On August 14 this year (2019 the Government of Pakistan celebrated two independence days: one commemorating the nation's freedom for 72 years. The other? Freedom from single-use plastic bags. Pakistan has joined 128 countries in the fight against plastic pollution, and it started with Islamabad's pilot project banning the use of plastic bags in the capital city. Moving towards environmental sustainability is one of the World Bank’s key commitments to the Government of Pakistan and to ourselves, and so we decided to walk the talk. For the past year, the World Bank Islamabad campus has been free of single-use plastic.

Water.org co-founder Matt Damon shares some inspiring thoughts and anecdotes with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. Learn how water can be made accessible to the world’s poorest. And see how even a mega-star can be humbled by a smart Haitian pre-teen.

Our trash tells a lot about who we are, what we value and how we behave. This year, we launched a new on-the-ground research project called Trash Lab that helps us get the whole story about the trash in our ocean. Much of what we uncovered during the project is unsettling, but one thing is clear: Many people care deeply about their local beaches and the special ocean places they enjoy with their friends and family.

Video features Stan Senner, Director of Conservation Science and Carmen Yeung, Conservation Biologist.  Uploaded on Nov 30, 2012.