Art, meet Charity. Charity, Art.

Vital Stats

Muktha N

Athens, GA

people helped1000
People Doing It 20

The Problem

Our program is about building relationships between both the Athens and Namibian communities, with particular attention to banding together against global climate change. Waste audits throughout our University's campus have revealed that more than half of the "trash" inside trash cans was recyclable. Clearly, my community is not completely aware of the necessity of reducing our waste and recycling, and one of the most effective methods to fight this wasteful practice is through education to prevent further unnecessary crowding of landfills. It is equally important for developing nations, such as Namibia, to gain control of the climate around them while they are still planning development, rather than as an afterthought. It has been proven that the environmental degradation caused by overconsumption in the western world and in quickly developing nations affects those in developing countries more than anyone else. We empower Namibian citizens to take charge and create a sustainable model based in salvaging plastic from landfills.

Plan of Action

We are creating a stable market for struggling artisans while demonstrating to Americans the benefits and viability of a business model based on reusing and recycling. As the Director of Environmental Program Implementation for a registered non-profit organization, Promote Africa, I have been able to embark on and initiate projects that encourage the developing world to build using sustainable, scalable solutions. By selling jewelry made by disadvantaged African artisans, we are able to provide direct income generation opportunities while raising money to support sustainable community development projects in Namibia. We support disadvantaged artisans who salvage PVC from landfills and carve it to create beautiful jewelry. PVC is not biodegradable and would encourage landfill crowding, soil leaching, and methane emission. By salvaging this plastic, these creative artisans are promoting reuse of this resource and encouraging a business model that has a positive effect on the environment. As of today, we have been able to buy $590 worth of bracelets from this artisan cooperative and start a market in the U.S. By bringing these bracelets to the United States, I can demonstrate to Americans the viability of a product and business model based on recycling, open the eyes of consumers to the entire life-cycle of the products they buy, give American consumers direct involvement in the climate change movement, and provide education & incentives to keep them involved in a lifestyle that avoids wasteful practices. With more inventory, we will tap into the retail business in Athens and Atlanta, GA. We'll sell small bracelets in bulk or with pre-orders; after the initial approach, the retailer relationship will become a simple matter of restocking once a year. At all stores, we'd leave Consumer Press Kits displayed below the art, attracting attention and enhancing sales, but also providing engaging materials demonstrating lifestyle and political changes that can be made to help promote the reduction of waste. We will also sell the bracelets through college campuses, having started with my school of 32,000, the University of Georgia. By selling PVC bracelets at community-level events, we achieve no-risk, low-effort sales and attention, and a personal communication that spreads the message behind the bracelets. Working with community events allows us to generate a buzz about the creative business model that benefits our environment, the gorgeous bracelets, and the purpose behind it all.