Australian Entrepreneur Hailed for Cleaning Philippines' Trash-Strewn River €“ but Will It Last?

"People used to go swimming in it, and then how grateful [they] are for the work that we're doing in conjunction with the government and other organizations," Mike Smith tells This Week in Asia.

Smith is the Australian founder of Zero Co, a company that makes plastic-free products, and he spent six weeks in the Philippines in 2023 looking for the country's most polluted water systems.

He found the Taguig-Pateros River south of Manila to be particularly polluted, and he organized a team of more than 250 environmental rangers and volunteers to clean it up, Australia's News Network reports.

"That was a light bulb moment," Smith says.

"If we want to have the biggest possible impact on this problem, then let's go to the source of the problem."

According to the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the country is the third-largest source of ocean waste in the world.

Philippines discards an estimated 3.3 kilograms of plastic waste per person into the ocean, with more than 4,800 rivers emitting more than 350,000 metric tons of non-degradable litter.

"People used to go swimming in it, and then how grateful [they] are for the work that we're doing in conjunction with the government and Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Using Immersive Media to Strengthen Support for the Environment: An Interview with Wendy Schmidt
Foundation: MacArthur Foundation

"We are just entering this new chapter of media, representing a sense of wonder and possibility for storytelling, and equity, which, to me, represents a sense of responsibility and stewardship,"...more

Innovative Tech Gadgets Under $100 for Your Home Office

If you're in the market for a new tech gadget for your home office, TechRadar has just the thing for you. It's compiled a list of the best under $100 gadgets, including a wireless charging desk...more

Pakistan: World Bank Approves $150 Million to Improve Primary School Outcomes in Punjab ...

The World Bank is providing Pakistan's Punjab province with $150 million to improve education in the country's most populous province, the BBC reports. According to a World Bank press release,...more

Galgotias University and Samsung India Forge Groundbreaking Partnership to Launch ...

India's Galgotias University is ranked among the top 50 universities in the world by the National Association of Higher Education Accreditation Council for India, and it's about to add another...more

Capitaland Investment Further Increases Focus on Reducing Scope 3 Carbon Emissions as ...

One of the world's biggest real estate companies is taking a stand against climate change. In its 15th Global Sustainability Report, Singapore-based CapitaLand Investment says it plans to cut its...more

Urban Ecosystems and Environment Conservation: EY GDS's Sustainability ...

"Imagine tiny sprawl-friendly cafes built specifically for pollinator-friendly habitats." That's the vision of an Indian nonprofit and an accounting firm working together to create a habitat for...more

Meet Nigerian Youngsters Ruling the Innovative, Academic World in 2024

A 10-year-old Nigerian boy has won the grand prize in Toyota's Dream Car Contest, beating 782,852 other contestants from 90 countries to take home $5,000 and his school's $10,000...more

James Ellsmoor

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report on the effects of climate change in December, it noted that the average global temperature had risen 3.6 degrees over...more

Building Resilience for Our Planet and Beyond

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health has been named one of the top 50 public universities in the US by US News & World Report. The list, which...more

Incubating Innovative Ideas And Solutions To Tackle Challenges Posed By Climate-Induced ...

Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region is home to more than 13,032 glaciers spanning the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and the Himalayan mountain ranges, making its northern region the largest reservoir of...more






Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight



Social Entrepreneurs to Get Free WiFi Access


iPass, a telecommunications provider, will give free internet access to 100 non-government organizations (NGOs) for a year as they work in dangerous countries to help its poor and underserved populations.