Unplastify Challenge for Education App

I am a sustainability entrepreneur championing initiatives in support of a circular economy and triple bottom lines, with a focus on material waste valuation and recovery. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 36-feet sailboat —twice — to research firsthand the reality of plastics in the ocean and to study international scalable solutions. Building on these voyages, Rocío Gonzalez and I co-founded and directs Unplastify. I also work as sustainability consultant supporting public and private policies to transition into more responsible production systems. I promote solutions for a more circular economy and reduction of plastic ocean pollution.

I am an industrial designer by training with an M.S. in sustainability management from Columbia University’s Earth Institute and completed an executive program on entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School.

By last I am also a 2018 National Geographic Explorer.

Unplastify is a social enterprise committed to accelerate solutions against plastic pollution. 

Having identified education as one of the key drivers for solutions, in 2019, we released the Unplastify Challenge for schools (UCS) pilot: a three months program where 15 and 16 year olds are invited to design and implement solutions to unplastify their schools.

We designed talks and workshops that can be easily scaled up through networks of educators reaching more students. All the program’s assignments and results were shared in a basic online platform that, turned into a custom application, will reinforce and strengthen the program’s engagement and the community enhancing their experience and collaboration.The UCS APP is the way to scale up this educational solution.

We started in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. By 2021 we plan to expand to 2 more countries reaching 50 schools, guiding students to develop solutions to take action on local communities. 

More than 30% of plastics we consume are escaping the waste management systems and ending up in rivers and oceans (Plastiki, 2011). Globally, we consume an average of 100 lbs of plastic a year. More than half of that is from packaging, usually disposable. Which means that we use it for a few minutes or hours, and then it gets thrown away with 20% chances to get recycled. (Worldwatch Institute, 2015).

All the people in LatinAmerica are affected by this global issue. Simple changes in our behaviour can change this situation and inspire to lead change in a larger scale. Education is key to change this relationship.

During our pilot program we engaged more than 1900 teens in talks and workshops. 

100 teens signed up voluntarily for the Unplastify Challenge for Schools (UCS) 2019 that took place in 9 schools. 

3300 people from their overall communities changed their consumption habits (left plastic bags, started using reusable containers and bottles) with the participants' leadership and projects. 

By 2021, engaging 50 schools we will be multiplying the impact. Every group that signs up for the challenge creates an impact at their school but also takes action in their community.

The UCS consists of three phases: a kick off, the implementation and a final event. The kick off is a talk and workshop at the school where we explain the plastic pollution problem and invite the teens to think strategies to unplastify their schools. After that we invite the participants to join us voluntarily for the challenge: a 3 months competition in which they define, test, implement and measure results of those unplastifying strategies.

The implementation phase students participate in groups of 4 with a mentor to guide them. Groups are given assignments in different stages to complete and show their project’s reach. At the end of each stage, groups are awarded points in leadership, communication, impact and cooperation skills. 

The final event takes the leading 6 groups to a jury of experts where they present their projects results,impact and further plans. 

All the interaction between teens, educators and our team coordinators during the challenge occurs on an online platform. During the UCS pilot run in 2019 we used a blog, tuned for this stage and it had its big limitations. We need to develop a custom APP to unify communications, raise engagement and build a network of environmental leaders.

The beneficiaries of UCS are students, teachers, public/private schools and communities from Latin America.  

The main beneficiaries of the program are young students between 15 and 16 years old who are invited through workshops and talks to rethink their relationship with plastic and engage in action to change their schools behaviour with single use plastics. Students not only explore local plastic pollution but also gain powerful communication tools and project management skills to become young environmental leaders in their own school and communities. Our focus on leadership, communication, impact and cooperation gives the participants of UCS the tools for today’s sustainable leaders. 

In the program we aim to engage with the entire school: educators, directors and all staff become involved in the unplastifying process through the group’s strategies. But through UCS pilot we learnt that families, friends and neighbourhoods of the participants also become involved in their projects and therefore impacted, building together a new unplastifying culture. 

The pilot run in 2019 in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay with Nat Geo’s support , involving 9 schools and 1500 teens. For 2021 we plan to scale up to 4 countries, reaching 50 schools.

