Plastiki by Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac.
Something I’ve been asking myself a lot lately is how I can do more to respect and nourish our planet. One of the biggest environmental issues we’re facing is our use and disposal of plastic, especially single use plastics. Reducing our use of plastic is one of the simplest ways you can have a positive impact on the Earth.
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a fan of plastic. But David de Rothschild, founder of Adventure Ecology, has found a way to make plastic work. After being inspired by a United Nations Environment Programme report, de Rothschild had the idea to build the world’s first boat made completely of recycled plastic bottles and calling her Plastiki.
The Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran made of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles, is named after the Kon-Tiki–the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer, Thor Heyerdahl, in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific.
The project’s purpose is to raise awareness about the condition of our oceans and see first hand humankind’s impact. One of David’s other important objectives is “looking at waste as an issue—waste in our oceans and its consequences.”
Exactly four years after that fateful day of coming up with the concept of the Plastiki, David and I had the chance to talk. He was on the final leg of trip across the Pacific-from San Francisco to Sydney.
Vision Magazine: How is the trip going at this point?
David De Rothschild: We’re moving along nicely; sometimes a little bit slower than we’d like. Plastiki is pioneering the slow travel movement (jokingly). We’re setting an example that it’s about the adventure. It’s not about getting from point A to point B. Slow travel also means less of an impact on the environment.
VM: What do you believe are the effects of a consumerism-based society?
DDR: We’re told that we’re not happy unless we’re purchasing, consuming and throwing away. It’s a detriment to the environment, our natural resources and to our mental state. We’ve become be indebted, because we can’t keep up with it.”
As a society, we are trying to consume as much as we can. Bigger and faster somehow equals better. The ecological apocalypse going on in the Gulf of Mexico makes it crazy to see how we’ve become so attached to these wasteful items. We chase after finite, toxic, expensive, smelly, and hard to reach energy sources. We don’t follow what nature is trying to show us. The best sources of energy come free and clean–the sun, ocean, hydro, tidal, geothermal. We’ve gone down this path that we’ve trodden for so long. And now we’re indebted to that path. My thought is let’s create system change.
VM: How can we change our use and production of plastic?
DDR: Plastic is the most ubiquitous thing on the planet. We messed around with it and created a product that will last forever. So, how do we dispose of it? Design for it? How can we manufacture it better? That’s the thing. Creating a better understanding and impact of the products we design. All we really need is that reevaluation, and to start producing differently.
Businesses have this idea that it’s not in their interest to slow down and lessen their impact on the environment. I’m hoping to make them see the error in their thinking. [But what they don’t realize is that they will save on costs and actually make more profit by going green. The market is showing the demand is there. Organic products sales have increased by 6.2 billion in 2009. Sales were 26.4 billion in 2007. An increase of 17.1%]
VM: What are the politics to inspire change?
DDR: It seems like Obama just got in and has already started electioneering and worrying about getting re-elected. So you obviously get very reactive politics and policies. Who knows if there were an election today, how what’s going on in the Gulf would affect people’s decisions. Unfortunately it shows that it takes a tragedy like this to re think our treatment of nature. I see natural disasters as kind of defibrillator. Sometimes that’s what we need to wake us up. But this also can be too late.
VM: What are Plastiki’s goals?
DDR: Hopefully, Plastiki is inspiring people to think outside of the box and give them an opportunity to figure out solutions. The ocean has been voiceless for so long. It’s only been in the last year or so, that there’s more awareness and information out there. The movie The Cove and Ocean is an example of this. We’ve got a chance now to show people how remarkable this part of our planet is.
VM: How can we make oceans a priority in research?
DDR: Billions of dollars are being spent to get to Mars, on asteroids and other research and yet very little is known about our own ocean. We are destroying it. There’s the plastic gyres and exploitation of ocean resources, and over fishing mainly because most people never see it, never connect with it. Most of the time, when you say plastic is ending up in our oceans, people who aren’t seeing it, don’t really get it. They think it has nothing to do with me, I’m landlocked, “So why should I care?” This is where we have to start emphasizing the health consequences of increased toxicity in our waters.
People are more emotionally connected to it when its health related instead of environmentally related.
We won’t have a sustainable world without an educated world. We don’t have a sustainable world without a healthy world. We’re all interdependent.
I trained as a naturopath and have been eating a lot of organic food since then. You are what eat and breathe. . I think we can learn from the food movement. We can use this integrating into our messaging. We’re running this perilous path, assuming nature can easily recover. How do we measure the health consequences of pollution in our oceans?
VM: How can environmentalists inspire others?
DDR: Don’t lecture. Allow people the chance to make informed decisions. People will say, ‘I now know this, so I want to do this’.”
VM: We are talking on day 55 of the Gulf oil spill. This tragedy has many people feeling hopeless in regards to saving our planet. How do you stay positive?
DDR: I have days where I’m feeling hopeless. It’s about realizing I’ll have bad days, but they’re balanced by getting great feedback. Like today, I spoke with 200 kids in Texas who have taken recycled and reclaimed plastic bottles and created insulation. These children are part of the solution. When you read and connect to people like that, it can keep you going.”
We’re using Plastiki as a metaphor. What is your Plastiki? How can you have an impact? It allows people to be more aware of what is going on around them. Things can change quickly. I know things are moving slowly right now, but it’s shifting. We need to figure how to make our message more impactful and get people more connected with the issues. We need to hear more of the good news and focus on that.”Be more aware. Live off the grid more. Buy less stuff, reduce packaging, and try to be less wasteful, and cooking more, especially with locally grown produce. Continue to lessen our footprint as we educate ourselves and others.
It took immense effort to make The Plastiki as sustainable as possible. If it’s possible for a boat, it’s no doubt possible for any building or structure: the homes we live in, the cars we drive, the offices we work in can all be made less toxic! The technology is out there. It takes commitment, but as David de Rothschild, his crew and the developing team have proven, it’s possible.
The Plastiki will definitely inspire other industries to head in the same direction.Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac., an environmental activist for 20 years, has been in private practice for over 15 years as an acupuncturist, herbalist, nutritionist, and Reiki master. At her clinic in Santa Monica she treats a variety of ailments, specializing in pain management, gynecology, mental health and addiction, & digestive disorders. As a well-respected physician, Heather’s unique holistic approach to healing encompasses all aspects of her patients’ needs, allowing for the best possible results. www.livenaturallivewell.com
David de Rothschild, the mastermind behind the Plastiki, is a British adventurer/ environmentalist and head of Adventure Ecology, an expedition group raising awareness about climate change. David was awarded the accolade of “Emerging Explorer” by National Geographic, was appointed an “international ambassador” by NGO Clean Up The World and nominated as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum. de Rothschild wrote The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change—Or Live Through It, the official companion book to the Live Earth concert series.