Eliminating Tire Pollution and Upcycling Waste to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions
Ngalim Franklin is a rockstar LAUNCH facilitator based in Cameroon. Ngalim began his journey in sustainability as a high school Geology teacher, coordinating sustainability workshops and outdoor activities for his students. His teaching journey took a pause when he traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to build earthships – off-grid solar earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires – to eliminate tire pollution.
While there, he learned that tire pollution exists in our air and oceans when synthetic rubber breaks down into microscopic pieces through burning or by wear and tear. Repurposing waste tires as construction materials can prevent tire burning and landfill disposal, creating a circular economy – a way of production that involves reusing and refurbishing products to reduce waste.
With the knowledge he gained constructing earthships, Ngalim returned back to Cameroon to lead sustainability and education initiatives with full force, becoming the Executive Director of his non-profit, The Greens, which focuses on educating young individuals from schools and football clubs on tire pollution and the utilization of tires as construction materials. One of his projects aims to construct a 150-meter-long tire embankment to act as a barrier for a football field, leveling the field and preventing erosion.
To clear the area for this project, Ngalim and his youth group utilized our LAUNCH Community/Beach Cleanup Eco-Lesson. He organized and mobilized over 600 students, informing them about waste sorting, waste management, and its effects when improperly disposed of.
With the area cleared, Ngalim and his student group can now lay the tire foundation and gain hands-on experience with using tires as construction material. Ngalim is a facilitator who inspires students to make a difference through project-based learning and community-led action.