Through Unplastify Challenge for School App students form all over the world will be able to participate for the challenge and weill be part of an international network of solutions to unplastify their environments.We are empowering young leaders not only by raising awareness about plastic pollution but also by giving them the tools to be part of the solution.

Our story started with an exploration adventure across the Atlantic Ocean, in which we experienced first hand the reality of plastics in the ocean and we learned about the key solutions to this global problem from experts. The Adventure started with Rocio Gonzalez  in land and Agustina Besada at sea, taking samples of microplastics on a 36-foot sailboat named "Fanky". Agustina and Rocio, started with many questions  and ended with a plan to Unplastify the world . All the experience was published in our Unplastify Logbook (www.unplastify.com/bitacora).

We understood that it is necessary to redesign our  relationship with plastic and education is one of the key drivers to do this, that is why we designed the Unplastify Challenge for Schools in Latin América, a powerful program that aims to empower young adults to became environmental leaders and unplastify their schools.

We run the pilot of the program in 2019 with 9 schools in 3 countries in Latin America and created a network of powerful young leaders that designed  24 scalable solutions to the plastic problem. Now we want to amplify the program.

We are passionate, experienced professionals that understand that Recycling is not the solution to the plastic problem. We need to redising systems and culture to avoid single use plastic.

I have explored by first hand the problem about plastic pollution in our ocean.  I have  crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 36-feet sailboat - twice - to research firsthand the reality of plastics in the ocean and study international solutions. During the adventure we also interviewed experts to understand more the problem and solutions. We have learned 3 important lessons: 1-There is no away. The plastic we use everyday never disappears. It ends up always somewhere. 2-We also learn that the problem is not the material but its use and abuse. We have a cultural problem. 3-By last we learned that we are all part of the solution. There is no magic solution. We need to work together redesign systems, products, regulations, and moreover, redesign our consume habits. 

This three items are the core of Unplastify and we are passionate to guide every stakeholders to change human relation with plastic. We started with education as the key driver of solutions and continue with unplastifying programs for enterprises and governments.

We are passionate, experienced professionals that combine action oriented solutions with design capabilities. We come from management backgrounds and our UCS coordinator, Ona Casal, is a 20-years-old leader that communicates with the students in their same language.

Ten years ago Rocío Gonzalez started re designing industrial discards from factories to create useful objects in order to reuse these materials and generate work opportunities. Her project became one of Argentina’s first B Certified Corporations. As her enterprise grew she understood how she could generate not only an environmental impact, by reusing discard that would otherwise end up in a landfill but also creating opportunities for vulnerable communities of women aligning her passion for design to bring a solution for change, empowering women.

I am a sustainability entrepreneur championing initiatives in support of a circular economy and triple bottom lines, with a focus on material waste valuation and recovery. Besada crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 36-feet sailboat - twice - to research firsthand the reality of plastics in the ocean and study international solutions. Building on this voyage, she co-founded Unplastify with Rocío Gonzalez. 
I am an industrial designer by training with an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Besides I have completed an executive program on entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School. 

Ona Casal, recently graduated from highschool is the UCS Coordinator. Ona communicates with students in their same language and guide the whole Unplastify team to better ways of approaching students.

Unplastify is  based in Argentina, a LatinAmerican country with complex social and economic characteristics. Nevertheless we have been resilient and resourceful and grown organically in the last two years. We have created a important network of stakeholders (enterpreneurs, companies, grassroots and governments) we work with as well. 

We must recognize that the biggest adversity we have experienced is COVID-19 context, were our incomes have decreased mainly because a lot of ongoing projects had to stop. Besides our Nat geo Grant is no longer available. However we have decided to keep doing. We understand that education is changing forced by this context that is why we are adapting the challenge´s content and started to develop the APP for the Challenge that will help us to interconnect students with UCS . We need to be prepared for the new interconnected society , specially with schools. 

Our main barrier now is financial, but we are currently searching for sponsors to expand the program. Depending on the funding we get, we will be deploying a larger scaled (+50 school) or smaller scaled (+10 schools) virtual program for schools in Latin America. 

