Let’s Do It World (LDIW) Board Member Pal Martensson shares his story of attending the 2026 Zero Waste Forum.
Together with Julia Markhel, Leader of Let’s Do It Ukraine, I travelled to Park City, Utah, USA to attend the 2026 Zero Waste Forum, held from 21–23 April during Earth Week.
The forum was organised by Race to Zero Waste, in partnership with Green Education US, Park City Municipal and the National Recycling Coalition. It took place at the Jim Santy Auditorium in Park City Library and brought together local, national and international participants for three days of panels, workshops, networking and a public event programme.
More than 20 speakers shared ideas and experiences on what we can do better for our planet. Some of the key topics included:
One workshop that really stood out was led by Dr Sami Romanick, an engaging speaker from the Environmental Working Group. She showed microplastics found in snow samples collected in Park City. This was impressive and vital work — showing clearly how widespread this problem has become.
Steve Jewett from Earth Day, one of our partners, also delivered an important session. He spoke about the need for strong environmental systems and accessible data to support better decisions. His message was clear: “environmental progress is built through everyday action, from communities protecting ecosystems to innovators advancing solutions. Clean air, safe water, and climate resilience aren’t optional — they’re essential”.
During the forum, I was also honoured to receive the “Sustainability in Action Award” for my global advocacy work in connection to World Cleanup Day.
Julia delivered two sessions during the forum. In her first, she spoke about how volunteering, leadership and advocacy can create a zero waste future. She asked important questions and shared clear messages:
“Leadership is not a title; it is action. It is responsibility, problem-solving, teamwork and the ability to inspire others and drive change.”
She also spoke about advocacy — creating positive change with your voice, and how when people speak together, leaders listen.
In her second session, Julia shared how she created Let’s Do It Ukraine and how volunteering and NGO leadership can contribute to a zero waste future. She also presented her School Recycling online course and spoke about the importance of bringing together communities, organisations and governments at both local and international level.
Let’s Do It Ukraine is the largest youth eco-movement in the country. It brings together activists to support civilian populations through humanitarian work, while also promoting responsible waste management, education and environmental awareness.
Utah is now looking to develop an eco-park, and I had the opportunity to present the Reuse Park I built in Sweden — the first and largest of its kind. It has served as a model for many similar parks around the world and shows what is possible when reuse becomes part of everyday life.
As I said during the forum: “We must climb up in the waste hierarchy as much as we can. We are doing better and better, but it is a long road to walk.”
Today’s technology will help us a lot. Mobile apps already support consumers in making better choices, and younger generations are much quicker to adopt these tools. Waste is very “app-friendly”, meaning digital solutions can guide people in their everyday decisions.
But it is not only about recycling — it is about changing behaviour. Technology can support this, but we also need to look at how much we consume and how we live. We need to talk more about over-consumption, and its serious impact on our environment and our health.
We celebrated Earth Day on 22 April with a dinner and discussions about future projects. Together with Julia and Steve, we promoted Let’s Do It World and World Cleanup Day, sharing the work being done around the world.
We had a photo session with our flag, and the audience joined in chanting: “Let’s Do It!” and “Zero Waste!” It was a great moment and showed the strong engagement from participants.
Park City is moving in a good direction, with strong local leadership. I would like to recognise Jill Donello from Green Education US, based in Park City, for helping to coordinate the programme and reflect regional priorities.
Overall, it was a great event with an active and engaged audience. Forums like this show that we are moving in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go.
Luckily, as Julia shared at the forum, in the Let’s Do It World movement:
“We don’t just talk about change — we make change together”.
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