Taking the message upstream - one year on…
3 years ago, we set out with an audacious goal to construct the world's first recycled plastic dhow as a way to kickstart a #plasticrevolution - a mass movement for change to bring about a world without single-use plastic.
Over two years, using traditional construction methods passed down through generations of craftsmen along Kenya’s Coast, the Flipflopi was brought to life - carved out of plastic waste and adorned with a rainbow of 30,000 discarded flipflops picked from the beaches and towns of Kenya.
1 year ago, after a tide of heartbreaking errors, tireless effort, and spectacular innovation, Flipflopi was launched at Capt. Ali Skanda’s boatyard in Lamu, Kenya. With the support of Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife & the Lamu County Governor at its back, as well as the blessing & drum beats of local Lamunians and the curiosity of tourists & the media, Flipflopi was propelled with celebration and fanfare into the spectacular waters it was birthed to conserve.
Against the backdrop of World Clean Up Day 2018, Flipflopi took to the ocean for the very first time. And sail it did…
Today, 1 year since Flipflopi was first launched, the little boat that could has sailed South along the beautiful Kenyan coast, across the border into Tanzania, and made its way inland towards Nairobi - the place of cool waters. Along the way, Flipflopi has delighted children and adults alike, mobilised communities, spurred businesses & governments into action, inspired change, highlighted the work of changemakers, brought together an incredible team of passionate activists, captured the attention of the world, and launched an African #plasticrevolution.
This movement continues to grow in strength as each day passes, bolstered by the love and support of countless people across the globe. With the successful expedition from Lamu to Zanzibar, Flipflopi stands tall as a beacon of local solutions to global problems; challenging the status quo and spreading the message that single-use plastic does not make sense.
Our current consumption and production habits are unsustainable, and the sooner we understand this and take corrective action, the faster we can begin to undo the damage we have done to the planet and to ourselves.
This World Clean Up Day, as we take stock of the incredible journey that has taken place over the last year, we cannot help but think of the endless possibilities that lie ahead of us. Take this journey with us and help us turn the tide on suffocating plastic trash and bring about a plastic revolution.
