Smart packaging and digital innovation: rising stars showcased at PCD

In the middle of the Sahara desert on the western border of Algeria, refugee camps hosting tens of thousands of people rely completely on humanitarian aid: Water, food, and other basic supplies come in on trucks. Trash, on the other hand, doesn’t really leave; until recently, all the waste from the camps was dumped nearby in the desert into an ever-growing pile of plastic. But at a new recycling center at one of the camps, refugees are now turning that plastic trash into furniture and other products that they can use.  Precious Plastic, an organization with a DIY recycling system developed by a Dutch designer who wanted to make recycling more accessible, helped set up the center after the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, put out a call for solutions to help with the waste challenge at the camps.

Reston Community Center will welcome actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. to the CenterStage as part of a special evening of events to raise awareness about environmental sustainability.  As part of RCC’s Professional Touring Artists Series, Begley will bring his program Living Simply So Others Might Simply Live to the CenterStage on Wednesday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 (Reston)/$20 (Non-Reston) and are available at the RCC Box Office or online.  Begley says that as environmental issues become more pressing, there are two possible responses: forget them and hope that government and corporations will figure it out, or his approach – to take action and make a difference. He will share his insights about environmental sustainability in this thought-provoking and inspiring program.
Read the full article at: www.restoncommunitycenter.com

Over the last decade, we have seen a growing preference for products made by companies that have built purpose and sustainability into their business model. Some of the world’s most successful and fastest growing companies have adopted care for the environment and a commitment to work to help solve some of society’s most pressing problems so that purpose and sustainability have become hallmarks of successful and respected businesses.