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The Peace On Earthbench Movement (POEM) empowers youth and community members to clean up the environment, repurpose their trash into a building material, learn natural building techniques, and then create a communal gathering area— an earthbench—where they can share music, share stories, share life. The earthbench effectively seals trash from entering the worlds’ oceans and rivers while serving a clear artistic, educational, and social function.
How will a bench create peace on earth? Earthbenches symbolize our collective desire for a more sustainable, more just, and more peaceful world. These benches empower youth to clean up the environment as they lead a community outreach campaign to collect discarded plastic bottles, stuff them with trash, and create a green building material—bottle bricks. These benches foster community interaction and collaboration. And - when completed - they create a place for communal gathering--
