Our collaboration with the Strategic Solutions for Responsibility, Interaction, Education, and Environment (SERIEMA) sustainability program at the CNPEM research center has been instrumental in embedding responsible and socially conscious practices into our iGEM 2024 project. Through this partnership, we have aligned our scientific efforts with the pressing environmental and social issues facing our local community, ensuring that our solutions are both impactful and sustainable:

Biodiversity and Waste Management: Working closely with SERIEMA, we identified the biodiversity preservation and waste management key areas as focal points for our project. This allowed us to develop initiatives that are not only scientifically sound but also socially relevant and applicable to the needs of our community.

Educational Workshops and Feedback: During Environment Week (June 3-7, 2024), we actively engaged with the CNPEM community, reaching 360 participants through workshops and talks on topics such as the lifecycle of plastics and their environmental impact. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 135 responses from participants highlighting the relevance of the initiatives and the new knowledge gained. We were highly motivated by the impact of our work within the community.

Pioneering Plastic Reduction: As a direct result of our campaigns, CNPEM has seen a dramatic reduction in the use of single-use plastics. For instance, from January to August 2024, the consumption of plastic cups decreased by over 99.995%, from 120,000 units in January to just 700 units in August. This shift was driven by a combination of awareness emails, posters, and practical measures such as the introduction of reusable mugs.

Figure 1. The image encourages the adoption of reusable mugs as a way to reduce plastic cup consumption, and was placed on the walls of different locations of the national laboratories. It highlights that by using 3 plastic cups per day, you can save 700 per year, considering that a single cup takes around 250 years to decompose.

The Environment Week at CNPEM was a key event in our campaign to raise awareness about plastic pollution and microplastics. Throughout the week, we held a series of activities that highlighted the environmental challenges posed by plastic waste and the steps we can take to mitigate these impacts.

Topics Covered:

• Biomass Conversion into Eco-Friendly Materials: by Juliana da Silva Bernardes, PhD (Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia)
• Sustainability in Packaging: by Gustavo Henrique Moraes, MSc (Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos)
• Single-Use vs. Circular Economy: Life Cycle of Plastics: by Guilherme Nogueira, PhD (Universidade Estadual de Campinas)

Visual Impact: We produced and displayed posters at key events like the "Green Coffee" session, where we discussed environmental issues and our ongoing project, B.A.R.B.I.E., focused on reducing plastic pollution.

Figure 4. Poster presentation of the B.A.R.B.I.E Project during Environment Week. The image highlights key initiatives focused on plastic pollution awareness and sustainable practices. The project emphasizes the importance of reducing plastic consumption, promoting educational activities, and fostering environmental responsibility through the partnership between the CNPEM and the B.A.R.B.I.E Project.

Our campaign to reduce plastic use involved a multi-faceted approach, combining education, behavioral nudges, and structural changes within the CNPEM community. The campaign involved sending out seven informational emails to all staff, outlining the dangers of plastic waste and encouraging the adoption of reusable alternatives. The emails also reminded staff about the mandatory removal of plastic cups at CNPEM, emphasizing the importance of bringing their own reusable mugs.

Quantifiable Impact:

• Plastic Waste Reduction: The CNPEM saw an overall reduction in plastic waste by 99.995%, with a significant drop in plastic cup usage from 120,000 units in January 2023 to just 700 units by August 2024.
• Behavioral Change: The introduction of reusable mugs and water bottles has become the norm within CNPEM, significantly reducing our environmental footprint.

Our efforts have led to significant, quantifiable outcomes both environmentally and socially. The reduction in plastic waste at CNPEM, combined with our successful educational campaigns, has established a model for sustainable practices within scientific institutions. The combination of awareness initiatives, the distribution of reusable mugs, and the elimination of plastic cups proved to be a great strategy in fostering a culture of plastic reduction. The result was an overwhelming level of participation and commitment across the CNPEM community, as seen in the figure above.

Environmental Impact:

• 99.995% Reduction in Plastic Cup Usage: Demonstrated by a sharp decline in plastic cup consumption.
• Increased Use of Reusable Items: Adoption of sustainable practices by CNPEM staff.

