David de Rothschild – From San Francisco to Sydney in a Pop-bottle Boat
June 2010

Plastiki

Ninety three days ago eco-adventurer David de Rothschild along with a small crew left San Francisco for Sydney Australia in one of the most eco-friendly large sailboats ever designed.  Their 60 foot catamaran, Plastiki, is made out of 12,500 plastic bottles, recycled plastic, reused cloth and reclaimed aluminum.  Electricity is generated by solar panels, wind turbines and even stationary bicycles.  There is a hydroponic garden to grow tomatos and other veggies and even a system to purify urine into water, although their desalintor is probably the better source for a morning java. 

The impetus behind this project was to raise awareness about the fragility of our ocean ecosystem and how it is affected by our garbage, in particular plastic which makes up most of marine pollution and kills 1 million marine birds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles every year.

The name Plastiki is a tribute to Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition, where a replica of an ancient Inca raft made from balsa wood and other native materials was used to cross the Pacific Ocean, and fittingly Thor’s grandson was a member of the Plastiki expedition.

A few days ago they left the island of Samoa on their final leg to Sydney.   So far the journey has taken them through a range of ocean conditions, where they have witnessed the impacts of pollution and the beauty of the sea and reported regularly on it through their blog, photos and video.

For more information:

Find out more about their journey and watch their arrival on their website, www.theplastiki.com/