MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Life Out Of Plastic

One-line solution summary:

LOOP provides education on marine conservation and plastic pollution through practical and technical activities both off and online.

Pitch your solution.

Education is a crucial right to everybody. The ability to protect our planet is also something everyone should be aware of. In Peru, access to education is harder for women, only 62% of women have at least a high school diploma. At L.O.O.P., we seek to provide resources accessible to all regardless of their gender, race, age, background… As a fully women led team we are conscious of the impacts plastic pollution can have on health especially as many beauty products contain microplastics. What we seek to do is raise awareness by educating on the impacts of plastic in the marine ecosystems, that affect us too. Allowing more women to be aware of the impacts of consumption on health and planet will allow there to be more environmental warriors world-wide.

What specific problem are you solving?

Packaging industry uses about 40% of global plastic production and households use about 20% of the global plastics for consumer products according to “Women Engage for a Common Future”. It’s Women who often buy food, health items and many household items containing plastic. On top of this, there is evidence that microplastics can find their way into unborn babies carried by a woman through the placenta. In Peru people use an average of 30kg of plastic per year which is contributing to the impacts on women. On top of that,Peru is 117th in the list of leadership opportunities for women. What we do at L.O.O.P. allows women to be educated in a topic that protects the environment while giving them a platform to continue to learn, grow and share as leaders.

What is your solution?

Out solution is simple: giving access to environmental education to women from diverse backgrounds. Our work allows them to learn while doing beach cleanups, data collection, environmental advocacy and in general volunteering and working with us. Our human focused environmental action has helped women become leaders in plastic pollution. Founded by 2 young Peruvian women, L.O.O.P. has shaped the next generation who are now in the leadership roles. We focus on a business that is sustainable in the context in which we operate to grow over time allowing volunteers to become leaders in the fight against plastic pollution.

During this pandemic we have also chosen to launch a series of small affordable courses to be taken online and accessible to all which give quick access and resources with no discrimination on gender. These courses, on top of giving technical abilities offer practical exercises to be done at home.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution is made for all since we do not limit the access to resources to any of the people who choose to contact us. However, we take particular care to ensure that those most vulnerable and further away from environmental education have access to it. An example of this is a yearly art exhibition where we did guided tours to teach about different aspects of plastic pollution.

The way we serve the target population is mainly through listening to those who have already been part of L.O.O.P. As an example, Brigitte, a young woman from Lima, started as a volunteer in a beach cleanup and later on became a paid staff member working in administration. In this way we helped her not only gain knowledge on an issue which she had not been exposed to at school but also finish her career in administration and later have access to other jobs. Our solution is to work hand in hand with people for planet. We cannot do one without the other.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Increase the number of girls and young women participating in formal and informal learning and training

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

Learning for girls and women is crucial to tackle the issues today and tomorrow. We believe that it's not only formal education who will help them reach the personal & professional goals women set out to do. This is why we invest in people like Brigitte, Nadia, Marysol (and others) to help them learn about plastic pollution and become leaders while they continue their formal degrees. Our solution is to teach the future teachers, show the current learners and do so while offering services to companies (in this way we cover our costs).

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Lima, Peru

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Inés Yábar