Join us for a webinar with
Agustina Besada
National Geographic Explorer and sustainability entrepreneur
Preceded by
UNA-NY Annual Meeting 2020
6:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST | UNA-NYC Annual Meeting
6:15 - 7:15 p.m. EST | Program and Q+A
In our online Zoom presentation this evening, Agustina Besada will share her experience exploring first-hand the problem and solutions of plastic pollution.
In 2018, Agustina sailed across the Atlantic Ocean twice, taking samples of micro-plastics and interviewing experts along the way. Agustina will cover and highlight her science knowledge about different aspects of the problem, such as sources, scale, and effects.
She will also cover the possible types of solutions to this global problem with real examples, and the roles of the different stakeholders that could have great positive impact in being part of the solution.
Together we will reflect on what are our roles and actions that would allow us to meaningfully change our human relationships with plastic.
Guest Speaker
AGUSTINA BESADA
Agustina Besada is a National Geographic Explorer and sustainability entrepreneur specializing in circular economy and triple bottom lines, with a focus on the life-cycle of materials.
In May 2018, Agustina crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 36-feet sailboat — twice — to research firsthand the reality of plastics in the ocean and to study international solutions. Building on this voyage, she founded and now co-directs Unplastify, an organization that is focused on Latin America and which seeks to promote awareness and solutions to rethink human relationships with plastic, through exploration, education and impactful actions.
Before setting sail on her adventure, Agustina served as the executive director of Brooklyn-based sustainability hub and recycling center, Sure We Can. The center employs a community of 400 urban collectors that bring in an average of 40,000 aluminum cans and plastic bottles per day, effectively diverting thousands of pounds of recyclable materials from landfills.
Over the last 7 years, Agustina has worked on material waste valuation and recovery systems that maximize social, environmental, and economic impact. She is a consultant for public and private sector organizations, having worked with academia, corporations, NGOs and governments in Latin America and the U.S.
She promotes solutions for a more circular economy and reduction of plastic ocean pollution through regular workshops and talks that draw from her hands-on experience, including a TEDx talk at Columbia University entitled “The Plastic Elephant in the Room.”
Agustina received a Certificate of Business Excellence in the ECLA Program, at Columbia Business School, New York in 2017; an M.S. in Sustainability Management, from Columbia University's Earth Institute, in 2015; and a B.S. in Industrial Design, from Palermo University in Buenos Aires (2012). She was also enrolled in the International Design Program, School of Superior Design (ESDI) in Barcelona (2009).