Meet Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old Kenyan engineer who’s taking the construction world by storm. A former engineer in the oil and gas industry, Nzambi walked away from a lucrative career after a trip to the port of Mombasa, where she discovered a sea of plastic bags and bottles in the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean. This experience inspired Nzambi to create a solution to the country’s plastics problem by converting waste into sustainable materials. She launched the new venture in her mother’s backyard, where she began combining recycled plastic and sand to create paving bricks. Nzambi’s company, Gjenge Makers, produces a lightweight, low-cost, and durable building material that's stronger than concrete. The company currently produces about 500-1000 bricks daily, and recycles close to 500 kilograms of plastic waste everyday. Named a United Nations ‘Young Champion of the Earth’ in 2020, Nzambi is among a new generation of young environmentalists tackling global challenges.