"The overlapping crises of our time present an opportunity to build more resilient cities by implementing zero waste models.
GAIA Asia Pacific, in partnership with Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) Philippines, has been conducting a capacity-building workshop to capacitate members of the network and government officials to implement a community Zero Waste program since 2017.
Called Zero Waste Academy (ZWA), the workshop is an immersive 10-day course aimed at capacitating members and other stakeholders on how to implement a Zero Waste program in their respective cities and communities. Putting emphasis on experiential learning, the course provides a well-thought out mix of lectures, hands-on exercises, site visits and community engagements, demo-sessions, and networking opportunities.
Thus far, five in-person ZWAs have been conducted from 2017 to 2019.
In 2020-2022, GAIA Asia Pacific and MEF conducted other iterations of the academy, albeit virtually because of the lockdowns imposed by governments. Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB) Bandung likewise held other Zero Waste Academies on their own to support AZWI members in implementing Zero Waste in their communities.
As in any workshop, an essential measure of success of the workshop is how the graduates apply in their own contexts the lessons and skills they gained from their participation. GAIA Asia Pacific is immensely proud that five years since the first in-person ZWA, and three years since the last one, many of our graduates continued to champion Zero Waste in their own communities and countries, and many of them even spearheaded innovative and impactful Zero Waste initiatives and/or led campaigns such as plastic-free and anti-waste-to-energy (WtE) campaigns.
This publication is an initial attempt to document our graduates' work to understand the academy's impact on their work and their communities. This volume is not exhaustive — our intention is to periodically check on our graduates to celebrate their success in their own communities.
May you be inspired by our initial offering. Our graduates, without a doubt, are making the world a better
place. But do not take our word for it; read the pages of our publication and see for yourself!
A publication highlighting the work and realities of waste pickers in India.
Les invitamos a leer esta nueva memoria de GAIA LAC. En ella mostramos una pincelada de los motores fundamentales de cambio presentes en los territorios a lo largo de nuestro hermoso continente. Se trata de una red de organizaciones, colectivos y personas que trabajan incansablemente por basura cero, como expresión de un mundo libre de tóxicos y de basura, comunitario, participativo y austero. Qué duda cabe que nos espera mucho trabajo en este 2023; por eso les compartimos la energía y la esperanza del 2022 como agua limpia para sanar las penas, celebrar las alegrías, saciar la sed y continuar caminando con la frente en alto.
Magdalena Donoso
Coordinadora regional
Sign up for our Global Newsletter to stay up today on our cross regional work.