Justin Anderson Named a 2021 STEMforChangemaking Challenge Winner

(Minnetonka, MN) – An initiative launched by Minnetonka resident and Macalester College student Justin Anderson has just won national recognition.

Anderson’s effort to play a role in helping to solve the world’s plastic problem has been selected as a winner of the 2021 Our Planet, Our Purpose: STEM for Changemaking Challenge. The collaboration between the nonprofit Ashoka and General Motors, the STEM for Changemaking Challenge is a nationwide contest for young changemakers who are using science, technology, engineering, and math to solve sustainability-related issues and our planet’s biggest environmental challenges.

Earlier this year, General Motors and Ashoka put out a call to youth ages 14-20 across the United States, asking them to submit their sustainability-related projects. After reviewing hundreds of entries, Ashoka and GM announced 25 winning teams in April – including Anderson’s “Precious Plastic Minnesota + 2nd Melt Solutions.”

Anderson started the project shortly after a Spring Break 2019 vacation in Hawaii where he discovered what should have been pristine beaches covered in plastic. Anderson brought as much of the plastic as he could carry home form the trip with the intent of repurposing it into something artistic.

Winning teams will receive $2,000 in seed funding and will participate in the Changemaker Summit on June 14-16, an immersive online experience involving skill building, keynotes, mentorship from General Motors executives, and network opportunities with other amazing teams.

Anderson and his team are excited to be selected as a challenge winner and are looking forward to deepening their impact on the local community.