A Northern Philippines Organization is Turning Plastic Trash into Reusable Buildings All Around the World

Posted by: YijunW

In 2012, there people, named Russell Maier, Irene Bakisan, and Pi VIllaraza, put plastic and wastes into a bottle. They study, think, and practice. They invent the Ecobrick. An Ecobrick is a plastic bottle filled tightly with used, clean and dry plastic to create reusable building block. Ecobricks can be connected using tire bands, silicone, cob and cement. Ecobricks can also be packed with other non-biological waste such as wires, batteries, styrofoam. The movement turns plastic into usable and amazing materials. It traps plastics out of the biosphere, raises ecological consciousness, keeps plastic out of Industrial Recycling, and it is a low-tech, open source solution. Making an Ecobrick is easy and straightforward. Ecobricks can be made by the young, the old and everyone. There is no machine or skill required. They tell you how and keep no secret. You can build one at home and turn it into everything. Over the last decade, people all around the world have been brainstorming and developing all sorts of applications for ecobricks: from a chair, a table, a LEGO, parks, to structures. Here is how to make one: https://www.ecobricks.org/how/ There is probably an ecobrick community around you. Find your ecobrick community by signing up to the GoBrik app. Ecobrick has community projects all around the world. GoBrik helps you connect your personal ecobricking to that of your community. In fact, it helps streamline the collaboration and drop off process. In GoBrik you can see an interactive map of the communities around the world that are ecobricking, donating, and requesting ecobricks. For instance, in California where I am at, on GoBrik Ecobrick has 5 active cities in California: Los Angeles, Chico, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Clara. Find your community and ecobrickers here https://www.gobrik.com/ Ecobricks activity is a 100 percent people-powered movement with no employees, offices or equipment. The most applications of Ecobricks is summarized below, please visit the Vision Ecobrick Construction Guide below: https://www.ecobricks.org/register/#construction History of Ecobricks The GEA Alliance finds its roots in the Northern Philippines. In 2012, Russell Maier stumbled on ecobricking in the town of Sabangan, Mt. Province as a way to transform his home plastic. With the help of Irene Bakisan and Pi VIllaraza they began to refine the ecobricking methodology and pedagogy. Together they developed the Vision Ecobrick Guide as a way to disseminate Ecobricks throughout the school system. The open source guide book was instrumental in assisting the spread of ecobricks to thousands of schools. The guide books, once online, became a rallying point for the global ecobrick community. Allying with Ecobrick leaders across the continents, the importance of coordinating local movements globally was recognized. The Global Ecobrick Alliance was thus formed in 2014 to share and develop best practices, new innovations, and the philosophical underpinnings of the movement. To keep up with both the Filipino and global spread of Ecobricks we continue to develop Ecobricks.org as the go to location for the Vision Ecobrick resources. Please visit their website below: https://www.ecobricks.org/build/ Benefits of ecobricks https://www.ecobricks.org/why/