From Plastic Waste to Global Wisdom: Paving the Way for a Regenerative Future

Alaska’s Challenge: Addressing Marine Plastic and Manufacturing Gaps

Alaska—a gorgeous and remote state with more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined—faces some daunting challenges: first, there are 20 to 30 tons of marine plastic pollution per mile of shoreline. And, despite its massive size, there is little manufacturing in the Frontier State, requiring costly imports from the lower 48 states.

The project: transforming plastic waste into a local resource

Consider a new project addressing both issues: cleaning up the plastic-filled waters and transforming the waste into concrete aggregate manufactured locally. Not only would this approach save costs, but it could also create jobs and enjoy bipartisan support with the recycling facility owned by Alaska’s Indigenous communities.

Collaborating for impact

We are exploring this concept with the GULF OF ALASKA KEEPER . This nonprofit has already removed three million pounds of toxic plastic debris from 1,500 miles of Alaska’s sensitive coastline habitats. “If we can take all this plastic and get it turned into this concrete aggregate—which doesn’t leach—it takes it out of the environment,” noted Gulf of Alaska Keeper co-founder Chris Pallister at an event Pyxera Global produced last month at Climate Week NYC. “It puts a lot of people to work. It makes a product that someone can sell. It’s magic, is what it is.”

Showcasing solutions at Climate Week NYC

"Necessary" is the best way to describe the innovations and solutions on display during the events of Climate Week, where our organization played a convening role. Over seven days, we brought together leaders from across sectors to discuss climate, environmental, and sustainability issues. These events align with the annual convening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Highlighting real-world projects for a just transition

At the event, “A Path Forward: Scaling Solutions for a Regenerative and Just Transition,” we showcased Chris Pallister’s Alaska initiative alongside other impactful projects. Examples include the Moving Windmills Project in Malawi, a wind farm on the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota, and Dominica’s journey to become the first island to transition to 100% renewable energy.

Traditional wisdom in climate solutions: The power of a “little hut”

Indigenous knowledge remains a powerful resource in addressing climate change. Dr. Philbert Aaron , Dominica’s UN Ambassador, shared the story of the “ti kai” (creole for ‘little hut’). This traditional structure withstood Category 5 hurricane winds, highlighting resilience embedded in Indigenous architecture. “The ti kai It is a form of African architecture, with a steep roof borrowed from Indigenous architecture,” he noted in his “A Path Forward” keynote. “The word ‘hurricane’ itself is derived from Indigenous culture. Already in 1979, in the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane David, it was observed that, in some cases, a Dominican ti kai had withstood Category 5 winds intact while modern concrete-and-steel structures standing right next to a ti kai did not.”

Preserving cultural knowledge for future generations

Pyxera Global co-hosted the “Decolonizing Digital Information” event on behalf of our initiative called the Partnership for Digital Justice, emphasizing the importance of digitizing deteriorating archival assets in the Global South and Indigenous communities. This work preserves invaluable cultural knowledge and restores control over their narratives, also importantly ensuring that Artificial Intelligence can grow equitably by incorporating a wider range of perspectives.

“If I Google things that are important to me in Lakota culture,” observed Joseph McNeil Jr , of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, in the latter panel, “I’m going to get some Western view of it. I’m not going to get an unci, a grandmother, or a lala, a grandfather, that has a story to tell.”

McNeil was one of three speakers on the panel, along with Mario Baeza , founder of @Tropix Media, and Atossa Soltani , Director of Global Strategy for Amazon Sacred Headwaters, moderated by our CEO, Deirdre White . 

Voices of wisdom and connection

“As we’re facing climate disasters, others are looking to Indigenous nations, asking how do we move back toward that relationship?” Speakers like Joseph McNeil, Jr. of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reminded us of the deep spiritual connection Indigenous communities hold with the Earth. “Traditional knowledge is being lost,” emphasized Atossa Soltani of Amazon Sacred Headwaters , whose organization is a coalition of 30 Indigenous nations in Amazonian Ecuador and Peru. “And this connection with nature is irreplaceable.”

“We have species in the Amazon that might live in a few square miles—and nowhere else—and the loss of knowledge and the loss of culture and the loss of nature is very prevalent.”

Driving systemic change, one community at a time

Western thinking—however "advanced" it may be—has also led to the current predicament the planet faces. As Soltani explained, Indigenous cultures in the Sacred Headwaters spend each morning interpreting their dreams, seeing them as messages from nature. “We’re not going to get out of the current mess using logic, rational and linear thinking. It’s really through our dreams—we will get visions of what we must do.”

Through these events, Pyxera Global facilitates dialogue and collaboration across sectors, addressing our planet’s challenges and aligning with our mission to drive equitable change, one community at a time.