February 6, 2021
Here is our plan and strategy for the brief to Reduce Plastic on our Collective Earth. Titties for change is an art collective based in New York City. We have been hosting anti-war anti plastic vegan parties for over 2 years and have more than 12 regular members who participate in our open mics, vegan pot lucks, and strategy sessions. We plan on partnering with Noply and precious plastics to create an online PLASTIC HOUR community that aims to provide customer feedback for plastic manufacturing companies urging them to switch their product to OOHO material. While we make our weekly calls over zoom, we will continue strategizing and planning on acquiring an empty retail store rent free through the PopUp model where banks donate empty unused spaced to community members to run events. Our art collective, through various collaborations and networks that we are plugged into, will be able to garner the support and love from our communities. Our collective aims to create a show called the defiance and solutions unicorn on YouTube where we tackle the plastic production problem from a theoretical persecutive, circling issues that plastic production is tied into: slavery, war, homelessness, poverty, slaughterhouses and capitalism among a few topics. This is described in further detail below. Once we have a physical space that has been donated by the bank, we will create a precious plastics facility where plastic will be collected directly from restaurants and bodegas, shredded and created into beautiful pieces of art that will be sold to sustain our space and create more titties for change, Copley and precious units healing hubs. Below are detailed steeped on how we will achieve this.
- Create international online Titties for Change/Notpla/Precious Plastics Pod Groups that meet everyday, all over the world for one hour. Everyday, we will collect the plastic that we have used or that has arrived in our homes. On zoom, every Monday and Friday at 4pm EST, we will mute our mics and call the companies who’s household or food products are still packaged in plastic.
- Even if someone does not use a lot of plastic or if there was no product used that day which was packaged in plastic that individual can flag themselves and offer their time to call on someone else’s behalf – maybe someone else has 8 plastic items and can hand that off to someone who only has 2 – the point is to call for one hour every day, putting pressure on these companies to change their packaging. This not only provides accountability, community and consistency, it also gathers energetic force behind the mission and cause, propelling the pressure towards a dynamic shift with what needs to change within companies and corporations that are still using plastic to package their products. Pod Groups are grouped according to country, city and zip code. The solution that will be shared with the companies who are contacted will be the OOHO seaweed capsules and the material that it is made from. Essentially, we become agents and allies of OOHO – offering free consultation to the companies who have agreed to change, offering our labor in exchange for the plastic to never be made again; an understanding that the daily hour – whoever can make the daily hour – will benefit from a plastic-less world in the long run. This will require training from notpla, knowledge on machines and how to make the OOHO product – we will appoint titties for change pod leaders who will take charge of the translation from company to maybe a sales representative from notpla- who will be better able to assist with that transition. Please see here for the Instagram link for a script and breakdown of our schedule.
While our collective pod group grows and more calls are made, an online forum where people will be able to enter the data – their calls, which companies they spoke to and the outcome from that conversation. This data can be complied and shown to the public, the world, which companies are behind change and which are not yet ready – we will have teams that reach out to these companies to offer transitional assistance – not in a shameful way or angry blame-y way but in a “we all know that this is a serious problem, lets work together to find a solution way” – this will also give companies real time data on the number of consumers who are asking for their products to be changed packaging wise – and will push the needle in the correct direction – because now they have data to show the stakeholders and board of directors what the consumer wants, thus changing their packaging. 3. We will start a global titties for change + OOHO + Precious Plastics kickstarter where this mission is shared with the world to raise funds for more precious plastics drop off units in every country to be created all over the world. here is a link to precious plastics – with their machines, start up guides and “how to set up a collection unit” is shared. alternatively, empty retail stores owned by banks could be donated (this requires more research into each countries policies regarding real estate) but for now, I will speak about New York because that is where we’re at – and have experience as a PopUp coordinator for the city of Worcester – to speak with government officials and banks to see how spaces can be donated for precious plastic drop off units – in the long run – more empty retail stores will be converted into titties for change “healing hubs” where free kitchens (vegan food collected from kitchens that are throwing their excess food away will be reorganized to feed people, mediation and yoga stations will be built out, reading corners, and safe zones will be created for people.) but for now we focus on the plastic collection units and creating as many of them as we can all over the world. 4. Once there is a physical location and the machines that have been bought and/or made, similarly arranged pod groups will then become the “walkers and collectors” – collecting plastic from business, grocery stores, homes, and institutions and brought to the precious plastics facilities to be sorted, shredded and made into art – the art can be sold or exchanged for services and labor – ultimately, the money will go back into the maintenance and buying or making of more machines, opening up more precious plastics facilities and making sure that people have what they need. 5. the companies who have decided to work to change their packaging to OOHO material can offer their newly packaged produce as a food source to the titties for change anti-war, anti-plastic, vegan festival where we come together to celebrate the ending of all war, plastic, poverty, homelessness and slaughterhouses, teaching people how to shuffle, dance, yoga, meditate, cook vegan food, read and make music. this is another long term goal – giving people a celebration to work towards – 6. keep meeting everyday for one hour until all companies have switched to OOHO or another organic material. – no profit before people business model – might not even be about business anymore – more about the transition than names or recognition – 7. Create a “defiance and solutions unicorn” Titties for Change Youtube channel. These topics will circulate in a repeated order starting with plastic and ending with Capitalism. Each season is 10 episodes long. These are the topics: Plastic Slaughterhouses Poverty The homeless situation The wars Racism Slavery Prisons Child prostitution Capitalism These topics will be research and investigated – our team will travel to factories to speak to owners about how we can be of service to help them transition away from plastic to Notpla and OOHO material. Here is the script for the opening segment of The Defiance and Solutions Unicorn Show – Coming in March! “Hello everyone! I’m the defiance and solutions unicorn for Titties for change and these videos will circulate around these 10 issues. I’ve been having a hard time decoding which aspect to tackle first because they are all just as important and they all intersect – but a film director, holly tuckett who I met on clubhouse – shout out clubhouse!!! Gave me some advice on how I should configure these video ideas – she told me to think about the flow – and how I want to introduce each of these ideas – and how they connect to each other –
