TowardsAGreenerFuture

Session 2

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

• Anne Desveronnières
• Alejandro Quecedo del Val

Who are our guest speakers

Rosalie Mann

Founder and President of No More Plastic and co-writer of the No More Plastic Manifesto

No More Plastic is a nonprofit with the objective of fighting against plastic pollution and protecting the environment, to raise awareness of the public on the pollution of marine life and seek for alternative solutions to plastic products, nudging our society to change their consumption habits.

She is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, artistic director, director, photographer and producer. She was for more than 15 years a marketing and image development strategy consultant in the luxury and movie industry. As mother, as citizen of the world she was shocked by the impact of our consumption on the future of the planet and decided to act in a concrete way.

“Today microplastics are everywhere. In deep ocean, in Antarctic ice, even in space and drifting in the air or falling with rain over mountains and cities. The future is to reduce our consumption of plastic. Reduce it drastically. And definitively innovate.

​Ocean is the treasure of the humanity. We must preserve it, protect it, help it regenerate itself, for the future of life on Earth.

This problem is not the problem of others – this problem concerns all of us – whatever our beliefs, our vision of the world, our tastes, our differences. We must act now. 

Our world needs transformational changes.

Haunted by this idea, I decided to do something concrete to change our society, to inspire, to rethink our way of consuming, this is how No More Plastic was born.

​During my researches with scientists, I discovered that plastic is a dangerous material throughout its entire cycle of life for the environment but also for human health. Knowing that, I could no longer reasonably remain without doing anything. We should all educate ourselves, understand to act better. We must reduce our consumption of plastic if we  want to give a healthy future to us and future generations. 

What sort of future do we want to create ?

We really need to think about where our plastic trash ends up and what it becomes. When we buy or produce a product, it is imperative to think about the butterfly effect it will have on the future of humanity and the planet. Many alternatives exist. It is by being informed and responsible consumers, eco-conscious humans that we can create a future we will be proud. There is no time to waste.

We can all contribute to the solution.”

​Rosalie Mann

https://www.nomoreplastic.co

https://www.nomoreplastickids.com

Federica Bertocchini

Principal Investigator at the Department of Microbial and Plant Biology, the Centre for Biological Research Margarita Salas (CIB) of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain ( www.plasticentropy.net, www.federicabertocchini.com ).

After a PhD from the Open University London, UK/DIBIT Research Centre S. Raphael Hospital, Milan, Italy, in the department of cell signalling, and basic formation in molecular biology, she specialized in the study of early development of amniote embryos. She trained in institutes that fall into the top-rank category in the scientific community, worldwide: Department of Genetics, Columbia University, New York, USA; Department of Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK; Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, UCSF, San Francisco, USA. She has been working on basic questions related to the molecular mechanisms driving early development of chick and reptile embryos: applying molecular biology, microscopy and microsurgery manipulation on early embryos, she introduced new concepts in the understanding and interpretation of how early pluripotent cells restrict their potentiality towards specific fates. Further on, F.B. added up to evolutionary-driven questions in the study of these early developmental mechanisms. At the same time, F.B. developed a parallel line of research driven by the interest for environmental protection issues and the bioremediation methodology by biological processes. F.B discovered that the larvae of Lepidoptera Galleria mellonella are capable of fast biodegradation of polyethylene (PE) the most resilient and also produced plastic material in the world. The paper where the data were published was one of the very few in a new niche of research, that is plastic biodegradation by insects. The discovery stood out among three others because of its own feature: the unique speed of biodegradation, faster than any other biological means known so far, and the evolutionary implication within the capacity of the insect, supposedly derived by the capacity of these larvae to eat wax, a mix of complex molecules with resemblance to PE. F.B. established her lab at the CIB-CSIC, Madrid in September 2019 to continue developing the project on plastic biodegradation by insects.

Anne Desveronnières

Vice President Environment, Energy Transition and Bioeconomy – COMMUNAUTE URBAINE DU GRAND REIMS

Anne se definit tout d’abord comme un citoyen du monde.

Ayant habité quelques années au Maroc et aux Philippines, et les voyages l’ayant changée définitivement, elle espère apporter son point de vue ouvert sur l’autre et sur la différence.

Après avoir géré une entreprise de vente en ligne pendant une quinzaine d’années, elle reprend des études de droit car, si initialement elle avait passé un master de communication, la défense était sa passion. Elle n’avait pas pensé à la défense de l’intérêt général et lorsque le hasard de la vie la voit être élue maire d’une commune rurale, Pomacle, elle découvre avec passion, le rôle de ceux qui souhaitent agir pour le bien être de leur prochain, les élus.

Deux années plus tard, elle devient Vice-Président du Grand Reims en charge de l’Environnement, de la Transition énergétique et de la bioéconomie. Son envie est de transmettre avec ardeur son aspiration à ‘ faire ensemble ‘ et à susciter la créativité que vont nous inspirer les défis que nous avons à mener collectivement, dès maintenant.

Alejandro Quecedo del Val

Sciences Po Student

Alejandro Quecedo del Val (Briviesca, 2002) is a young cultural enthusiast. Enjoy this passion in different areas, such as the theatre or radio, where he collaborates in a program of literary diffusion. Alejandro was the first president of Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife) Youth Steering Group, the first body established to reinforce youth climate action in Spain. During his mandate, scholarships dedicated to youth-lead climate action projects were established and the coordination of youth-led climate movements were enhanced. He was invited by the Spanish Prime Minister to act as the Spanish Young Ambassador to the first-ever UN Youth Climate Summit, where he collaborated in the draft of the Global Youth Climate Action Declaration. He was also highly involved in several of the COP25 events. He is an environmental and cultural activist. In 2019 he was awarded with the National Philosophy Olympiad prize, and his book “Cuatro Meses en el Infierno” (2019) commentaries and articles have caused a notable impact.

“The Climate Crisis is more than an environmental urgency. It is also a social one. The consequences of our material greed are causing not only destructive effects on our planet, but also on our people. Temperature is rising at the same pace as inequality, species are disappearing as fast as opportunities. The time for a bold change has come. We need to build a future based on equity and in harmony with the environment. And that future, begins with our actions today.”

Source: https://en.unesco.org/youth/you-can#quecedo-del-val