The Chandelier is made from 1044 plastic bottles and has been entered as a world record! Hear what Ecostep have to say below….

“Every single bottle represents a sustainable action, wish or effort made by participants of ecostep.me, and by building the chandelier we want to inspire and challenge others to make a shift to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Taking the first sustainable step is the same as putting the first bottle in the chandelier. Every action counts and anyone can do it. We can all build our own virtual chandelier of sustainability by changing our life step by step, it’s simple and it all adds up; from the 1st bottle to number 1044.

The first plastic bottle was fitted by Roshan, 9 years and bottle 1044 by Carl, 12 years, both from Malmoe, Sweden.”

The school is classed as a Progressive School for Protection of Environment (PSFPOE) – “Our organization consists of educational experts, professors of universities, instructors and students. We are the pioneers of this system of education who have taken the new steps toward the protection of environment .We believe that on one hand the protection of environment is a compulsory matter not an optional one , but on the other hand , the education has a crucial role for persuading people to protect the environment, preserve the nature and natural resources.”

Teacher Mostafa Eil explains the project…
“The Plastiki is an important mission and we explained to our students the problems that the pollution of our seas, oceans and the dangers that threaten our sea life can have upon our world. We particularly focused upon plastic materials which are broken into small pieces and are eaten by fish causing the plastic to enter our food stream, which surprised the students and teachers alike. We believe that the findings from the Plastiki expedition are a rich resource for education; the students of all schools reacted really positively to the class. Especially a kindergarten class in Tehran named (VISTA), who took it a step further by drawing pictures for the Plastiki crew to show how grateful they were for their hard work and inspiring mission.”

We LOVE this picture of Vern…note the elongated mustache!

For more ‘inspired by Plastiki’ photos click here.

Remember – Plastics Kill….

We recently heard from Liam Collins who has been pioneering recycled building techniques for the last 3 decades. Coming from a mainly sculptural and artistic background Liam uses found objects to help with renovations, home improvements and art projects and has recently been working on a TV show “Fix your House for Free” which reveals some of his techniques and approaches on sourcing free treasure for your house!

“Demolition sites are great for ‘bulk’ items, bricks, timber etc. But you have to be chatty with the site foreman. Skips are one of the best places, but be careful – there may be broken glass and worse still, Asbestos!! And always ask permission from the licensees. There’s also websites that are great, Freecycle, Gumtree and council building proposals usually lead to a ‘rip out’. But generally shops, timber yards, manufacturers are always disposing slightly damaged materials or out of date stock. Or sometimes ‘re-branding’? Get in there quick and it’s yours. Companies that are re-locating also get rid of materials lying around that they simply don’t have the time to take with them. And most of this will go to landfill, unless we find it first!

“My 3 top tips for decorating are as follows:
1)The free ads are great places to find building materials, especially if an ex builder is moving house! Or anyone who had a garage. They always have a ton of goodies lying around. And paint is usually one of those items. Someone who has a lot of paint tins in storage will more than likely have tubes of mastic sealant, adhesives etc too.
2) A paint shop/DIY store that’s closing down will have masses of things up for grabs before they end up in the bins. They’re all more than happy for you to help yourself as they will only clog up their skip space.
3) Stores re-locating are great. If they are the kind of company looking for a fresh start somewhere else, they won’t want to bring along all those products slightly scratched or dirty. But as we all know, its only superficial damage! Still perfectly good inside : ) ”

You can watch a clip from the program here.

Enviroweek is a chance for everyone to make a change – whether it’s as small as remembering to turn off all your lights or as big as rethinking your wardrobe and becoming a head to toe green superhero – its up to you! You can register your challenge online and get sponsored by your friends to help raise funds for Cool Australia so they can continue their green education scheme. Our own expedition leader David has even made a pledge to shower with his dogs and save on water consumption!

Here are some ideas for your Enviroweek challenge…..
* Plant 100 trees or a veggie garden
* Get the boss to turn off all the lights and equipment at your office every night… or take the fuses home in your pocket.
* Make the switch to green power electricity
* Give meat a miss, you may not even miss it.
* Start a compost or worm farm (mind you they’re a bugger to milk)
* Catch public transport, it actually works and isn’t that scary.
* Ride your bike or walk everywhere with or without lycra, up to you.
* Grab an outfit from your local op shop and show off your style
* Live rubbish free.
* Create your own challenge

Or you could try something silly:
* Wear your undies on the outside and be an Enviroweek Superhero
* Wear a green wig and call yourself The Green Phantom.
* Dress in green and when called a leprechaun yell “I’m an environmental superhero!”
* Eat only green food (mainly recommended for single people)

The awards were set up in 2007 to create a platform where consumer driven ideas could be showcased and pitched into business leaders, providing a unique opportunity for inventors and designers to develop their ideas into salable solutions.

Each entry has to fall into one of six categories with a finalist being selected from each area. This years finalists have produced ideas from bamboo sunglasses to sustainable self-build shell structures to artificial photosynthetic foam.

In the ‘Product’ category Arthur Huang has been selected for his PolliBrick carbon neutral cladding which is made out of reclaimed plastic bottles (something we have a bit of an interest in!). The material also features solar lighting and would be used to clad the outside of buildings at a much lower cost, with reduced energy needed for the material and transportation as it is locally sourced.

The grand winner, as judged by a panel of world leading entrepreneurs designers and thinkers, receives £50,000 towards developing the design and will be announced on 16th September.

