Plastic Free Campus - ESDO

Plastic-Free Campus is an initiative to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and collective practice among school goers in Bangladesh. The project has been designed as an all encompassing approach to environmental education that becomes a way of life. The broad aim of the project is to equip the next generation with environmental knowledge and leadership skills to transform their communities using their respective educational institutions as the platform. 

The project acknowledges that plastic is endemic. It has pierced all aspects of our life. The latest studies in biological sciences show the presence of microplastic in the most protected human organs like the human brain and placenta, invading the strict blood-brain and placental barriers. Even though plastic is found in the toys we give our children, the food we eat, and the clothing we wear, our threat-perception about plastic is disproportionately low compared to the risks posed to our well-being. In the 1950s, the world produced 2 million metric tons of the stuff annually, according to the UN Environment Program. Now, the amount has risen to more than 400 million metric tons. If current production stays on track, plastic yearly production could reach 1.1 billion metric tons by 2050 (UNEP). 

The convenience of plastic comes at a terrible environmental cost. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, plastic was responsible for 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. That’s 3.4% of the global total, more than the percentage of CO2 contributed by the aviation sector or emissions from all the rice grown worldwide. Plastic’s share is set to increase in the coming years. Approximately 2.7 billion metric tons of CO2 could be emitted annually from plastic production and incineration by 2050, according to the Center for International Environmental Law Report 2019.