We believe that public policies are also one of the key drivers to accelerate and amplify a cultural and systemic change free of single use plastics. That is why we accompany regulatory processes from Argentina that seek to change the human relationship with plastic.

During 2019 and 2020 we have been collaborating in internal regulations with councils and in national regulations with state representatives.

In 2019 we were part of an interdisciplinary team that drafted the national law project for the Progressive Reduction and Specific Prohibition of Single-use Plastics. The project was presented by the National Deputy on August in 2019 and had more than 33 national deputie´s support firms. It is currently in the approval process.

We also were invited to be the Opening leaders in the First Argentine Discussion on Single-use Plastics, launched in Argentina´s National Congress. In this event, social companies, grassroots , youth groups and representatives of the Plastics Industry join to discuss the plastic problem and the national law project.

During this year we collaborated  with the development of the project to Unplastify the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress as well.

We have been collaborating voluntarily.

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Our solution brings together technology, empowering young students to become changemakers and solving an environmental challenge. 

In our talks and workshops we only INSPIRE AND SHAKE. We inform students about the problem and invite them to participate. The UCS is not compulsory and being a voluntary game, those who become involved are fully interested in our cause.

This program is about action. We give them tools and guidance but they are responsible to find their own answers and learn by implementing their strategies. This program makes students learn by doing.

As a result of our open approach, students become more involved and compromised beyond the challenge. Most of the participating teams in the pilot continued their activities after the challenge.

Technology is the tool to guide the whole experience. Granting a simple app to manage assignments and report results will help us improve communication, stimulate collaboration and multiply the access to strategies and results from the teams to the rest of our community. 

Furthermore, the app will allow that the impact continues after the program, by serving as a platform to find successfully implemented unplastify solutions, and to connect this growing community of young leaders in Latin America.

The key of change for UCS is to inspire, guide and empower the other to be the agent of systemic changes and improve the relationship of their community with plastic.

As result of our methodology, all the school’s community becomes involved in the plastic pollution problem. After this, we give a workshop for the 15 and 16 year olds. In this workshop they design strategies to unplastify their schools. 

After they have designed their own solutions, they are invited to participate in the USC. They are warned that they have the information, they have thought positive solutions and they are now responsible. The teams that sign up for the challenge become more and more involved with the problem and contribute replicating the message in their school and communities.

All the school becomes involved in this game and like that becomes more aware of the situation. The extended community of the school starts being aware.

Though the pilot of Unplastify Challenge for School runed in 2019  we served 1900 people and students, worked with 24 teams of 4 students each, guided the development of 24 unplastifying strategies, engaged 9 schools in 3 countries (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) , and had 6 finalist groups. 

For 2021 we aim to serve 8.000 people and students, 80 teams, 80 unplastifying strategies from 40 schools in 4 latin american countries (Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Peru) and have 12 finalist groups. 

For 2025 we aim to scale up to 25.000 students and people, 240 teams, 240 unplastifying strategies, 120 schools, 5 latin american countries and 12 finalists.

Our goal for this year is to establish and streamline the UCS operations. From our experience from the pilot to scale it from 9 to 40 schools. For this we need two main assets : to partner with educational associations to form new educators in our subject and to develop the UnplastifyChallenge App.

We will use technology to scale up the challenge and bring it to more schools and communities.

We believe the app can then also work for other institutions (clubs, universities, government offices) that need to be unplastified. The same methodology of the kick off and challenge can be implemented in organizations to guide them through the process.

We tested the solution and found it has a great reception: people are becoming more interested in the subject and want to participate. Students become eager to think of solutions and implement them. We are harnessing their willingness to follow a cause and act, making them lead change.

We will be cooperating with other organizations that can fund or elevate our growth. We are presenting the proposal to large scale communication organizations that can help us make this solution grow faster and tackle the problem on a larger scale.

The main barrier now is financial. Developing an app has its cost and we need it to grow and we need it now. We started Unplastify only 2 years ago, with no investment but our time and effort and we’ve had many positive outcomes and are a sustainable company. Now we need to act fast, to grow, to scale up our solution and have more impact.

This is why we are applying to different funds and also in conversations with big players that can help us grow or partner up (Disney, Facebook). 

