Activists use different methods to raise awareness about the climate crisis. Some put up posters, while others engage in activities like protesting outside McDonald's restaurants. David Loesche, a 31-year-old studying organic farming at the University of Kassel in Germany, has chosen a unique way to highlight the issue of waste production.

He wears "clothes" made of trash, not because he has any attachment to plastic candy bar wrappers, but to draw attention to the amount of waste people generate.

We are generating an increasing amount of waste every year. According to PAP, in 2021, the average person in Poland produced 358 kg of municipal waste, 16 kg more than the previous year. However, this is not just happening in Poland; on average, European Union countries generated around 505 kg of municipal waste per person in 2020.

To draw attention to the issue of waste generation, a German student began collecting his rubbish instead of throwing it away. He has already collected around 15 kg of waste, and he stresses that he only collects waste that he has generated himself. Interestingly, this is not a new idea - the German student was inspired by the actions of American activist Rob Greenfield, who carried the rubbish he himself generated for 30 days. You can learn more about Greenfield's project by watching his TEDx talk.

David Loesche is studying topics related to the human impact on the planet's ecosystem, and he wanted to draw attention to one of the problems affecting it. He thought carrying waste on his back was both an interesting and amusing way to do so.

David has created a unique structure to cope with the weight of his portable rubbish bin. He keeps developing it constantly and recently added rear bags because he ran out of space in the front. However, he doesn't put organic waste in it as carrying around a mouldy orange peel could become unpleasant.

David points out that organic waste recycling in Germany works quite well. He only uses this construction when he travels as it would hurt his back otherwise. Fortunately, he has not received any adverse reactions yet, and most people approach his idea quite positively.

"I will never be able to definitively find out whether people have really changed their behaviour and whether I have influenced their attitude to consumerism. However, I think I make a lot of people think," Dave says in an interview with Monopol.

When asked about how he views the actions of climate activists who spill their soups on paintings, Dave responds that the issue is quite complex. He doesn't condemn their activity, but he believes that a sense of humour and creativity could open up more opportunities for activists and put people off their activities to a lesser extent.

Once Dave finishes his project, he plans to recycle the rubbish. He hasn't decided how he will do it yet, but given his creativity, he will surely come up with something original. His mother suggested that he send bags of waste to Danone, but it seems that the biggest rubbish man on the planet, Coca-Cola, would be a better address for such a shipment.

Source: monopol-magazin.de, TVN 24, PAP