Plastic Punch Ghana presents its work at Ocean Sciences Meeting in USA

The co-founder and President of Plastic Punch Ghana, Richmond Kennedy ‘Legacy’ Quarcoo, has been selected among scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and other ocean science experts to present at this year’s Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego, USA.

Mr. Quarcoo will be making an oral presentation on the ongoing research “Plastic Punch: Innovative Ways to Stimulate Societal Engagement in Marine Pollution”.

An abstract on the topic co-authored by Plastic Punch, Dr. Paige Martin (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and Dr. Madeline Foster-Martinez (University of California, Berkeley) was selected by the Ocean Sciences Meeting to be presented at the conference in San Diego.

Additionally, Mr. Quarcoo will be on a panel featuring scientists and experts from across the world working within the marine and coastal sustainability sector.

The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) from February 16 – 21, 2020 is one of the largest international conferences on ocean sciences, bringing together scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, science communicators, policymakers, and other ocean-related ocean related to ocean-related experts around the globe.

The bi-annual event by the American Geophysical Union is expected to bring together around 3,500 participants.

In an interview with Mr. Quarcoo who is an Ocean expert and engager on the SDG Academy Ocean MOOC, he reiterated that “The oral presentation we have been granted in a large meeting such as this, is indicative of the great interest of the work of Plastic Punch in combating plastic pollution within the global scientific ocean community.”

He added that “not only will this meeting highlight the important work that Plastic Punch is doing in Ghana, but it will also place
Ghana on the radar as far as the coastal sustainability work is concerned.
Plastic Punch’s engagement with Dr. Martin and Dr. Foster Martinez started following the last Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Ghana.

(COESSING) seeks to build capacity in Oceanography and Ocean Sciences in Africa.

Both Dr. Martin and Dr. Foster-Martinez have been instrumental in assisting Plastic Punch to develop various scientific, research and data visualization frameworks for its work.

Mr. Quarcoo expressed optimism about Plastic Punch’s participation in this year’s Ocean Meeting.

“I am confident the meeting will open opportunities for learning and collaborations with marine scientists, experts and researchers around the globe to further Plastic Punch efforts in improving ocean health and marine conservation in Ghana and beyond.”

Richmond Quarcoo is a Merchant Navy Officer by training and profession, and also a medi-expert who has done previous academic research on the menace of plastic pollution and its effects on the marine ecosystem as well as trying to exploit its viability as a raw material at the Regional Maritime University.

About Plastic Punch

Plastic Punch is an NGO that was created in January 2018 by a multicultural team of professionals from Ghana, France, and Spain, who are passionate about the environment.

The organization was created in response to a turtle monitoring session during which the team discovered six dead turtles on the plastic-infested beach of New Ningo, 15 km beyond Tema.

The mission of Plastic Punch is to raise awareness on the dangers of plastics to the environment, marine life, and humans, as well as finding and providing sustainable waste management solutions for Ghana and beyond.

To these ends, the team at Plastic Punch engages in a variety of activities that reduce plastic waste and educates the public about the dangers of plastic and the importance of sustainable practices.

Such awareness tools include plastic-free beach clean-ups on turtle nesting beaches, plogging, up-cycling workshops, sea turtle conservation, and mass media tools like drama, theatre, videos, music, and games for community engagement.