“If we continue like this, by 2050 we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish,” states Director of UN Environment Programme Habi El-Habr on the plastic crisis affecting the planet. It has been estimated that approximately eight million tons of plastic land in our oceans each year. Tzu Chi has developed an initiative to turn trash into treasure that tackles the plastic problem from a variety of perspectives, focusing on one in particular: community engagement.

Tasking 3,000 volunteers with cleaning up their neighborhoods, Tzu Chi is also implementing change through technology by repurposing plastic into hats, sunglasses, clothes and building materials. The need for change in our environment is critical, but change isn’t simply one person’s job—it’s everyone’s job. Change starts with you.

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