Luciana Peker

Argentinian social entrepreneur who created innovative education programs for marginalized youth through recycled materials

Luciana Peker (b. 1978) is an Argentine social innovator who founded Fundación Peker, a nonprofit that transforms trash into educational tools. Starting in 2003, her organization has recycled over 15 million kilograms of waste to create school materials for 1.2 million children in favelas and rural areas. Peker's model combines environmental sustainability with social equity, providing jobs for 300+ waste pickers while improving literacy rates.

Her breakthrough came with the Recycled Schoolbags initiative, turning plastic waste into backpacks filled with books made from recycled paper. This program expanded into Educational Gardens, teaching urban youth organic farming techniques using compost from neighborhood waste. Peker's 2010 book Building Schools from Garbage details her approach, which has been replicated in 12 countries through partnerships with UNESCO.

A former Goldman Environmental Prize finalist, Peker's work bridges environmentalism and education through grassroots innovation. Her 2018 documentary La Revolución de los Basureros (The Garbage Revolution) chronicles her journey, showing how discarded materials can become tools for empowerment. The foundation's website features interactive maps tracking their impact across Latin America.