We also have a challenge in culture, since our focus is to change habits and this is cultural change. Working with local educators, from the alliance we are defining with educator’s networks is key to understand the different cultures in countries and know how to enter it.

We have on our side that, being from Argentina, we understand Latin American culture, but we are aware of the differences.

We are planning to overcome these barriers with all our team’s expertise and effort. We are presenting our project to companies and organizations that can become our strategic partners to grow faster or fund our scaling up. We are creating a incredible network of collaborators. 

We also are in contact with local educators networks, which is the key to understand the different cultures in countries and know how to enter it.We have on our side that, being from Argentina, we understand Latin American culture, but we are aware of the differences.

 We have done great work this past year and plan to grow in 2020.

NatGeo: We have run UCS pilot in 2019 with the support of Nat Geo, through an Early Career Grant. Already finished.

Parley: Currently we collaborate with the Parley team for Argentina and we organize cleanups for the organization and measure their impact.

11hour racing: We are currently developing Unplastify Challenge for Nautic clubs with the support of 11hour racing.

This is our business model for the Unplastify Challenge for Schools App: https://youtu.be/M8EKgxRbQ2E

https://bit.ly/UCSimpact2019

We are already sustainable. Unplastify has sustained its operations this year.

We receive grants that help us fund Challenges, such as the NatGeoExplorer Grant or the 11hr Racing Grant that we are using to run the UnplastifyChallenge for Clubs in Argentina.

We sell consultancy services and talks to companies : Green Eat, Supervielle Bank, Adidas, Banco Galicia. In our talks and workshops to raise awareness. In our consultancy service we evaluate operations and propose changes in the companies operations to avoid single use plastics. 

We represent Parley in Argentina and we organize cleanups and events to raise awareness and engage more people to take action against plastic ocean waste.

Thanks to our unplastifying programs for organizations, enterprises and communities we have raised 13.230 usd in 12 months 

Green Eat, gastronomic enterprise

2237 usd

Parley, international organization.

3450 usd

Supervielle, Bank

3428 usd 

National Geographic 

465 usd 

Adidas

650 usd 

Galicia, Bank 

1000 usd 

Natgeo Learning

2000 usd 

Total

13230 usd 

We are looking for educational and innovation founds that can support a regional Unplastify Challenge for schools. We seek to raise at least US$ 40.000 to be able to develop the UCS APP and scale up the program. 

Total expenses projected 2020 in us dollars:

1. Human Resources $ 15,000
2. Administrative $ 6,000
3. Development (app) $ 20,000
4. Consultants x Projects $ 4,000
   

Unplastify has grown since we started with the project, organically.

We believe solutions for unplastifying the world should grow now exponentially. We believe solutions should be systemic. Developing our Unplastify App we will be able to run Unplastifying Challenges simultaneously and rapidly scale our platform. The app will simplify communications and become an online. reservoir to engage users in unplastifying their communities. We are starting with schools, but the same model is easily translated to other organizations.

Our project, as a whole, was thought to impact Latin America. We are collaborating with different organizations that become platforms to expand our reach. We believe the IDB Group is an incredible platform to help us grow and scale, not only by receiving a grant to fund the development of the app but also by endorsing our work to apply to more grants and opportunities.

We are looking for partnerships that can help us to amplify the unplastifying culture.
We aim to find Latin American Partners but also partners from all around the world to create a net of solutions to reduce plastic pollution. We also look forward with educational partners that can help to scale up the UCS programs and contribyte to empower more and more young adults to create solutions to regional and environmental problems. 

Facebook - we have used their platforms (instagram, whatsapp) for the pilot program, and we are presenting the program to explore ways of collaboration. 

Google could also be a partner since it has many tools for online collaboration and education.

We believe we could partner with a massive media company to multiply the impact and use their media channels for amplifying the message.

We are also looking for partnerships with education networks. We are in conversations with Teach for All to partner with their local educators in the countries we will be operating. Our talks,  workshops and new information we develop are interesting contents for these organizations, to teach at schools, so we would both benefit from this partnership.

Technology companies that could develop our app are also an important partner we are looking for. We have no technical expert, yet, in our team, so having a large company as a strategic partner for our business would be a great incorporation to have a reliable pathway in the development of the app.