Introduction
Zara and Ashton—a brother and sister team dedicated to raising awareness about the global plastic pollution problem—are asking Pepsico CEO Ramon Laguarta to lead by example and help clean up her company’s products that pollute our oceans.
Join their #PepsiCleanupChallenge
Two Young Activists
At the center of an expanding notion, two Planeteer Alliance ambassadors, Zara and Ashton, are doing the heavy lifting. These young and ambitious activists have created a platform called Hidden Plastic for their voices to be heard and echoed to topple single-use plastics. Last weekend at the O2 Arena for Billie Eilish concert, they took a stand in Reverb’s “Action Village”
Here’s their Instagram recap of the event:
Dear @PepsiCo,
Last weekend we were at @theO2London Arena with a stand at the Reverb Action Village for the @billieeilish concerts for 3 nights! (this is why we did not create a video last week) We met many young people at the concert who seemed quite supportive of the idea PepsiCo sponsoring 20 @TheOceanCleanup Interceptors to help solve the plastic waste problem! (many of them emailed you too) We also met Billie’s mom Maggie Baird and the CEO of Impossible, Peter Mc Guinness at the Overheated event, who both really liked it the #PepsiCoInterceptorChallenge too.
Zara & Ashton, Hidden Plastic
PepsiCo Interceptor Challenge
So much of the waste that circulates in the ocean is introduced by river systems. Most major rivers are fed by hundreds, even thousands of myopic tributaries. And, since water is an essential part of human survival, we have been settling adjacent to these streams, tributaries, and rivers for far longer than the existence of plastic. Without a second thought, waste is easily removed by sending it downstream, “out of sight, out of mind”. But, when everyone has the same thought, the waste travels downstream from the smallest streams, into the largest white-water systems, and eventually ends in the ocean.
Once waste enters the ocean, it is trapped and begins circulating until it is naturally consumed as pseudo-food or broken down into smaller, less traceable microplastics. According to ICUN, 80% of all inorganic debris currently in the ocean or on the shore is comprised of plastic, and many countries and municipalities are doing very little to prevent and remove the problem. That is where Zara, Ashton, and the rest of us step in!
Zara and Ashton have successfully petitioned Coca-Cola, and are moving on to PepsiCo. The goal here is to inundate the corporate giant with signatures demanding change. If PepsiCo pledges the funds that The Ocean Cleanup needs to create 15 or more machines, we can expect a dramatic reduction of plastic waste in our oceans. These machines, to be sure, are a leading technology in reactive collection and prevention.
The Interceptor Original is an autonomous machine that acts as a surface-level vacuum in river systems. In one day, the Interceptor Original can consume and remove up to 55 tons of trash—that’s 625 tons of trash per day if all 15 interceptors are deployed.
How can I use my voice?
The act is simple, you sign your name and the open letter goes straight to the top floor of PepsiCo. If you are compelled to make noise, you can support by signing the petition for PepsiCo., here, to fund the production of 15 or more Ocean Cleanup Interceptors.
Your signature could be the step that starts the avalanche.
Leave a Reply