5 women who are leading the fight against plastic waste
Luckily for us, the powerful collective participation of women in defending the natural resources and Mother Earth's rights are challenging different industries and leading them to rethink their environmental pledge.
Having access to clean water is essential to living a healthy life. Water is needed for drinking, food preparations and sanitation. Millions of people die in developing countries due to waterborne diseases caused by the lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation. Today, 2 billion people are currently living without access to safe water.Today, we could say that humanity faces one of the greatest challenges in regard to its freshwater supply. Only 2.5% of the world’s water supply is freshwater and humans need a lot of it for agriculture, industry, drinking, and sanitation. It is estia
Imagine that your favourite song lasts 2:44 minutes; it doesn't seem excessively long, right? However, from the moment you play it to the very last note you hear, 32,800 kilograms of plastic are thrown into the oceans and seas. From which 70% descends to the seabed, and 15% remains floating. This means that the same ecosystem that generously enables us to breathe is struggling second by second by the human creation that's constantly threatening the world marine environment. Luckily for us, the powerful collective participation of women in defending the natural resources and Mother Earth's rights are challenging different industries and leading them to rethink their environmental pledge. Among the thousands of brave women taking action against plastic-waste, today we want to celebrate those who inspired us the most.
Sea F. Briganti
Advancing the planet towards a plastic-free, decarbonized future, it's her mission and co-funding LOLIWARE, the seaweed-based and climate tech leading company, is the vehicle towards it. As the CEO of an interdisciplinary team of expert scientists, food technologists, seaweed biologists, and co-founder of LOLIWARE, Hawaiian-born Sea F. Briganti is combating the massive plastic waste problem with a natural and carbon-negative alternative: seaweed. Through their Double Carbon Delete Initiative™, they are addressing the adverse effects of climate change by capturing carbon through their responsible seaweed supply chain and replacing plastic products on a large scale to avoid emissions. Her passion for Ocean Health is so palpable that she's revolutionizing the plastic industry and inspiring hundreds of humans following her journey. The Sea is always with her, and we want to thank her for defending it by taking decisive actions.
Sonia Maria Dias
A sociologist by training and self-declared "garbologist" by her specialization in solid waste management, Sonia Maria Dias has been active in the field since 1985, promoting social inclusion, gender equity and occupational health among waste forums worldwide. Besides her activism for the Waste and Citizenship Forum and the Observatory for Inclusive Recycling, Sonia is currently the Global Waste Specialist at Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing. Her work promotes the capacitation for women waste pickers leaders as frontline workers against plastic pollution and key contributors to future inclusive and sustainable waste management systems.
Bharati Chaturvedi
Inspired by the love she developed for the wilderness during the nature walks she did with her father in her early childhood, Bharati Chaturvedi decided to act on the newer environmental challenges India faced by creating Chintan. An environmental research and action group that strives to reduce waste and unsustainable consumption. The conviction of Chaturvedi to fight environmental issues had led her to share her beliefs among different worldwide publications such as Greenpiece, Hindustan Time and India Today, in where she gets to write about what's she's more passionate about and gets to nurture all her readers. And just like that, one action - and column- at a time, Bharati is plating revolutionizing ideas that thankfully are spreading all over the world.
Lynn Worsley
When we speak about positive environmental impact, we may think that the people making big-global impacts are only worth to be congratulated. However, local changes must be highly-recognized and replicated as well. For example, meet Lynn Worsley, a woman that decided that she could "not only" recycle but could also empower women locally through it. By creating All Women Recycling, she strived to eliminate poverty, balance gender inequalities and stop plastic bottles from going to landfills and ending up in our oceans. That's why they're turning plastic bottles into marketable products that are sold by the 13 women working there full-time. Worsley's creative project had led her to obtain the 2019 Global Business Insight Awards for the Most Innovaaztive Gift Box Manufacturer in South Africa.
Miro Korenha
And if we've learned something about our contemporary society, it is the importance and power behind words, ideas and the freedom to share them. That's why last, but definitely not least, we want to honour Miro Korenha, the co-founder and publisher of "Our Daily Planet", the leading independent environmental news platform covering the climate crisis and conservation. Which was created by the need to break down complicated topics, give context, and explain to its readers how climate change is connected to social justice, national security, public health, and the global economy. Our Daily Planet is an only-women integrated team fighting environmental disinformation one click at a time, and that are opening that are starting conversations that connect us globally and inspire us to take action.
Conclusion
The journey to achieve a plastic-free world continues. At the same time, the urgency grows with every minute that goes on, as it has been said our Earth is suffering the damage we've created in the last thousand years. It's on our hands the opportunity to go forward into a more sustainable society by decreasing our plastic consumption, developing strategies to change the waste disposal industry and spreading the word in order to push our global leaders to create environmental-friendly policies. At REBO, we are fighting plastic waste REinventing the water BOttle. We have created a product that has both a preventative and corrective impact on this pressing problem. Every time you take a drink from a REBO Smart Bottle a stainless steel smart water bottle, you contribute to the collection of tossed-away plastic bottles to stop them from polluting our oceans. 1 REBO drunk = 1 Plastic Bottle collected. As simple as that. Take action against plastic waste supporting projects as the ones mentioned in this article.