Figure 5. Bar Plot illustrating the gradual reduction in plastic cup consumption at CNPEM over the months, showcasing the positive effects of awareness campaigns and sustainability initiatives introduced by our team in partnership with the institution. The blue bar section represents the months prior to the distribution of reusable mugs, while the pink indicates the period following the implementation of plastic reduction measures. The logo featuring a cup with an 'X' symbolizes the mandatory elimination of plastic cups at CNPEM, reflected in the sharp decline in their use.

Social Impact:

Community Engagement: Feedback from staff and local community members has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the effectiveness and importance of our initiatives.

Throughout the season, our team recognized the importance of forging partnerships with institutional entities and collectives beyond our immediate sphere of action. One of these key collaborators was the Igarapé Group, a student organization at Unicamp, founded in 2022 by Chemical Engineering students, with a mission to develop socio-environmental projects. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the group actively engages both the Unicamp community and the broader local population to promote sustainability.

Their first project, Recicla Barão, focused on raising awareness about waste management and environmental education while implementing practical solutions to mitigate waste impacts in Barão Geraldo and at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). Building on this momentum, Igarapé has continued to advance initiatives that foster leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration. Their current project, Mora Composta, addresses organic recycling systems in Unicamp's student housing, aiming to reduce solid waste, with a special emphasis on plastic waste reduction.

Figure 6. Meeting with the Igarapé group.

In order to raise awareness about improper waste disposal in Barão Geraldo located at Campinas, São Paulo, the CNPEM-BRAZIL team in collaboration with the Igarapé Group, organized a street cleanup on June 30th, 2024. The event highlighted the residents' detachment from their environment as they witnessed young volunteers cleaning up their discarded trash. This initiative received strong backing from the Igarapé Group, along with the spontaneous help of passing volunteers who were inspired to join the cause. We spent the day collecting and sorting waste into recyclable, non-recyclable, and electronic categories, ensuring proper disposal at the local Ecoponto station in Barão Geraldo. The sheer volume of waste we encountered made the activity eye-opening; it underscored how casually people litter public spaces.

Figure 8. Collaboration between the Igarapé group and the CNPEM-BRAZIL team during a cleanup effort in the Barão Geraldo neighborhood. The image showcases volunteers working together to collect waste, emphasizing the partnership's dedication to environmental preservation and community engagement through hands-on action against pollution.

Impact:

• Waste Collected: Over 200 kg of waste was gathered during the cleanup.
• Community Feedback: Local residents were highly supportive, with many emphasizing the importance of these efforts in preserving biodiversity and reducing pollution.

Our street cleanup in Barão Geraldo, supported by the Igarapé Group, has collected over 200 kg of waste, correctly disposable in the Ecoponto de Barão Geraldo. We also raised environmental awareness within the local community through this action, receiving positive feedback from residents who appreciated our efforts. One local resident even approached us, sharing his concerns about improper waste disposal and explaining that he goes out every week to collect and recycle waste in his neighborhood. The event drew attention to the importance of responsible waste disposal, with strong community engagement and positive feedback on the importance of protecting local biodiversity.

We participated in the 6th edition of the outreach event “Open Science”, organized by CNPEM, where we engaged with the public through activities addressing the issue of microplastics in drinking water. The audience we received includes the city of Campinas and the surrounding region, and we had the participation of over 21,000 people. We also presented the B.A.R.B.I.E. project as a solution to mitigate these contaminants using synthetic biology. Over the two-day event, we attracted a diverse audience, including students and the general public, with two activities: “Fishing for Microplastics” and “Microplastics in Everyday Life: Discover Your Annual Consumption”.

Activity 1: “Fishing for Microplastics”

As our main attraction, “Fishing for Microplastics” is a playful activity demonstrating how 3D-printed B.A.R.B.I.E. 4.0 proteins capture microplastics as polyethylene and polypropylene. The activity was especially popular among children and young people, allowing us to share the concept of our eco-filter in a fun and interactive manner. Additionally, since the event was open to the community, we received visits of students, experts in the field, and even members of other iGEM teams, facilitating valuable exchanges of ideas about the project and the broader applications of synthetic biology.

Figure 11. Some children who joined in our "Fishing for Microplastics" activity and having fun with our 3D-printed B.A.R.B.I.E. 4.0 protein.