LEARN TO LEAD!
17-year-old Arlian aka PLASTIC FREE BOY is a passionate and inspiring young leader who has been on a 7-year mission protecting the ocean by enabling school students to have agency over their learning and as global citizens to create a just and sustainable future.
"I believe my generation is the key to change. Students are the new leaders of Tomorrow.
I love inspiring students with my story to become changemakers themselves, empowering them to create innovative solution-based projects.
No one is too young to make a difference."
Mother (filmmaker) and son (presenter) team embarked on a life journey to protect the ocean for future generations to come, showcasing international environmental leadership, creating Impactful documentaries, and showing a young boy's journey to make a difference!
Karin has been a filmmaker, who has dedicated her life to promoting a healthy ocean, focusing on the social issues around it. Her films have been shown on TV internationally.
Arlian is a compassionate young man, who has been advocating for a healthy ocean since he turned 11 years old.
To support their filmmaking journey,
Who is PLASTIC FREE BOY?
A passionate leader empowering students to become global citizens of change.
Hi, My name is Arlian. I grew up between Australia and Austria. Currently, I live in Australia. My passion is to keep ecosystems free from plastic pollution.
My mission started in January 2017, on my 11th birthday, when I saw 3 sea turtles being released back into the ocean. I found out that they were hurt by plastic pollution. I also found out that when I am 42 years old there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. I realized that this will have not only a big impact on marine life but also on us humans when millions of people who rely on fish become climate refugees.
Everyone can be a superhero. I believe that my generation is the key to change. Through engaging and inspiring education we can motivate kids to become future leaders.
I decided to do something to help our future and the way to do this is to spread the message to every other kid on this planet. Us kids can often feel powerless about the issues we learn in school, but what if we all learn that every one of us matters and can make a difference, and even better learn the steps to take. This not only ticks off the boxes for the curriculum but also tackles the growing rate of depression in young people.
"Well done Arlian for having the courage and passion to stand up and fight for something so important and I’d encourage you to continue to have the strength to keep pushing forward" Chris Hemsworth
Since then I have been known as 'Plastic Free Boy'. My mum who is a documentary produced the 22min documentary 'Plastic Alarm' in which I feature as 'Plastic Free Boy' inspiring kids about what they can do to help save our future. So we created a Super Hero.
'Plastic Alarm' has been shown in schools internationally, showcasing the problems and solutions to plastic pollution.
Schools:
After having visited over 250 preschools, primary schools, and high schools globally, I continue on my mission to engage with students in schools in protecting the ocean and our waterways, not only for marine animals but for future generations, by highlighting scientific facts such as microplastic and its effects on human health.
My ongoing filmmaking campaign and international speaker engagements have been featured in national media.
Media TV
- ABC Behind the News
- Channel 10 'The Project'
- Channel 9 'Current Affairs'
- Channel 10 'Totally Wild'
- Korean CBS (10 million people)
- TV Station (Sustainable Tourism)
- Austrian TV
Awards
- 'Green Globe Awards' by the NSW Department of Environment.
- 'Student Awards' by the NSW Department of Education - for teaching communities about the reduction of waste.
- 'Keep Australia Beautiful Award'
- Internet Stars Life Award
Ambassador
- Youth Ambassador for 'Clean Up Australia Day' (the biggest community event in Australia).
- Youth Ambassador for 'World Clean Up Day' with 21 million people involved.
- Australian Geographic Ambassador
Speaker
- 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit - Plenary Speaker for the Sustainability of Cities (about uniting and empowering future generations by collaborating with community groups, corporations, and government agencies to co-create a sustainable future).
- 2018 Eco Expo (Brisbane)
- 2019 Ipswich Youth Summit
- Commscom 2020
- 2020 Ipswich Youth Summit
- 2020 Kids Teaching Kids (Melbourne)
- 2020 Zero Waste Festival (online)
- 2022 Atlassian Leadership Day
- 2022 Adidas Leadership Day
- 2022 Lehrlingsfestival Austrai
The 22 min film featuring Arlian aka Plastic Free Boy, has educated over 790 000 students globally about the problems and solutions of plastic pollution. Shown in schools and community screenings globally.
Reducing single-use plastic consumption and shown 20 - 80 % reduction in school waste.
I love uniting and empowering future generations. Collaborating with community groups, corporations, and government agencies. Please contact us for bookings.
Screening license
The 22 min film featuring Arlian aka Plastic Free Boy, has educated over 980 000 students globally about the problems and solutions of plastic pollution. Shown in schools and community screenings globally.
Reducing single-use plastic consumption and shown 20 - 80 % reduction in school waste.
Download & Streaming for Primary/Highschools
This is weeks of work planned for you!
You will receive the screening license and a Curriculum STEM Lesson Plan for Primary & Secondary Schools targeting Maths, English, and Science. You also receive a cross-curriculum Matrix.
Clean Up Australia Day - Youth Ambassador on tour through schools this year with his presentation and ready for a Clean-Up.
Ready to find out more?
we'll send you an email with available dates
Primary & High School
INCURSION: Presentation at schools and community groups 45 min presentation (22min film + presentation) Optional: Schools can raise funds to improve their waste management. 50% of proceeds stay with the school.
Learning Outcome:
This is an opportunity to embrace the cross-curricula priority of sustainability, enable and empower students to make decisions and take actions that contribute to making a more sustainable society.
Learning for Sustainability, enables and empowers students to make decisions and take actions that contribute to creating a sustainable society and ecosystems.
Learning and Leadership approach. this film is the perfect catalyst for students to look at the issue of plastic waste and then develop some strategies.
