BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM 2025 Local Changemakers Series: Compassion-driven sustainability & care for the overlooked Welcome to the first installment of The Optimist Daily’s Annual Local Changemakers series. Over the next five weeks, we are highlighting ten extraordinary individuals and organizations making waves in their communities through heart-led innovation. This week, our theme centers on compassion-driven initiatives. We are spotlighting changemakers who are showing the world what it means to pay real attention to what so many people overlook, whether that’s discarded plastic or the gray-muzzled companions too often left behind. Join us as we head to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where a scrappy, joy-filled operation is transforming plastic waste into dignity, employment, and beauty. Turning litter into livelihood: PeaceCYCLE’s impact In Haiti, safe drinking water is often packaged in four-ounce plastic sachets sold for just a few cents. But with no national recycling infrastructure and limited waste management, millions of these pouches end up clogging streets, canals, and ecosystems every day. It’s estimated that 8 million are used and discarded daily. That’s where PeaceCYCLE comes in. Founded in 2014 by Amber Rose Heimann, PeaceCYCLE is a Port-au-Prince-based social enterprise that’s rewriting the story of waste. By collecting, cleaning, and creatively repurposing these ubiquitous plastic sachets into durable, eye-catching products like tote bags, lunch sacks, and pencil cases, the initiative doesn’t just tackle plastic pollution—it empowers people, especially those long overlooked by Haiti’s formal economy. “The concept is that inserting employment creates a positive cycle (of peace), and eliminates the many negative cycles that plague the nation—illiteracy, gang involvement, environmental degradation, prostitution, malnutrition, poverty, and lack of hope,” explains Heimann. The PeaceCYCLE process: a labor of love Turning waste into beauty is no small feat. The process begins with collection: sachets are flattened and brought in by community members. From there, the bags are washed, sanitized, dried, sorted, and fused into sheets using either charcoal irons or solar power (about 40 percent of their ironing is solar-powered to date). These patchwork-style sheets are then cut and sewn by local artisans into eye-catching, functional designs. A group of PeaceMAKERS working on the collected satchels. Photo courtesy of PeaceCYCLE. Without access to consistent electricity, much of the sewing is done on treadle machines. This results in a zero-electricity, maximum-ingenuity operation that proves sustainability doesn’t have to be high-tech to be effective. The impact is staggering: to date, PeaceCYCLE has upcycled more than 5 million bags and processes around 1,500 sachets every single day. But the workshop isn’t just about production. It’s about joy. Each week, staff gather not only to review progress but to play. From hula-hoop contests and Jenga showdowns to raucous rounds of Left-Center-Right, the PeaceCYCLE team reclaims something often lost in difficult environments: laughter. “Although adults, our staff has never had the chance to be a child,” Heimann shares. “So we bring in games, laughter, and play to create not only opportunities for growth, but also resurrect a childhood joy that was never explored.” Reimagining value PeaceCYCLE is about more than just getting rid of plastic bags. It’s about restoring dignity, both to materials and to people. “We strive to provide dignifying employment, promote eco-friendly practices, and encourage creativity in Haiti,” the team shares on social media. Each PeaceCYCLE product is handmade by Haitian staff, many of whom would otherwise struggle to find stable work in the country’s informal economy. Yolene, fondly known as “the PeaceCYCLE mom,” has been with the organization from the beginning. She has done everything from collecting trash to being a manager.  She is essentially the wise mother figure of the PeaceCYCLE family. Photo courtesy of PeaceCYCLE. By turning a ubiquitous, throwaway item into something beautiful and long-lasting, PeaceCYCLE also invites a shift in mindset: from disposability to care, from waste to worth. Of course, the true impact of PeaceCYCLE’s work is best captured by the artisans themselves: “PeaceCYCLE transforms us and makes us valuable humans for society.” — Pierre, sewer “By working at PeaceCYCLE, I’ve learned to save money. I have never had a regular income I could depend on—this has changed my life. I’m sending my grandson to school, and I’m so proud of him. I never learned to read, but he’s six and can read already!” — Yolene, manager “When I first started sewing, I thought the plastic was too slippery and this was impossible. But with encouragement, I got better—and now I’m really proud of the products I make.” — Rosianie, sewer “Just as trash is discarded and seen as lacking value—but then transformed into something incredible—we strive to be the human side of that upcycling process.” — Rose, founder A global village of support While small in scale, PeaceCYCLE has inspired supporters around the world. Their products are stocked in select stores, featured by socially conscious retailers, and shared by buyers who want a story behind what they carry. These incredible PeaceMAKERS posed with their favorite PeaceCYCLE bags after installing their artwork around Sanford, Florida. Greg and Alex Mendez—brothers and public artists from Indiana—create striking sculptures that appear in cities across the U.S., featuring dancers, warriors, guitars, saints, horses, and thought-provoking forms. While all of their work is admirable, this particular installation holds a special place in PeaceCYCLE’s heart. Photo courtesy of PeaceCYCLE. Photo credit: @gregmendezgallery Longtime PeaceCYCLE supporter Suzie first connected with the organization during a workshop tour in Haiti years ago—and has stayed involved ever since through events, newsletters, and social media. In a recent update, she shared these photos from her most epic adventure yet: a 15-hour round-trip hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back. Several PeaceCYCLE bags helped keep her essentials organized throughout the journey. “Thanks for making a product I could count on,” she wrote. Photo courtesy of PeaceCYCLE. The organization is still growing, with plenty of challenges. Each item takes time, care, and effort. In a recent post, the team wrote: “Cutting and washing the plastic bags keeps us busy. Each step of the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive.” But they continue, buoyed by a shared sense of purpose and a belief that beauty and impact are worth the effort. Founder Rose Heimann (bottom, right) poses with graduates of PeaceCYCLE’s first-ever upcycling program in 2004. Photo courtesy of PeaceCYCLE. Want to support PeaceCYCLE? Visit their website to shop or donate: peacecycle.com Follow on Instagram: @peacecycle Learn more about their process: peacecycle.com/the-process  The post How PeaceCYCLE transforms Haiti’s water sachets into sustainable jobs first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.