An Ontario teen saw her life change when she developed Crohn's disease. Her treatment for the chronic illness also gave her insight into how much the medical industry relies on plastics.
So when the Canadian Plastics Industry Association reached out to as many as 1.5 million Canadian teens to participate in its Plasticurious video contest, Clare Zeltner took the chance to show her experience with plastics.
Before her treatment for Crohn's, Zeltner was not a fan of plastics and was afraid of needles, but her use of IV setups changed her feelings about this kind of treatment, she told Plastics News.
"I was surprised how much hospitals use plastic," Zeltner said in a phone interview from her Uxbridge, Ontario, home
"I grew up against plastics," Zeltner said. "People sometimes see plastic as a negative, however, plastic saved my life. I entered my video in the Plasticurious video contest to show that there are, in fact, positives about plastic and they can make a huge impact on someone's life."
Zeltner won third place in the 16-18 age category.
Zeltner received her certificate from a plastics machinery executive who lives only a block away from Zeltner's home. Rob Miller, president of Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. and vice chair of CPIA's board, presented her with the certificate and helped arrange a presentation of her video to the municipal council of the Township of Uxbridge.
"She got nice words from the mayor," Miller said in a phone interview. "Council viewed it very positively."
"It's important to teach kids that plastics are part of our lives," Miller said.
Zeltner finished third in the 16-18 age category. The winner in that category was Adrian Mak of North Vancouver, British Columbia, for "Plastic (W)rap." Mak's video also had the largest number of shares on social media and was the fan favorite for greatest number of views.
Other winning video titles included "Reduce Reuse," by Barath Velmurugan, of Brampton, Ontario; "Polymer," by Jonah Hansen, Sherwood Park, of Alberta; and "A Brief History of Plastics," by Brianna Davies, Cardinal, Ontario.
"Our intent was to engage young people in thinking and sharing ideas about plastics and how the decisions they make today about managing plastics affect their lives tomorrow," said CPIA President and CEO Carol Hochu.
"We thought a video contest was a good way to do that."
All the winning videos can be accessed through www.plasticurious.ca.