School Presentations for High/Primary Schools
The 'Plastic Free Boy' visit at Pre - High Schools has been super popular and a lot of fun. Book a real-life Super Hero: Arlian aka 'Plastic Free Boy' for an unforgettable experience which will change their lives of your students forever.
Presentation via Zoom
If you would like to book in for a special 40 min live online PLASTIC FREE BOY presentation or Zoom, Skype or Google Classroom( 20 min Film + 20 min presentation) please
Pre School Presentations
The 'Plastic Free Boy' visit to Pre Schools has been super popular and a lot of fun. Book a real-life Super Hero: Arlian aka 'Plastic Free Boy' for an unforgettable experience that will change the lives of your kids forever.
JOIN our new adventure in making our new film PLAN B - Full of Solutions to protect Coral Reefs!
We document Arlian's journey of learning and engaging in different solutions.
With your help, we can make this a reality, share our film with students in schools and be ready for the public to join in the action.
Your Donation supports the research and production and outreach of our film PLAN B. The production will be about protecting our amazing Great Barrier Reef, showing coral spawning, coral restoration, and lots of interviews with scientists. Civic science projects are high on our list to be included in the film for the public to engage with directly. We show how plastic affects coral reefs and promote different solutions.
And most exciting, we are creating Lesson Plans for Schools, for student engagement in real-life civic science projects.
WHO IS 'PLASTIC FREE BOY'?
In January 2017, on Arlian's 11th Birthday, he saw three rehabilitated sea turtles released back into the ocean. He inquired about plastic pollution hurting turtles, other marine animals, and how it will affect his future. 'The fact that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish when I am 42 years old by 2050, impacted me massively. But there is a birth side to this. I realize that kids/students can do something about it by changing our consumer habits and stop single-use plastic.
He set out to do something about it by educating and empowering people focusing on students like himself.
Since then he teamed up with his mum Karin, a professional filmmaker to create ongoing inspirational and educational films. Together they aim to bring the wonders and the beauty of the ocean into people's hearts. Arlian is showcasing what happens when young people in schools are supported to become future leaders by making this an empowering movement towards a sustainable future.
In July 2019 I was honored to be the youngest speaker at the 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum
Dear Arlian,
I am writing to congratulate you on your presentation at this year's Asia Pacific Cities Summit.
For someone so young to be invited to speak at such a significant Summit with around 90 Mayors and other senior representatives from over 125 Cities and nearly 1500 delegates from around the Asia Pacific region is a huge honour and is a testimony of the high regard in which you are held.
This Summit is now regarded as the second largest cities Summit is the Asia Pacific Region.
You presented the case to free our oceans of plastic in a coherent and compelling way.
You presented the facts with an appropriate level of passion and commitment to your cause in a convincing way that had credibility with the audience.
It is not easy to present in this way and you showed a maturity beyond your years.
Arlian I thank you as a former Lord Mayor of Brisbane for presenting at the Summit. You can hold your head high knowing that you presented yourself professionally but importantly in the process presented the merits of your campaign to free our oceans of plastic to a very high effect.
I wish you well on your journey and trust that you continue to effectively campaign on this critical issue into the future .
With kind regards, Graham Quirk, Former Lord Mayor of Brisbane, 2011 – 2019.
WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE
Many kids already live in an environment like this. 2 billion tons of plastic waste is produced every year. 8 million tons of it ends up i the ocean, killing marine animals and destroying the ocean. We need the ocean. Every 2nd breath we take comes from the ocean. By 2050 there will be more Plastic in the Ocean than Fish. 2.6 Billion people depend on Sea Food as their main food. It will also have severe consequences on our Climate. A Micro Plastic Disaster. We are in this together!
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER - changing the world
Education is key!!! My film PLASTIC ALARM show in schools and community groups around the world about the problems and solutions of plastic pollution is already making a difference! Please help me show this film to all kids in school.
'You have really inspired all of us to try and reduce the amount of plastic we use and also to convince our families and other members of our community to do the same. Thank you for trying to make the world we live in a better place.' St. Oliver Plunketts School, Victoria, Australia.
Please help me show this film to all kids in school.
WE can make this a fun and cool movement!
THANK YOU to my mum and professional film maker, who has worked with me on my campaign for 3 years now. "I love to empower and inspire my son and other kids to look after their future environment, to ensure they have a sustainable future ahead of them. We hope to reach many kids internationally. Because of my experience as a global citizen and international documentary film maker I see a global vision emerging and hope to inspire many to join us."
Plastic Free Boy KEEP CUP - Our Solution
SAFE A TURTLE EVERY DAY
2.7 million single use Coffee Cups get used every day in Australia alone. That is 1 Billion each year.
Instead of using single use Coffe Cups you can use one of our PLASTIC FREE BOY - Keep Cups and save a Turtle. Be part of the Solution today. #plasticfreeboy #turtally cool
Thank you CHRIS HEMSWORTH for YOUR support. Being a superhero is not always easy especially when it is on a kids level. But I believe that us kids all are super heroes as we will keep this planet and all the living beings save from our PLASTIC POLLUTION. Thank you for your kind words: "Well done Arlian for having the courage and passion to stand up and fight for something so important and I’d encourage you to continue to have the strength to keep pushing forward".
Last year I was chosen out of 800 children to be featured in an ABC episode of 'Dirtgirl' as the 'Plastic Free Boy', who is teaching her about plastic. ('Dirtgirl' is an awesome kids TV show that has aired to 34 different countries including USA and Canada), Thank you for helping me to get the message out!