For information visit the Earth Awards site.

Anthony Smith, 84 years young, an adventurer, retired writer for the Telegraph and Grandfather to boot will be departing from the Canary Islands with his crew of 3 on a 2,800 mile journey towards the Bahamas, all on a raft made from plastic gas pipes.

Photo: ANDREW CROWLEY

Smith is no stranger to adventure, having been the first Briton to go over the French Alps in a hot air balloon he has also led a pioneering East Africa Expedition with the Telegraph and has written over 30 books. He will be joined by 57 year old David Hildred, a civil engineer and ocean yacht master and his close friend Andy Bainbridge, 56 – neither of whom are ‘age old pensioners’ as Smith had originally advertised for, but both are ready and raring for the January departure which will see them living on the 13 yard raft with the primary shelter constructed form adapted pig huts.

It’s great to see another adventure inspired by Thor’s epic expedition of 1947, to find out more about the Kon-Tiki click here. More information on Smith’s journey can be seen in this Independent Article.

Here are some of the media on board.

The Plastiki moored at Darling Harbour and the crew walked up the plank way to a huge crowd waiting. There were lots of cheers and camera flashes going off. The media seemed to be everywhere and I was having a tough time seeing anything. Then I saw the pink beanie and David’s huge smile. We managed to break through the crowd say hello and a hug. The crew caught up with their family and friends who were waiting for them. Then it was time for the official proceedings and lots of media interviews.

Plastiki moored along the welcome banner I made. The frill along the bottom was made from 30 plastic bags. The crew signed the banner and gave it back to me – a special memento.

It was great to see so many people come down to Darling Harbour to witness such a special event. The atmosphere was electric, people were clapping and cheering, cameras were madly clicking and there was a positive buzz.

I was given a tour of Plastiki by Max Jourdan. On board the Plastiki felt quite sturdy but the cabin was a lot smaller than I imagined. The kitchen is tiny and there isn’t too much room to move about.

It was a great day. This epic adventure I hope will go down in the history books as one that made a difference – inspiring solutions for our planets ecology.

The next event was a talk given by David at SIMS – The Institute of Marine Science which is on the North side of the harbour. A big crowd turned up at this great venue. David shared his stories of the expedition and the crowd were able to ask questions. David showed footage of storm the Plastiki had to endure which the crowd was able to get a real understanding of the difficulties of such an adventure. A great night overall and SIMS is a fantastic organisation.

The following night was another talk at the Seymour Centre. A huge crowd turned out and it was great to see kids attending and asking questions. I was shocked when David put up one of his report cards for everyone to see. Let’s just say they were a little below average. It just goes to show you can’t be good at everything but you can still make a difference. Again David’s story abilities shone through.

This talk was recorded and you can watch it here.

The next night was a talk at the Maritime Museum. David was interviewed on stage by Kim McKay. Kim is a really energetic lady so between Kim and David the talk was full of energy. Jo Royle the skipper and naval architect Andy Dovell were invited on stage to talk and answer questions. It was a fun night.

Now the grand finale for Plastiki was an open day hosted by the Maritime Museum. Over 3,500 people turn out – even celebrities. It was really cool meeting John Dee, the founder of Planet Ark and Do Something. John is someone I find really inspirational. I was able to get a snap with him in front of a really cool electric car he bought along. It was a beautiful day in Sydney and it was great meeting and talking to so many people. I particularly enjoyed talking to the many kids that visited. Most of the kids (and some adults) really liked my recycled surfer. I made the surfer from all recycled material and so I spent a lot of time talking about how we can turn waste into something like art.

The last 12 months working on Plastiki has been incredible and I have learnt so much. I am hoping to take what I have learnt and it share with other kids. The week of Plastiki’s arrival has been the best week of my life! I have to say meeting the team from Adventure Ecology was so cool. I loved hanging out with them as so they are so positive and energetic. Thankyou AE Team – you rule! Thanks to David for letting me hang out with you. You already know what an inspiration you are to me and I want to be part of the next expedition!

Parrys Raines – Climate Girl.

Just before the Plastiki set sail Vogue USA visited us at Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco where the Plastiki was being built to talk to our skipper Jo Royle.

After 4 years of planning and building the Plastiki sets sail from San Francisco in April – BBC news.

Using Skype David chatted live with Oprah on her World Environment Day show and we were also featured on Oprah.com through a special Plastiki page.

54 days into the expedition New Scientist featured an interview with David.

Circle of Blue caught up with the crew as they neared the final destination Sydney after traveling for close to 8,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean.

As the Plastiki sailed through Sydney Harbour Sky and ITN cameras tracked its progress from the sky.

Once the crew finally reached dry land David caught up with National Geographic radio from the Sydney harbour to talk about spending 130 days at sea on a boat made from plastic bottles.

Radio Interview with National Geographic Weekend from The Plastiki on Vimeo.

To help promote and support the bill a film festival will be being held at UCLA James Bridges Theater on Sunday 22nd August at 4pm. The event will be showcasing a range of short films, including the film festival favourite Plastic Bag (directed by Ramin Bahrani, voiced by Werner Herzog, music by Sigur Ros) and the feature documentary by Susan Berazza Bag It! For more information go to the Plastic Pollution Coalition site.

Check out this short clip from the Bag It! documentary below….it looks great – we can’t wait to see the full version!

Bag It Intro from Suzan Beraza on Vimeo.