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Two local students will sit among experts tasked with dreaming up solutions to the problems of plastic pollution at a 'hackathon' in London next year.
Representing Jersey, the pair will be picked next Thursday from 30 GCSE and A-Level students following a 'Design Sprint' competition organised by Plastic Free Jersey.
Inspired by a practice used by Google, the competition will see the students tasked with coming up with ideas to tackle three key challenges linked to plastic pollution that Jersey is currently facing.
Video: Plastic Free Jersey's latest campaign highlights islanders' unique relationship with the sea, encouraging them to protect and preserve it.
Mentors from local businesses and members of the Plastic Free Jersey team will be on hand to guide the group as they come up with innovative solutions to each challenge. The teams will then be judged of representatives from Jersey Business, Digital Jersey, Visit Jersey, Ports of Jersey, the States Natural Environment department, Butterfield and PwC as well as Hugo Tagholm, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage.
The initiative is part of a wider set of celebrations after Plastic Free Jersey gained a 'Surfers Against Sewage' accreditation.
Since launching in May, the team had been working hard to gain the certification, which they will be officially presented in a ceremony on 6 December at the Radisson.
Following the ceremony, Plastic Free Jersey will be celebrating with their supporters. Local businesses, schools and community groups who’ve succeeded in taking action to reduce their single-use plastic consumption will be showcased during the event.
Pictured: Students will be asked to solve Jersey's plastic pollution problems.
Linzi Hawkin, Co-Founder, Plastic Free Jersey, commented: "We’ve been overwhelmed with the support that we’ve had and the momentum that has grown around the single use plastic issue. I think, as islanders, we’re all so proud of our beautiful coastline, and Plastic Free Jersey has given us a very practical way to protect it... But as we all know, taking care of our ocean is a mammoth task. It’s important not only to look at what we’ve achieved so far, but also share our plans for the next year."
The event will see the team unveil their education strategy for 2019, as well as an ocean-inspired art installation created in collaboration with Ocean Culture Life (OCL). The aim of the installation is to connect people to their ‘blue mind' - a concept first established by scientist and author Wallace J Nichols, who believes a connection to healthy waters has vast cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, physical and spiritual benefits.
"Powerful storytelling is essential to encourage support, recognition and ultimately action," OCL co-founder Luke Hosty explained.
He added that organisation aims to work with local groups to enact ethical change, stating: "We believe in celebrating our blue planet through helping individuals and organisations create their own path to sustainable living. Visual Art allows us to create interactive and sensory experiences to share insight and knowledge about our ocean and human behaviour. Each one of us has the ability to access our blue mind, we just have to unlock it."
Pictured: Plastic Free Jersey worked with Ocean Culture Life to create a 'Blue Mind' experience.
The art installation, which is sponsored by plastic-free business Carey Olsen, will remain open on the morning of 7 December to allow local primary school classes to visit.
The States' Eco Active Programme Manager, Jane Burns, described the Surfers Against Sewage accreditation as “a milestone in our efforts to reduce our use of unnecessary plastics and we are excited for 2019 when we will take this even further."
She continued: "With the global amount of plastic being produced set to reach 640 million tonnes by 2034 we really need to do our bit and reduce what we use. Current figures show that 33% of plastic is used once and discarded and approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into the oceans every day. So, it is vital that Jersey is part of the global solution to this environmental disaster.”
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