Written by: Jessica Solomons
For South African Josian Heyerdahl, adventure is in her genes. Her grandfather, Thor Heyerdahl is one of Norway’s most well renowned explorers made famous by his 1947 Kon Tiki Expedition where he and five others sailed from Peru to Polynesia on a replica of anaboriginal raftin an effort to prove his migration theories and the origin of the Polynesian race and culture.
Now, three decades on, Josian is embarking on her own adventure and joining the crew of the Plastiki, the world’s first 100% recyclable vessel, as they set sail on an 11 000 mile journey from San Francisco to Sydney. The expedition is the brainchild of David de Rothschild, a member of the famous banking dynasty and a keen environmentalist. After four years of hard work the Plastiki, made from 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles, reclaimed aluminum irrigation pipe and other recyclable materials, has begun its maiden voyage. The goal; to highlight the plight of our planet and the extent to which the global plastic waste problem has begun to impact our oceans.
This unique 60 foot catamaran, powered by solar panels, wind turbines and bicycle generators, will, as part of its voyage, explore the infamous “Eastern Garbage Patch” in the northern Pacific which is composed of 90-95% plastic waste and is roughly the size of Texas. Not only is de Rothschild determined to shine a spotlight on the deteriorating health of our oceans but he also hopes to demonstrate how waste can be a valuable resource. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
For Josian this is an opportunity to be involved in a project that supports everything she believes in. “The Plastiki is a journey of exploration and storytelling. The continual spread of the Plastiki´s message about using waste as a resource and the problem of plastic ocean pollution will be its success,” says the UCT graduate in an interview with CNN.com.
In 2006 Josian completed her master’s degree in environmental science and law at the University of Sydney and two years later moved to California where she first read about de Rothschild’s expedition. After writing to de Rothschild to express her interest in joining his team, Josian was invited on board and now at just 26, she is making history and helping to share de Rothschild’s environmental vision to rethink, reuse and recycle our natural resources, with the world.
If you want to follow the Plastiki expedition visit www.theplastiki.com
The liveeco team
