with 50 billion plastic bottles used in the u.s. every year, the plastic problem only gets bigger by the second on our planet. my idea is to take plastics otherwise to be thrown out and added to the mass of pollution and to turn them into something beautiful. i took to the eckerd college community and created an up-cycling event called b.y.o.r. (bring your own recyclables) and gave students the opportunity to turn their own recyclables into plant pots and works of art. this small event brought in nothing but positive feedback and a glimmer of hope for the future. as the generation that will be embarking the new journey of conservation for our planet, i believe that it is time to take initiative to fix the damage that past generations have done. we hold the power to empower, but it all starts with us. creating events like b.y.o.r. will get communities more involved and passionate about up-cycling and plastic reduction as well as having the potential to start a ripple effect around the world.