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


credit: clipartbest

"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.

Two Saudi Startups Join Climate Action Accelerator

PepsiCo has selected eight startups from the Middle East and North Africa region as finalists in its Mega Green Accelerator program, which aims to " nurture the next generation of innovators as they...more

Plant-Based Restaurants Are Adding Beef. Does the Climate Math Add Up?

A vegan restaurant chain in Los Angeles is adding dairy and beef to its menu, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sweetgreen, formerly known as Sage Vegan, says it will start serving dairy and beef by...more

Investors Taking a Shine to Indian Climate Tech Space

Funding for green technologies is on the rise in India, and the country's biggest investment fund is aiming to raise $1 billion for a climate-related fund by 2022, Bloomberg reports. The fund,...more

Lukin Center Announces Therapeutic Creative Arts Camp For Children

If your child is struggling with self-esteem, depression, or anxiety, there's a summer camp for you. The Lukin Center for Psychotherapy in New Jersey is offering a week-long " Therapeutic...more

Pressr: Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness and Innovation Team ...

For the first time, a team from the United Arab Emirates took home the top prize at an international robotics competition. The UAE's Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Center for Giftedness and...more

Ded Awards $6 Million in Tax Credits to 37 Organizations through Youth Opportunities Progra

Missouri's Department of Economic Development has announced the 37 organizations that will receive a total of $6 million in state tax credits through its Youth Opportunities Program, the Kansas City...more

Internet Outage Calls for More Innovation in Digital Ecosystem

Internet users in Kenya, Rwanda, and elsewhere in Eastern and Southern Africa were shocked to learn over the weekend that their Internet service was down. The problem, which caused some to lose...more

Innovative 'Toolkit Approach' Improves Nutrition and Learning Outcomes in Rajasthan'S Schools

A group in India called the Nourishing Schools Foundation has been working to combat undernourishment and anaemia among adolescent women in the state of Rajasthan since the academic year 2023-24,...more

Business Conference Puts Suny Fredonia on Map

"Ask a random person on the street if they can explain the purpose of business analytics, and you can expect a blank stare in return," State University of New York at Fredonia professorustav Misra...more

Celebrating Excellence: 2024 Hfa Retailer of the Year Award Winners

"In the dynamic home furnishings industry, excellence shines through industry professionals' dedication, innovation, and unwavering commitment." That's what the Home Furnishings Association has...more





Vertical farms are designed in a way to avoid the pressing issues about growing food crops in drought-and-disease-prone fields miles away from the population centers in which they will be consumed.