Translator: Peter van de Ven Reviewer: Ellen Maloney
Ella Meek: We may just be kids,
but we have something important to say,
so please listen up.
Over the past 10 years,
us humans we have produced more plastic then during the past century.
Around 60% of this is single-use, used once and then thrown away,
and about a truck's worth of plastic
enters the world's oceans every - single - minute.
Amy Meek: And here's a fact of our own.
Over the past two years, we've been picking up plastic litter,
more specifically, the big four plastic polluters;
that's single-use cups and lids, stores, bottles, and bags.
To date, we've collected over 50,000 pieces of single-use plastic.
EM: (Coughing)
Well, 56,676, to be precise.
(Laughter)
We started picking up plastic litter
while we were studying the UN's Global Goals
for sustainable development.
There's 17 world goals backed by almost 200 world leaders.
They aim to tackle major worldwide issues,
one of which is plastic pollution.
AM: The Global Goals aren't just the responsibility of the leaders, though.
No, the UN makes it clear
that everyone needs to take action to help solve these global problems.
So Ella and I decided
we wanted to do something to help tackle plastic pollution.
EM: Shocked and saddened by the sickening images,
like these, of animals and birds dying from ingested plastic,
we set out to pick up 100,000 pieces of the big four;
that's one for every sea mammal killed by plastic in the oceans every year.
AM: I'm sure you'll agree,
we're seeing more and more images like these,
almost on a daily basis,
and hearing news of whales found dead with stomachs full of plastic,
warnings of the millions of micro fibers we washed down our sinks,
and evidence of a plastic blight
that is dominating our lives and choking our planet.
EM: With the global impact of plastic pollution
so devastating and real,
we think that those in power, our decision makers,
ought to be scrambling around with great urgency
to try and prevent this growing issue from growing any more.
AM: some steps are being taken.
The supermarket Iceland
has pledged to become plastic free in their own brand products by 2023,
and it now looks like we're going to have a nationwide deposit return scheme
for our plastic bottles.
Theresa May has kind of got the right idea,
pledging to cut all avoidable plastic waste from the UK by 2042,
but some nations have made immediate changes,
such as to ban items like the plastic bag completely.
EM: Yeah, and rightly so
because plastic stays around on the planet forever;
it never really goes away.
So, rather unsurprisingly therefore, this plastic problem is never going away.
So as welcome as these actions are,
we don't think that they're drastic or urgent enough;
after all, in 2042,
when the government's environmental plan will have finally kicked in,
we'll be middle-aged adults,
(Laughter)
and plastic pollution will have spiraled out of control.
AM: The crazy thing is it's not really that surprising
that this problem has manifested as it has.
I mean, let's think for a moment about what plastic is.
When plastic was first invented in the early 1900s,
it was considered a smart, scientific invention
and a wonder material for some fairly valid reasons:
it can be made so cheaply and simply;
EM: it's robust and easily shaped;
AM: it's durable and long-lasting,
and it's true, plastic is amazing, and it's the perfect material -
for some products, that is,
such as a chair, a laptop, or a kitchen bucket.
EM: Unfortunately though,
our use of this plastic "wonder material" is often far from clever;
in fact, at times you could say it's totally stupid.
I mean, who thought it made sense to use a durable and persistent material
and make into everyday items that we use for just minutes before discarding?
Come on, it's not rocket science!
(Laughter)
AM: And despite the fact
that single-use plastic is in our faces, in our oceans, and on our beaches,
it appears that many of our elected leaders and policy makers
are not prepared to commit
to the immediate and large-scale measures required to turn this plastic tide.
EM: From a kids point of view,
it seems that the generation that created this plastic problem ...
errrr ...
perhaps some of your generation, as a matter of fact,
(Laughter)
aren't taking the action that's needed to remedy it
even though we all know that if we don't do something soon,
then it's going to be too late.
AM: So my sister and I have decided
that we're not waiting for the adults to take the initiative,
EM: we're taking action now
because we know we can't afford to wait any longer.
AM: You see, if we just sit back and wait for someone else to do the work,
we run risk of nothing happening fast enough,
and us kids and future generations
will end up inheriting one heck of a plastic legacy.
EM: And if that's not bad enough,
if we don't all try and reduce our use of single-use plastic
and stem the flow of more plastic pollution
into landscapes, rivers, and oceans,
then animals, in their millions,
will continue to be choked, injured, and suffocated by plastic.
So feeling rather angry, I mean, passionate about this,
we founded a campaign: Kids Against Plastic.
