From the products we put in our grocery carts, to the cups of coffee we order at Starbucks and to the holiday gifts we’ll be giving and receiving this December, plastic is a constant element in our everyday lives. Its usage is so integrated into our lifestyles to the point that choosing a sustainable route of living can be a challenge and a privilege for many of us. According to the National Geographic website, plastic production “increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015”. Furthermore, the production is estimated to increase twofold 30 years from now. In addition, plastic garbage travels through oceans via rivers that act as “conveyor belts” – accumulating trash as they move down its streams. Once they arrive in the oceans, these plastics can either stay stationary in coastal waters or travel in other global bodies of water. Since half of the 350 million tons of plastics generated annually are single-use plastic, their mass accumulation results to the pollution of Mother Nature. Today, many environmental activists, such as Greta Thunberg and Jack Harries, and global protests have caught the attention of both social media netizens and nations to reflect on unsustainable methods that have been inculcated within large industrial companies and government systems.
Image Credit: Photo by Angela Compagnone on Unsplash
The Game Changer to the Plastic Problem
Although the statistics and facts on this global crisis can be overwhelming for many of us, it’s important to recognize the innovative efforts of various individuals all around the world in combating this problem – a lot of whom are empowering women in the STEM industry. In a world where plastic is a major pollutant of our oceans, urban cities and small communities, Sharon Barak, CTO of the start-up company called Solutum, has invented a biodegradable alternative to plastic. A chemical engineer from Israel who once worked at a plastic company, Barak is changing the game of the plastic problem that has been hurting our environment for years. The company she built is a “Cleantech Start-Up that targets one of the world’s major challenges – plastic pollution”. According to their website, “our product feels and looks like plastic, but is made of a 100% environmentally friendly material which requires only water to biodegrade”. In an interview, Barak states that “after you finish using it and you throw it away, it will just go back, break down and biodegrade in nature”. Having said that, once you’ve used her invention, you can as easily as discard the biodegradable plastic down the drain without having the looming afterthought and anxiety of harming the environment. In the interview, Barak positively adds by stating, “… when it works, it really has the potential to solve this problem and make the world a better place and cleaner“.
Image Credit: Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
A Story of Women Empowerment
As a woman working in STEM, Sharon Barak is creating huge social and environmental changes in our world. From her years of research and development, building her start-up to formulating a ground-breaking type of plastic that can potentially change mass-produced goods and big manufacturing corporations’ marketing strategies, Barak is on the track to fighting the plastic problem. Beyond her ingenious work, Barak is also a reminder for many women who are or who wish to pursue a career in the STEM industry to stay true to their path, despite the countless of rejections, prejudice and public doubt that may come along your way. Her story is an inspiration that goes beyond the environmental problem of plastic. Barak’s story proves that women are pioneers of revolutionary change – may it be in the arts, politics or in the sciences. So, if you have a small idea or a perspective on something – whether it’s within your little neighbourhood or school club – never stop yourself from sharing it within your social circles. And who knows, you just might change the world and our future.
Sources:
National Geographic Statistics
Nas Daily Facebook video/interview