Disclaimer: All the people previously mentioned don't have any commercial partnership with REBO; their appearance is a true reflection of the brand's admiration for their actions. mated that the current deficit in supply will worsen to 40% by the year 2030 due to the exponential growth of the human population and the pollution and irresponsible use of our freshwater reserves The main causes of the water crisis are overuse, increasing demand due to the rise in world population, pollution, poor water management, lack of infrastructure, and changes in weather patterns due to global warming. Therefore, it is paramount to raise awareness about the importance of freshwater and to identify actions that we can all take to make a difference.
What is World Water Day?
World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day established in 1993 and held on March 22 . Its goal is to highlight the importance of freshwater and to advocate for its sustainable management. This day brings to light the inequality of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and the need to assure the human right to water and sanitation.
The theme for World Water Day 2022
Each year a new theme is selected in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, this goal is about granting everyone in the world access to clean water and sanitation by 2030. The theme for World Water Day 2022 is GROUNDWATER: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE. This year's attention is drawn to the importance of groundwater, a significant but often undermined resource. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives. Indeed, almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical. Thus, we need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.
What is groundwater and where does it come from?
Our commitment to ensure access to clean water for everyone demands that we look to other freshwater sources. Groundwater is water that is found between gaps in rocks, soil, and sediment underground. It gets there when water from the surface and rain leak into the ground forming aquifers; it's all part of the water cycle. Groundwater already supplies around 50% of the world's drinking water. It can leave the ground by means of extraction wells or it can flow into the surface. Unfortunately, groundwater is not always sustainably extracted; It is becoming a scarce resource due to over-extraction, pollution, and climate changes affecting the water cycle. It is clear that humans should work together to better manage this precious resource.
5 actions you can take today to make a difference
There is a need for the joint effort of individuals, businesses, and the government to provide the necessary support to solve the global water crisis. We have identified 3 actions that you can take today to make a difference.
1. Donate to charitable organizations
You can donate to several charities or organizations that are particularly committed to solving the water crisis, such as WaterAid, UNICEF, UNHCR, Water.org and Charity Water and many more. You can make a one-time donation or donate monthly. Even one small donation can make have a big impact.
2. Stop water waste
You can make a conscious effort to reduce water waste. There are various ways to do so, such as: - Taking shorter showers. A typical shower uses five to ten gallons of water a minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rise off. - Turning off the tap while doing dishes or brushing teeth when water is not needed - Reusing water. Instead of letting clean water down the drain, capture some of it and reuse it to wash your hands, water your potted plant, water your backyard garden or even rinse your vegetables.
3. Choose recycled goods whenever possible
When shopping for groceries or buying clothes it is always better to buy recycled. These goods don’t require as much water and energy to manufacture. Energy savings also means less greenhouse emissions which have an impact on climate change. As we know, climate change directly affects our water resources.
4. Get the word out
Remember people are the key element in helping to protect our freshwater resources, so get the word out and spread consciousness about the need to preserve groundwater, an invisible yet precious resource. Use social media to spread knowledge and awareness on the subject. At REBO, we want our steel smart water bottle to become part of an arsenal of tools that will help you become more sustainable than ever. Rebo water bottle is not only a reusable bottle; it is a next-generation smart bottle that’s been designed to fight plastic pollution, aid with climate change, and keep you healthy and hydrated
5. Take the 1 minute challenge
Participating in the World Water Day 2022 - One Minute Challenge is very simple and free of charge. Follow these simple steps: 1. Shoot a 60-second video in which you explain: - how does groundwater affect your life - whether is there enough and it is safe - what do you think needs to be done to protect groundwater 2. Upload your groundwater story to YouTube or Vimeo 3. Share the video on social media using the hashtag #MyGroundwaterStory and #WorldWaterDay 4. Send the link at mygroundwaterstory@un-igrac.org by 20 November 2022. Your video might be selected to be screened at the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater in December 2022 Download the challenge guidelines here. Whichever action you choose to take, make sure to leave a positive impact on your community and take one step further towards leaving this world a better place. Small actions add up and eventually become the desired change we all want.
What happens on World Water Day?
During world water day, people show support for the better management of our water resources and celebrate in a variety of ways. Many events take place which can be educational, musical, theatrical, and even money fundraisers for water projects. Many organisations in the sector use the day to raise public awareness, get media exposure, and inspire people to take action. The UN’s campaign during this day is meant to raise awareness among the public about water usage, the need for sustainable management of our water systems, and how it affects climate change. Water extraction, treatment, and transportation require lots of energy producing millions of tons of CO2 emissions annually. By using water more efficiently, we can all help to reduce greenhouse gases. Also on world water day, the UN releases its World Water Development Report, a comprehensive report with information on the annual theme.
