b'PLASTICS FORCHANGE Andrew AlmackAndrew Almack making the change one plastic container at a timeSo often, its our reactions to lifes adversities, whichidly by.Andrew chose to make a di erence by taking determine success or failure.Navigating through thoseaction.inevitable roadblocks without ever giving up on a cher- Once I graduated [from a business program], I moved ished goal takes commitment, passion, and strength ofto British Columbia.This was just following the Japanese character. tsunami, and there was a lot of plastic washing up on Justintohis20s,ScugogsAndrewAlmackfoundCanadian shores.I worked for a year, gained experience, his lifes ambition quite by accident while travelling inand began networking.Southeast Asia. Once that objective captured his imagina- An idea blossomed in Andrews mind.tion, he has never relinquished his passion for itin spiteThats when Plastics for Change was born.of the numerous challenges thrown into his path. The program would facilitate the recycling of plastic I made a trip to Cambodia to visit my sister in 2011,waste, removing volume from land lls and transforming he explained the origins of what has since become hisit into containers for consumer products.lifes work.I was gripped by the problem of plasticA great idea and environmentally sound, this massive waste in a developing country.It was a huge problem,recyclinginitiative,butstillmissingakeyingredient: but no one was writing about it.I wrote an undergradfunding.thesis on the topicthat was my start. We got a $3,000 grant from Blush Cosmetics. It al-Many people observe problems in the world yet standlowed us to open drop-olocations to aid in the ocean Please turn to page 38FOCUS - AUGUST 202037'