My friends have been asking me why I put all this labor on myself but I don’t see it that way – I feel like we’re all here to do something, create something – change, disrupt, add, shift, morph – something – I feel like I was meant to create and be part of a team who believes in another world, I have been put here to be part of making that new world more and more possible every day. I have chosen to start with the plastic because as it has been calling me to research and the more I research, the more I see and understand how it affects and contributes to poverty, homelessness, slaughterhouses, slavery and the war. There is a trifecta effect with plastic production, slaughterhouses and the war – the root is capitalism – It can seem overwhelming and the connections might not be so clear – but water connects to water everywhere – as Alexis Pauline Gumbs has written – and plastic is the manifested material of oppression – the process of dismantling plastic will dismantle the rest of the embedded nonsense. Plastic carries a specific type of historical density that will unravel systemic structures of oppression. Therefore, we start with the plastic first. ive also made a patron account where I’ll be sharing music, music videos, recipes and a game show called “Who the Fuck is Cho Chang?” as well as private links to dinner nights where I’ll make a meal based off the ingredients that members have suggested, private shows, and excursions where I take you out for wherever you want to go around New York City – I’ll visit people you want to visit but can’t because you’re not here – I’ll make them a meal and bring it to them or hang out with someone who you think is lonely – whatever you want! PG13 friendly!” 8. Partner with other organizations like world beyond war, dispatch goods, bye bye plastic bags, the plastic pollution coalition and sunrise movement who understand this work and collaborate on spreading awareness, raising funds, creating more healing hubs and precious plastics, finding homes for the homeless, and ending plastic production forever. We would also collaborate with the participants at the festival. I have gathered their names from the office hours list. Alex MacMillan CEO + Founder, Lovely | Principal + Founder, Alcove Consulting Founder of Lovely, a playful and positive alternative to couples therapy that has adopted game-like activities and experiences for couples to strengthen their relationships. Ananya Jain Founder @FullCircle Founder of FullCircle LLC, a multinational company that builds technology products dedicated to solving global problems. Ankit Kukadia Startup Mentor – Pre-Seed/Seed Stage | Independent Consultant Helping startups find product-market fit and raise pre-seed/seed investment. Working on building a different social media community to make asking for help easier. Brandon Williams CEO, Multi-Disciplinary Creative, & Brand Strategist with a focus on Afro-Futurism & Entertainment Founder and CEO of 55 Media Group, Brandon’s unique background highlights over 10 years of expertise in marketing and leveraging relationships into business. Ian Charnas Director of Innovation and Technology | Co-founder of Sears think[box] Ian Charnas is a director and co-founder of Sears think[box], a 7-story Makerspace and Innovation Center at Case Western Reserve University that is free and open to the public. Ian Lyman Serial Entrepreneur | Product Leader | Startup Mentor | Advisor Ian is a market-proven product leader, designer & serial entrepreneur whose vision, leadership and grit have powered five companies, multiple acquisitions and products. Nancy Otero Director of Learning at Make Community Nancy Otero’s biggest passion is human learning, she has spent the last ten years working with educational organizations designing environments that mix technology with project-based learning. Paige Hewlett Founder at margo | Start-up Advisor | Corporate Social Responsibility Advocate Founder of margo a marketing agency focused on supporting small businesses, start-ups and non-profits. She set out to create a more accessible way for founders and business owners to get the marketing and growth partnership, feedback, and support to help them build a more resilient, and successful, business Sandra Creamer Brand Strategist | Independent Consultant Sandra Creamer is a seasoned consultant who helps brands grow through strategy, innovation, purpose, positioning, messaging, naming, brand architecture and visual strategy. Vicente Lorca Innovation, Education and Technology Consultant – Faculty of Civil Engineering, UDD | Maker Campus Chile Vicente Lorca is a publicist with diverse experience in the world of entrepreneurship. His main fields of focus include STEAM education, social innovation, low-cost technology and environment. Rick Turoczy Co-founder and GM @ PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) Rick Turoczy is the backbone of Portland, Oregon’s startup scene. He’s engaged in supporting a number of projects locally, as well as working with other accelerators, incubators, and founders around the world- all as part of an effort to recognize the work of amazing entrepreneurs and highlight interesting startups. Contact: rick@piepdx.com 9. Keep the weekly one hour phone calls until plastic production has ended, continue to grow the network, continue to celebrate like it has already been accomplished, and share resources so more people and families have access to what they need. Take care of ourselves while we do this work by supporting each other through our accountability groups. 10. Reach out to prisons and make sure inmates have non plastic items as well – including plastic less shampoo by vurnella – 11. Transition to non-plastic products like diva cup, reusable cotton swabs, edible cutlery, reusable grocery store bags, reusable zip lock bags, and learn how to make your home plastic free, ultimately transition to a plastic-free life – promote and support these products in our individual lives and buy them as gifts for our friends. 12. Teach people how to make non-plastic water bottles from OOHO material through workshops and classes at our healing hubs or through liberatory learners and other alternative educational systems and schools. 13. Create partnerships with companies that are making alternative plastic products so that we can give out free products to underserved communities so that they do not feel the financial load of transitioning to these non-plastic alternatives.