Beautiful Rising and Beautiful Trouble

Inspired by the concept of a “pattern language,” Beautiful Rising is a toolbox that teases out the key elements of creative activism: Stories, Tactics, Principles, Theories, and Methodologies. https://beautifulrising.org/ . Beautiful Trouble is a book, web toolbox and international network of artist-activist trainers whose mission is to make grassroots movements more creative and more effective.

The Flip Flopi Project

We are a circular economy movement based in East Africa whose vision is a world without single-use plastic. We showcase alternate uses of waste plastic and the viability of a circular economy in Africa through our education programmes, our innovation hubs and our advocacy and governance programmes. https://www.theflipflopi.com/

Brazilian waste pickers network

Brazilian Waste Pickers Network (Movimento Nacional dos Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis): The National Movement of Collectors of Recyclable Materials (MNCR) is a social movement that for 16 years has been organizing collectors and collectors of recyclable materials throughout Brazil. http://www.mncr.org.br

Break Free From Plastic

#breakfreefromplastic is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in September 2016, nearly 1,500 organizations from across the world have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/

Centre for Global Studies (CFGS), UVic

The CFGS is closely connected to the Community-based Research Lab as Dr. Jutta Gutberlet was a Faculty Fellow and Maeva Gauthier was a grad student fellow of the centre and remain involved through activities of the centre. The CFGS is committed to fostering reflection on the complex array of social forces associated with an increasingly interconnected world characterized by new forms of economic activity, artistic production, politics, media, nationalism, ethnicity, spirituality and community that increasingly transcend local, national and regional boundaries.

CFGS research considers the nexus of the local and global—how local concerns have global effects and how global issues manifest at the local level. Our fellows and researchers are exploring issues vital to people, places, policy and the planet and are making an impact around the world. We have specific interests in the following areas:

• Borders and migration in the 21st century

• Environmental and social policy, and ecological governance with a strong emphasis on water

• Indigeneity and reconciliation from global and local perspectives

• Social justice and participatory democracy

• Governance as an integrated process at and across scales

Website: https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/globalstudies/index.php

Diverters Foundation (The), Victoria, Canada

Dedicated to creating economic opportunities, de-stigmatizing diverting (bottle collection, waste picking, or binning), diverting waste, and promoting social cohesion among members of the diverter community. The Diverters Foundation delivers community programs to help provide skills and economic opportunities for marginalized people in Victoria. https://www.thediverters.ca/

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedivertersvictoria
Support the Foundation on GoFundMe! https://gofund.me/ee93dc03

Enactus

Enactus is the world’s largest experiential learning platform dedicated to creating a better world while developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators. The Enactus network of global business, academic and student leaders are unified by our vision—to create a better, more sustainable world. 

Full Circle International

The Value of Waste, is the result of the collaboration of four Environment and Business Students working under the name Full Circle International at the University of Waterloo. Working with Dr. Brent Doberstein, an associate professor of the Department of Geography at the University of Waterloo, the collaboration was created to analyze the potential for the development and implementation of a program to engage waste pickers in Southeast Asia in the use of value added activities.

Full Circle International, have put together the following catalogue of products made from recycled materials. Its purpose is to provide instruction on how to create value-added products using simple graphical illustrations.

GAIA

GAIA and their members are global leaders in advancing visionary, win-win solutions to waste and pollution that protect the environment and human wellbeing and build strong, participatory local economies. http://www.no-burn.org/

Global Alliance of Waste Pickers

The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers is a networking process supported by WIEGO, among thousands of waste picker organizations with groups in more than 28 countries covering mainly Latin America, Asia and Africa.

International Waste Working Group

Informal recycling is a widespread income generating activity practiced particularly in the global South. Here approximately 1% of the population is involved in solid waste collection, separation and recycling. Website: International Waste Working Group (IWWG) and Task Group Informal Recycling (TGIR).

