The Plasticology Project Podcast

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast we hear from Chris Desai. Chris is the founder and Global Project Director of the UOcean Project. After many years in the fashion industry, Chris suddenly found himself feeling unfulfilled in life. Announcing his departure from his job, Chris went on to spend many months reflecting on his role in the world, culminating in a profound moment of realisation. Shortly after, Chris started UOCEAN 2050. The rest, as they say, is history. Join us as we explore Chris' journey and hear about the exciting future ahead. Want to learn more about UOCEAN? Check out the website: www.uocean.org

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast we hear from Marco Vesters. Marco is based in Bali, Indonesia and has seen first hand the extent of the plastic pollution problem in that part of the world. Having worked for over 20 years in the tech, finance and ICT industry with big names like CISCO and Nokia, Marco is now turning his attention to helping environmental and tech businesses scale into impactful ventures. Join me as we hear about Marco's first hand accounts of the plastic pollution problem in Indonesian, and how the interrelationship between the world of big business and environmental stewardship could solve some of these problems. #plastic #plasticpollution #business #corporate #science

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast we hear from Plastic Oceans Australasia Executive Director Ricki Hersburgh. Join us as we learn about POA and all of their terrific initiatives to help education people about plastic pollution. This is a very special episode as we celebrate World Environment Day and World Oceans Day 2023 that this year carry aligned themes around plastic pollution and ocean health. To learn more about POA: https://www.plasticoceans.org.au/ Ocean In Motion: https://oceaninmotion.org.au/ Follow the latest on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/docpjharvey Want to know more about the Plasticology Project? visit www.docpjharvey.com Get a copy of the book: https://docpjharvey.com/the-plasticology-project-book/ Are you interested in supporting the Plasticology Project Podcast or the work of the podcast guests? Find out how at www.docpjharvey.com/podcast #plastic #plasticpollution #plasticologyproject #plasticfree

On this episode of the Plasticology Project Podcast, we hear from Lumbani Mvula, based in Malawi in Africa. Lumbani is the founder of Trash 2 Cash, a social initiative that aims to combat plastic pollution in his hometown by collecting plastic waste and turning it into valuable building materials. Lumbani has been active in this space for a little over six months and has already received significant attention worldwide for his work. Lumbani is also involved in a number of social welfare activities and is recognized as a literacy ambassador in Malawi. Through his work, he has had the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of education to his community in Malawi. He has been instrumental in encouraging young people to value education and to go to school. Want to know more about the Plasticology Project? visit www.docpjharvey.com Are you interested in supporting the Plasticology Project Podcast or the work of the podcast guests? Find out how at www.docpjharvey.com/podcast

On this episode of The Plasticology Project podcast I speak with Professor Gabriel Filippelli. Gabe is a biogeochemist, climate scientist and exposure scientist at the Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis. Gabe is the Chancellor’s Professor of Earth Sciences and the Executive Director of the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. Recently Gabe visited Australia as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair at the University of Newcastle. Gabe is the editor-in-chief for the American Geophysical Union GeoHealth journal, and was previously the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow, which saw him take a position as Senior Science Advisor for the U.S. Department of State during the President Obama administration. We will hear Gabe’s first hand-account of the impacts of climate change on the Midwest of the U.S., and how plastic pollution fits into the climate change narrative.

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast I speak with Sarah-Jo Lobwein. Sarah-Jo has been a plastic pollution campaigner in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire for many years. Sarah-Jo was one of the founders of SO Shire – Sustainable Organisations of the Sutherland Shire. Marine biology is a passion for Sarah-Jo and this led to a desire to help improve the coastal ecosystems off eastern Australia. As an environmental educator and plastic pollution warrior, Sarah-Jo has led hundreds of beach clean-ups, and regularly provides workshops for schools and community groups. In addition to SO Shire, Sarah-Jo is also known under banner of Ocean Tidings, a platform for environmental sustainability education. I had the great pleasure of speaking with Sarah-Jo via video call, where we discussed the curious case of white sticks that started washing up on Sydney beaches. Sarah-Jo describes the environmental forensics approach that led to the discovery of the peculiar origin of these sticks.

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast I speak with Tarryn Johnston, founder of the non-profit organisation Hennops Revival. Tarryn started Hennops Revival in 2019 after a river clean-up with her daughter changed the entire direction of her life. Seeing the state of the water and environment of the Hennops River in South Africa left a lasting impression on Tarryn, and triggered a desire to do more. Since completing the first river clean-up in 2019, Tarryn and Hennops Revival have removed 1.5 million kilograms of trash from the river in over 76,000 rubbish bags. Hennops Revival runs off the dedication and drive of volunteers. Through their effort the Hennops River is slowly beginning to breathe new life. I caught up with Tarryn via video call from her home near the Hennops River, South Africa.

On this episode of The Plasticology Project Podcast I talk with James Wakibia. An environmentalist, activist and photo journalist based in Kenya. James has been instrumental in the helping to fight plastic pollution in Africa. In 2013 James began raising awareness about the plastic pollution in his home town Nakuru, about 150 km away from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. By 2015 James had started a Twitter campaign to capture global attention, using the hashtag banplasticsKE. In 2017, single-use plastic bags were banned in Kenya, and James is largely credited for that success. I caught up with James to chat about the future of plastic pollution in Africa.