UN’s Clear sea-Flipflopi ends her sea voyage with a strong imprint against marine litter

Stone Town, Feb 8: Island of Zanzibar see the Rainbow colored dhow in the sea and the inspiring story of Flipflopi, the innovation to overcome one of the biggest challenges welcomed wholeheartedly in its destination. After fourteen days and 500 kilometers on the water, the Clean Seas-Flipflopi expedition has ended with enthusiasm.

 

Today the biggest challenge in front of the world is Plastic pollution. In the search of innovative solutions for this universal problem, the project Flipflopi emerged. The Flipflopi project was founded in 2016 by Ben Morison who was inspired to come up with the idea after witnessing the shocking quantities of plastic on Kenya’s beaches. Kenya saw the launch of the world’s first 100% recycled plastic and flip-flop boat into the Indian Ocean in 2018. The project is aptly named the Flipflopi Project, due to its construction using thousands of repurposed flip-flops and plastic collected on beach clean-ups along the Kenya coast.

 

“We were overwhelmed by the level of engagement,” said Ben Morison, co-founder of the Flipflopi Project. “The reception from school children to local, regional and national government has been nothing short of incredible. This historic world first expedition really has started to turn the tide on plastic.”

Flipflopi’s team of sailors led by captain Ali Skanda arrived on the island just in time for the Sauti za Busara, or ‘African sounds of wisdom’ festival, a celebration of East African culture, creativity, and values.

The Flipflopi expedition left the Kenyan Island of Lamu on 23 January. Along the way, the crew docked at six Kenyan and Tanzanian coastal towns, where they were welcomed by local communities, schools, and government officials. The momentum of the voyage has unleashed historical commitments in every port of call, including the official closing of the Kibarani dumpsite in Mombasa and the pledge of 29 establishments including 22 hotels, to minimize their plastic waste.

“We are delighted to welcome UN Environment’s Clean Seas-Flipflopi expedition to Zanzibar. The voyage itself, and innovative spirit behind it, are symbolic of what we can do to make a difference,” said Ali Iddi, second Vice-President of Zanzibar. “Zanzibar is committed to the fight against plastic pollution and will continue to work closely with all its citizens to find solutions to our ever-evolving environmental challenges.”

UN Environment launched the Clean Seas campaign in February 2017, with the aim of engaging governments, the general public, civil society and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic litter. The Clean Seas campaign aims to transform habits, practices, standards, and policies around the globe to dramatically reduce marine litter and the harm it causes.

Now that the Flipflopi has touched the final port of the expedition, the boat will be prepared for a journey to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, where Heads of State, environment ministers, environmental activists, innovators, NGOs, and CEO’s of multinational companies will gather for the Fourth United Nations Environment Assembly – the world’s highest-level environmental forum – from 11-15 March 2019.

The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. It addresses the critical environmental challenges facing the world today. Here, representatives from more than 190 countries will convene to outline cooperation and action for the protection and preservation of our global environment.