AM: It's a youth social action project
designed to have a positive impact on what we consider
to be one of the most significant environmental threats facing our planet.
It has three main aims.
EM: You see,
we don't want to look back in years to come and think,
'We knew about this problem, but we didn't do enough about it.'
AM: Of course, we're not the only ones concerned about this,
we're part of a whole range of people tackling this problem.
EM: Yeah, we're following in the footsteps
of some incredible individuals and organisations,
all of whom share our passion and keep us optimistic and hopeful.
AM: For us, it's so important to recognise that there is hope
because hope is a powerful force,
and that's why we don't aim to fill you all with doom and gloom
but to help you all realise that you can be part of this hope,
that you can go away and make a positive difference.
EM: But making a difference
doesn't necessarily mean doing something radical or drastic, though.
You don't have to take a huge leap and found a campaign like we did.
AM: No.
Just some small changes in your everyday life
will have a large positive impact,
more so than you might imagine.
EM: So we're encouraging you to become plastic clever,
which effectively means
becoming a more discerning or smarter user of certain plastic products
and different types of plastic.
So, how can you become plastic clever?
AM: Quit using the big four plastic polluters;
these are items that we tend to use every day, often without thought,
and yet these one-use convenience plastics are hugely damaging our environment.
They're unnecessary and actually quite simple to avoid.
EM: Instead, all you have to do is carry reusable alternatives with you:
fill up a reusable bottle instead of buying plastic bottles;
AM: use your own reusable mug
instead of the single-use ones coffee shops provide;
EM: always carry a 'bag for life',
and if you need a straw, get a reusable one.
AM: In fact, carrying reusables can even save you money.
Most places now offer discount for bringing your own mug
and will fill up your bottle with water from the tap, for free.
EM: It makes the money in your pocket go further,
but it also makes you feel good
about doing something positive for the environment.
It's smart to be clever, right?
(Laughter)
AM: It's really that simple to become plastic clever,
and whilst it might not seem
like just making some small changes in your everyday life will make a difference,
it really does.
EM: If everyone just became a little more plastic clever,
then the numbers of non-recyclable plastic items used would fall drastically,
as too would the amount of plastic
that enters landfill, incineration, and our rivers and oceans.
AM: So that's how we encourage individuals to become plastic clever,
but we also want to encourage plastic-clever action
on a much wider scale.
EM: In the summer of 2017,
we traveled around Britain with a group of female sailors
that are carrying out groundbreaking research
into how the toxins and micro plastics can affect our bodies.
During the trip, we spoke to cafe managers in the towns and cities we visited
about how to become more plastic clever.
We found it quite easy to spread the plastic clever mindset,
after all, we all know it makes sense.
AM: We made our local high street plastic clever,
meaning that almost all of the cafes in our high street
are now reducing their use of the big four
and encouraging their customers to use reusables instead.
EM: We've recently got schools, businesses, guide groups,
and even our local council fully onboard and committed
to becoming more responsible with their use of plastics.
They now all encourage the use of reusable alternatives
and are drastically reducing the amount of plastics they use.
Yay!
(Laughter)
AM: Now, this is all well and good, but there is an obvious limit
to what two regular kids like us can achieve.
We do get quite busy, you know?
EM: So here is our b-i-i-i-i-i-g vision,
one that we hope you can share with us.
AM: We don't just want you to become plastic clever as an individual,
we also want you to encourage the cafes you know,
your employers, and schools to become more smarter users of plastic,
to make your local streets and neighborhoods plastic clever.
EM: And when you've done that,
make your local council and then county plastic clever.
In time, we hope to make the UK a plastic clever nation.
AM: Remember, this is everybody's issue,
and so it's up to all of us to help fix it.
And if there are any young people in the audience
or any you might know
that are keen to use their energies to bring about change,
then we are ready to welcome you into the Kids Against Plastic team.
EM: You can be any age to do this.
A brilliant six-year-old called Ella - great name, by the way -
who lives in Salcombe
has persuaded many local cafes and businesses in the area
to become more plastic clever.
You too can make a positive impact like this.
AM: Listen up, kids.
We all have a huge potential.
If we say the right things, we can have the loudest voices.
We are the future, but we are also the present.
If we want change to happen,
we have to be brave enough to make it happen.
EM: And, of course, adults,
we can't do any of this without your support.
Please get involved and do your bit.
AM: So, can two kids campaigning against plastic pollution make a difference?
We really hope so.
(Applause) (Cheers)