This is the story of Eca, a young girl on a beautiful Philippine island. She loves her home but feels the effects of marine litter on the environment, with more and more waste being washed up on the shores.​ Eca is determined to restore the island and its waters to its former state, so she has set out to become a beach kapitana.

As a steward of the environment, she encourages her seaside community to reduce their plastic usage, reuse materials, properly dispose of their waste, and repurpose and recycle plastic through ingenuity and creativity. 

Film: https://fb.watch/flRLSXR_EQ/

While these challenges are real, Eca herself is not. She is a role model that we created. By exploring the challenges of plastic waste and convincing her community to join her in fighting plastic pollution, she inspires young people to become modern-day heroes like her. Between July and October 2022, her journey of responsible waste management was posted on social media and shared in a learning seminar. 

AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN DETAIL:

Reaching out on social media

Using the videos about Eca and her seaside community, we raised awareness about plastic pollution, its impacts on the environment, and sustainable consumption. We posted our animated video series and informational content on Facebook. A photo competition drew in many active participants, and in total, we reached more than 1 million people, most of them young.

See the campaign handle: #HuwagItaponAngBukas (#Don’tWasteTheFuture)

See the photo competition on Facebook here.

Film: https://fb.watch/flRLSXR_EQ/

Meeting young people

We brought Eca to the communities and organised a learning seminar for around 40 young people between the ages of 15 and 21 in Balayan, Batangas. They learned more about the impacts of plastic pollution and what they can do to fight it, including by recycling. They painted their vision of an environmentally friendly future and went home with their own Eca-branded eco bags,​ Eca-branded shirts, insulated tumblers and metal straws – well equipped to break their plastic habit and influence those around them.

Website: https://creativelab.assistasia.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/assistcreativelab

Instagram: ASSIST (@assist.asia) • Instagram photos and videos

Implemented by: ASSIST Creative Lab