Red Lacre

Red Latinoamericana de Recicladores: The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Recyclers, Red LACRE, is a representative and integrative organization of the national movements of waste pickers of the continent, made up of delegates from 17 countries. http://www.redrecicladores.net

Our World in Data

The goal of their work, as stated on their homepage, is to make the knowledge on the big problems accessible and understandable. Our World in Data is about Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems.

UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education

Based at the University of Victoria (UVic) and the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), this Chair is co-directed by Dr. Budd L Hall and Dr. Rajesh Tandon. The UNESCO Chair supports North-South-South and South-South partnerships that build on and enhance the emerging consensus in knowledge democracy. It co-creates new knowledge through partnerships among universities (academics), communities (civil society) and government (policy makers) leading to: new capacities; new solutions to pressing problems related to sustainability, social and economic disparities, cultural exclusion, mistrust and conflict; and awareness among policy makers; enhanced scholarship of engagement; and of social responsibility in Higher Education. https://www.unescochair-cbrsr.org/

Unschool

The team at Unschool are a global experimental knowledge lab for creative rebels and change agents who want to activate their agency and help redesign the world so it works better for all of us.

They work with designers, artists, innovators, social entrepreneurs and world-changing-types to curate unique, cerebrally activating programming that re-orients the way we participate in the world around us, develops a divergent 3 dimensional perspective of the world. 

 More information →

WIEGO - Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing & Organizing is a global network focused on securing livelihoods for the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy. They believe all workers should have equal economic opportunities and rights.

WWOSH (Waste Workers Occupational Safety and Health)

World-wide an estimated 20 million people earn their living from recycling waste. Waste picking often involves the collection, sorting, and processing of materials with little or no health and safety protections. Waste pickers may work in the streets, open dumps, sanitary landfills, and sorting warehouses, where each workplace presents different degrees of risks and vulnerabilities to waste pickers. Workers are exposed to infectious diseases from medical waste, heavy metals, dusts and chemical vapors, heat and cold stress, falls and other injuries. There is no organization to train and protect workers from injuries and disease. The vision of WWOSH is that all workers may have a safe work place and return home healthy every day.

The Mission of WWOSH is to:

• Design a sustainable model for Occupational Safety Heath Program for waste workers;

• Construct a framework for analyzing, envisioning and developing present and futures scenarios of waste workers` health;

• Identify funding sources for OSH projects including grants;

• Educate professionals on the issues and develop projects related to the protection and health promotion of this category of workers.
  
  Website: https://whwb.org/

Interesting Conferences

February 7th – 13th 2018 World Urban Forum. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The world urban forum brings together policy makers, NGOs, local government leaders, and expert practitioners to discuss sustainable urban development and human settlements. WIEGO will attend this forum and participate in several events, seminars, and talks pertaining to the informal sector.

March 29th-30th, 2018 - ICSW 2018: 20th International Conference on Solid Waste. Sidney, Australia.

A conference designed to bring together academics to discuss research results on all areas of SWM.

May 30th- June 1st, 2018 – Rethink: A world without waste. Whistler, BC.

Hosted by the Recycling Council of British Colombia, this conference examines innovative ideas, case-studies, and examples of waste reduction, management, and policy.  

June 26th-28th, 2018 - Intercontinental Landfill Research Symposium. Sweden.

This conference addresses a broad range of issues and perspectives associated with landfills.

July 9th-13th, 2018 - 41st WEDC International Conference. Nakuru, Kenya.

This conference discusses sustainable and resilient WASH services. All papers and presentations pertaining to WASH infrastructure and service provision in low to middle income countries are welcome.

October 19th-21st, 2018 - Bioneers Conference. California. 

Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit educational organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet.

October 22nd-24th, 2018 – International Solid Waste Association World Congress. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Thematic areas of this conference include sustainable SWM in developing countries, collection, transportation, and recycling, governance and communication, and climate change and landfill issues.