 zero waste activists all over Indonesia gathered to share news and experience, and meet with government representatives. The event facilitated momentum of important stakeholders in the country to network and to collaborate to find sustainable solutions of waste problems in Indonesia.

At the end of the jamboree, all the participants read out loud The Declaration of Zero Waste Indonesia 2020:

“As an effort to provide the better environment for the future generations, we, Indonesian citizens determine to realize the target of Zero Waste Indonesia 2020.

Together we are ready to:

Reduce, separate, and put the waste in the proper place.
Responsibly manage our own waste.
Actively participate in waste management activities held by Indonesian government.”

To complete the trip Trash Hero Indonesia conducted a clean up at Lampu Ulee Kareng Beach, Banda Aceh, a day after the jamboree finished. Some new heroes came to participate and share some fun time at the beach and learned more about the Trash Hero movement. This kind of curiosity and collaboration is how new chapters are born!

Clean up at Lampu Ulee Kareng Beach, Banda Aceh – one of the places hit by the tsunami in 2004.

Trash Hero Koh Samui: A Growing Community

by Leslie Finlay on 14/01/2018 2 comments

One of the most impressive abilities of our Trash Hero leaders is their talent for collaborating and uniting an entire community against unnecessary waste, across cultures, languages, businesses, and a number of other interests. Last month, Trash Hero Koh Samui hosted a community-wide event to further network the organization alongside like-minded interests on the island and make way for an even more productive 2018.

Their goal is to bring community members together to educate all about recycling, waste-free living, and the dangers posed by trash. Full community involvement increases opportunities for effective clean-ups and fundraising to invest in initiatives like reusable bottles, bags, and water refill stations. Trash Hero Samui is also working to increase involvement of local students, including those from the International School of Samui (ISS), to empower them to assume leadership roles driving the cleaning and sustainability of their local communities.

In spite of inclement weather and heavy rains, more than 200 people joined to clean an area of Hua Thanon, including the Mayor of Koh Samui, representatives from major businesses and the Army, members of other local organizations like Samui Clean, and many Thai schools.

Trash Hero Commits to I Care Initiative

by Leslie Finlay on 02/12/2017 No comments

Trash Hero is proud to announce our participation in the global I Care initiative among various organizations, companies, associations and individuals around the world dedicated to a cleaner ocean.

I Care participants commit to tackle the problem of marine plastic through three steps:

Reduce daily consumption of disposable plastic items
Remove of plastic waste from our shorelines
Rescue animals injured by or caught in plastic marine waste

All types of marine life are affected by plastic entering our oceans

As Trash Heroes, we can honor this commitment in simple, everyday ways. Choose reusable and sustainable alternatives to items like produce bags, straws, plastic bottles, single-use coffee cups, personal care products containing microbeads, and synthetic clothing. Each individual commitment means less kilograms of plastic waste entering our oceans.

Live more sustainably by using reusable bottles and bags and clothing made from environmentally-friendly materials

I Care is a commitment developed by OceanCare, an organization working toward marine protection since 1989 through research, campaigns, environmental education and participation in international committees. Their work has been recognized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the organization granted Special Consultative Status on marine issues. Through this distinction, it advocates for updated policy and regulations to reduce plastic waste on national, regional, and global levels.

This video produced by OceanCare describes its mission and introduces I Care participants, including Trash Hero at the 10:00 minute mark! This compilation was recently shown to the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species in Manila #cmscop12 on 26th October 2017.

How do you demonstrate your commitment to a cleaner ocean?