Australian Entrepreneur Hailed for Cleaning Philippines' Trash-Strewn River €“ but Will It Last?

"People used to go swimming in it, and then how grateful [they] are for the work that we're doing in conjunction with the government and other organizations," Mike Smith tells This Week in Asia.

Smith is the Australian founder of Zero Co, a company that makes plastic-free products, and he spent six weeks in the Philippines in 2023 looking for the country's most polluted water systems.

He found the Taguig-Pateros River south of Manila to be particularly polluted, and he organized a team of more than 250 environmental rangers and volunteers to clean it up, Australia's News Network reports.

"That was a light bulb moment," Smith says.

"If we want to have the biggest possible impact on this problem, then let's go to the source of the problem."

According to the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the country is the third-largest source of ocean waste in the world.

Philippines discards an estimated 3.3 kilograms of plastic waste per person into the ocean, with more than 4,800 rivers emitting more than 350,000 metric tons of non-degradable litter.

"People used to go swimming in it, and then how grateful [they] are for the work that we're doing in conjunction with the government and Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Beloved Kirkwood Band Director To Retire

After nearly 20 years as the director of bands for the Kirkwood School District in St. Louis, Rebecca Friesen is poised to retire. "Music education is not just learning how to play an...more

Barry Named Professor Emeritus at Clarkson University

After six years as a professor of design and innovation at Clarkson University, Daved Barry is calling it a career. The professor was recently named professor emeritus for his contributions to...more

Pvusd Gets $32 Million to Transform Schools €” Tpg

"A PVUSD community school places the student at the center of everything. Community members, organizations, educators, and families coordinate resources in and out of school to prioritize each...more

Business Briefs: Ventfort Hall Masonry Restoration; 'Let It Shine!' Public Art

When you think of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, you probably don't think of the Great Depression. But when you think of the crumbling chimneys on Ventfort Hall, the 19th-century mansion that's...more

Warner Music Group Seeks Collaboration with Nigerian Government for Global Music Expansion

Warner Music Group, a multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate, has expressed interest in partnering with the Nigerian government to invest in the country's thriving music...more

Leading the Way in Creative Education

India's Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) is known for its work with disadvantaged youth, and it's now offering master's and bachelor's degrees in fashion design, textile...more

From Bottom to Top of the World: Thunderridge Student Perseveres through Theater

"A little bit ago, I went through an abusive relationship with my mother, and that didn't turn out so well," Gabi Karl tells the Denver Post. "But it was around that time that the theater at...more

Lifetime Support Switch Turns on for Youth Music and Engineering Scholarship

When Richard and Mary Jane Weeks of Fallbrook, Calif., died last November at the age of 90, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, they left behind legacies so large that it's hard to believe they...more

Nurse at Ssm Health St. Agnes in Fond Du Lac Earns Nightingale Award
Foundation: Oshkosh Area Community Foundation

A nurse in Fond du Lac, Wis., is this year's recipient of the DAISY Award, given to those who go "above and beyond" to provide excellent patient care. Haley Birschbach, a nurse in medical...more

Family Honored for Philanthropy

When Ferdinand and Mafalda DelGrosso were starting out in the food industry in Pennsylvania in the 1940s, they didn't have much. But over the next 77 years, the DelGrossos have donated millions...more





Social entrepreneur and co-founder of nonprofit Jolkona, Adnan Mahmud, discusses his definition of a successful social entrepreneur. He describes the social entrepreneur as someone who has found the right balance between doing good while doing well.



Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs


Demolition and Revitalization of Severely Distressed Public Housing | Debris Removal Insurance | Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Research Program | Mortgage Insurance_Nursing Homes, Intermediate Care Facilities, Board and Care Homes and Assisted Li | Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP) | Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders | State Vital Statistics Improvement Program | Geriatric Education Centers | | Site Style by YAML | Grants.gov | Grants | Grants News | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2024 Copyright Michael Saunders