Plastic bottle school in Guatemala

Anyone who's traveled in developing countries knows there's hardly a corner of the world untainted by plastic and paper trash, and in the absence of efficient garbage and recycling services, trash ends up everywhere. Plastic water and soda bottles are a common contributor to this. So when one community in Guatemala, along with a Peace Corps volunteer, was trying to figure out how to find materials to build a school, bottles came to mind as something available locally and in full supply.

Photo: Courtesy of Hug It Forward

It's an unlikely story, which I guess is why I like it, and while it's probably not the worldwide answer to the ubiquitous problems of pollution and substandard education facilities, it's a creative start. Read the full PBS NewsHour story here and check out a brief photo essay here.