Join us with a conversation of plastic!
Gain more insight on our environment living in plastic and what we can do to make it a better place – for ourselves and others!
Come to learn about the science of plastic pollution and how to collaborate with the retail industry to reduce plastic and moreover, what WE can do during this global environment crisis!
Date: 3/18 (Sun.) 9:30am ~ 12:30pm
Location: 3209 Producer Way, Pomona, CA 91768
Phone: 909-595-6545
* Free event. Snacks provided.
Speakers
Anika Ballent dove into the underwater world of plastic in 2010 when she first came across Algalita’s website and was confronted by the images of plastic debris floating in the North Pacific gyre. Although she had always been drawn to the water, this discovery sparked her desire to start studying the ocean and taking action to protect it. She decided to take the issue into her own hands and went on to research the underwater transport properties of pre-production pellets during her undergraduate research at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. She since completed a Master’s degree at the University of Western Ontario in Canada where she investigated microplastic pollution in the sediments of the Great Lakes.
During her time at Algalita*, she has developed a passion for educating youth about plastic pollution and inspiring them to be stewards of their local environment. She believes that knowledge is what creates the capacity for care and, in turn, action. Anika sees a future in which plastic pollution is absent from the planet’s beautiful ecosystems. She takes each day as an opportunity to contribute to the plastic pollution solution by researching, teaching, and sharing, in hopes of igniting a similar passion for the environment in her community.
* Algalita: Algalita Marine Research and Education: Researching the scope and impact of plastic debris in the marine ecosystem and potential risks to human health.
Alice Hsu
Ever since college, Alice has been an advocate for environmental conservation and preservation. She used to protest against the government’s lack of attention to environmental issues but has redirected her efforts to educate society and increase environmental awareness. After graduating from college, she started volunteering at an NGO. She has been working for one of the most prestigious environmental groups in Taiwan, the Society of Wilderness and also the Wild Bird Society of Taipei.
Since 2016, Alice started working on the Plastic Free Project at Bliss and Wisdom Foundation. Her main responsibility is to promote education on reducing plastic pollution.
Ron Shih
Ron felt the need to protect the environment so soon after he graduated from college, he decided to pursue an advanced degree in oceanography. He later worked at the Institution of Earth Sciences at Academia Sinica.
Since 2016, Ron has been working at Bliss and Wisdom Foundation on the Plastic Free Project. He hopes to gain public support to pass laws in government to reduce the use of plastics. He aspires to solve the plastic pollution problem at the legislative level.
