Why pick it up?
Every year we produce 300 million tons of plastics. That is the approximate weight of the entire human population. Only 9% of that plastic is recycled, and all of it ends up in our oceans. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
We are collectively responsible for keeping our planet clean.
How can you get involved?
By downloading our app, you can start tracking plastics, and see the actions taken by your fellow students! Our handy Youtube video will get you started.
Who are we?
We are a group of Georgetown students dedicated to reducing marine plastic pollution––starting in our own campuses. Started by the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation in collaboration with The Opportunity Project (TOP), an initiative by the U.S. Census Bureau, our interdisciplinary team sought to tackle this plastic pollution issue on our campus at Georgetown.
Our mission
Eliminating plastic pollution and plastic use on Georgetown’s campus, and providing the impetus for similar initiatives at other institutions.
What have we achieved?
- We built three educational modules teaching students about recycling and environmental activism.
- We partnered with the Wilson Center and the Earth Day Network on the Earth Challenge 2020 App, the largest citizen science project in the world. Powered by federal open data, our platform enabled all residents of Georgetown to track their waste. Read more about our partnership with the Wilson Center here.
- We created a strategy playbook which provides guidance for other campuses to replicate our initiative.
Innovating with no starting point was challenging, but by leaning into our partnerships—with Provost and former Census Director Bob Groves, and Wilson Center Project Manager Metis Meloche—we took an
important step in caring for our common home: planet earth.
Sustainability permeates everything we do. That’s why this website is designed to be as energy-efficient as possible, with limited use of heavy digital content (such as high-definition photos or videos) that are carbon-intensive. To learn more about the conservation benefits of a low-tech website, click here.
