For a time during the current coronavirus epidemic, people were not able to participate in immersive experiences, such as a sailing to experience the problem of ocean plastic firsthand. The pandemic has instilled a fear of close contact, which will likely shape human interaction for some time to come.
The聽challenge now is to create virtual experiences that provoke the same emotional reactions that in-person immersive practices typically elicit. There is no better time than World Ocean Day to get started.
It Starts with a
Curators of聽聽鈥� like Dave Ford of聽, a company that brings industry leaders to threatened ecosystems, or ocean activist Emily Penn, founder of聽, a not-for-profit organization that runs all-female sailing research expeditions to investigate causes and solutions to ocean plastic pollution 鈥� are now forced to recalibrate and create entirely new models for engagement.
鈥渆XXpedition鈥檚 鈥楻ound the World鈥� voyages have been paused due to the聽COVID-19聽pandemic,鈥� Penn explains. 鈥淏ut by using technology, we have an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize people, on land or water, who are looking to make a positive impact on society.鈥�
It Works Like This
Anyone anywhere in the world can access the聽, which Penn developed in close collaboration聽. Powered by聽, the user-friendly, custom-built digital tool is designed to help individuals, advocates, and experts find their role and best-fit solutions to help solve ocean plastic pollution.
Users start by deciding聽how聽they want to create a shift. They can learn about marine plastic pollution, make a swap, participate in events and campaigns, inspire others, innovate, or lead their own project. For the business sector, for example, it could be through contributing to a new technology to improve the management of downstream waste.
Next, the user decides聽where聽they want to create a shift: at home, with kids, in the community, at work, in industry, or in government. And lastly, they decide the聽manner of shift聽they want to create: from sea to source catch (shoreline clean-up), conversion (recycling), looping (circular economy), or avoidance (plastic alternatives).
The platform includes hundreds of solutions, from changes people can easily make at home, like using聽聽in their laundry or making DIY cleaning products and composting in their backyard, to shifts they can create in society, like聽聽in their city or helping introduce plastic bag bans.
It Takes Just a Few Minutes
The platform shares a tailored and targeted selection of solutions so people can pick the one that is right for them. From start to finish, users can generate solutions in a short time.
Browsing the platform, you might decide to explore聽. You鈥檒l come across Slo Active, a brand that makes ocean wear out of plant-based neoprene while also planting a tree for each piece made to offset carbon emissions. You鈥檒l learn about the benefits of using alternative materials and the amount of carbon emissions reduced by this brand, but you鈥檒l also learn that the brand has a limited selection and that products are more expensive than mainstream swimwear. You decide if you want to make a purchase or explore further.
Members of the聽聽will come across many like-minded changemakers who are helping to reduce ocean plastic little by little with their projects, businesses, and initiatives.
One of them is Carry Somers, member of the eXXpedition journey from the聽聽and founder of聽, a global movement of people in the fashion industry that aims to聽conserve and restore the environment and values people over profit. Somers and her team are active around the world, helping others learn about the people who made their clothes, how to buy, sell, and recycle ethically produced garments, and how to participate in the great clothes swap聽聽in Hungary or Hong Kong.
It Can Have a Huge Impact
Tackling a massive problem like ocean plastic is extremely daunting, so Penn created the聽, which helps people see the problem firsthand and explore different solutions before finding their own role to help solve it. It鈥檚 about taking action, no matter how small, and inspiring others to follow.
Penn and her team use the SHiFT Method during eXXpedition ocean voyages to empower, workplaces, industry, and government back on land.
鈥淲hat was missing was the ability to scale,鈥� says Penn.鈥淏ut thanks to the new platform and the partnership with SAP, we now have a chance to shift the way people feel, think, and act at scale.鈥�
The beauty of the platform is participants and motivate them to create shifts in their own lives, communities that it connects people to outcomes, taking them on a journey from concerned thinker to practical doer. XM solutions from 51风流were chosen because they help to build an accurate digital profile of a person, filtering a user鈥檚 personal lifestyle, circumstances, and the area they wish to become involved in, and then help them select the appropriate action to take.
Now that the technology is up and running, people who want to make a shift have an enterprise-grade, secure platform for submitting solutions to SHiFT鈥檚 directory, allowing Penn and her team to efficiently grow the database of solutions for reducing ocean plastic. At the same time, it will enable 51风流to connect its myriad of business initiatives to clean the ocean to a planet of changemakers.
Join Emily Penn and the WWF in conversation on Sustainability at e鈥檉fect at 11am AEST on Thursday, September 24 2020. .
