Looking for the next step up along your journey to solving plastic pollution? Apply for the POPS International Youth Summit to strengthen your personal storytelling, learn leadership skills and build your support network.


The POPS International Youth Summit is a three-day intensive summit inviting 100 students and teachers around the globe to receive advanced training from experts in leadership, public speaking, story telling and more. Algalita’s POPS International Youth Summit empowers youth leaders from around the world to launch and lead action-oriented solutions to reduce plastic waste.



You are eligible to apply if you are going to be between the ages of 11-18 in February 2019.  If you’re accepted, you’ll join over 100 students from around the world in Southern California on Feb 22 – 24, 2019 for a weekend you won’t forget! The POPS Summit is FREE, except for travel.


Learn more and submit your application here before Nov 2, 2018.

Did you know plastic trash and particles are not only found in remote gyre accumulation areas like the Pacific garbage patch, but also in most marine and terrestrial habitats like beaches and coral reefs?




Algalita, an environmental organization dedicated to ending plastic pollution, will be hosting a brand new youth event this summer – the POPS Innovation Forum. The Innovation Forum will be for youth ages 15-25 who are interested in learning more about and have innovative ideas for addressing plastic pollution through design, technological innovation, engineering, science, and alternative business models.

The event will be held in Long Beach, CA on August 3-5, 2018 and is free to accepted attendees. Applications are open until June 30, 2018. Click here to apply!

Interested in developing a solution to a local water issue in your community? Click here to learn more about Grades of Green’s Water Campaign!

Plastic in our oceans is threatening the marine ecosystem: marine animals get stuck in the plastic or, even worse, they are ingesting plastic because it looks similar to their food.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. This blog gives 8 easy steps to help cut down on plastics that could end up in the ocean and contribute to the pollution problem. It can be as easy as cutting down on plastic consumption (step 1) and choosing reusables such as cloth shopping bags and steel/glass bottles instead of plastic bags and single-use plastic water bottles (step 7). Check out these and other ways to be a part of the solution here.

Thinking of taking on a Grades of Green activity to cut down on plastics? Consider a Water Refill Station or Trash Free Lunches! To access the downloadable resources for all 40+ of our activities, register here. ​

Calling all 4th graders! Grades of Green‘s partners at the 5 Gyres Institute are teaming up with President Obama’s Every Kid in a Park initiative in Los Angeles to provide a free National Park Annual Pass for 4th grade students and their families. Their goal is to empower 4th grade students to become environmental leaders in combating the global health crisis of plastic pollution by experiencing the environment through outdoor education and hands-on activities. The best part? It’s FREE!

This September, depending on your school’s needs, the 5 Gyres Institute and Every Kid in a Park is looking for participating schools to visit and give them a 45 minute presentation, followed by three rotation-style science, art, and solutions-based activities for a total of one hour of hands-on environmental education for the 4th graders. Depending on the location of the school, they can also take the students to a nearby watershed (beach, wetland, forest, etc.) for a total of 2 hours of outdoor fun!

For more information, check out the flyer below!

One great way to reduce plastic pollution is to pack a Trash Free Lunch. Grades of Green hosts the Trash Free Lunch Challenge to make packing trash free and sorting waste properly a fun competition between Los Angeles schools to see which school can reduce their lunchtime waste the most. Interested in participating in the Challenge? Register your school here!

EKIP 5 Gyres Flyer