MILAN – If you are really already thinking about summer and in the mornings, you dream of being in a boat rather than a car or on public transport, the dream could be easier to achieve than you imagine and you can even start building one straight away. How? Start recycling all the water bottles you use, put them to one side and read about what an Argentinian and a New Zealander have invented.
Federico Blanc and his kayak
The young Argentinian industrial engineer had always dreamed of rowing down the Paranà River in total freedom with a kayak. He therefore committed himself to strictly collecting just blue plastic bottles to build his own personal vessel at no cost at all. The first attempt took place at Villa Elisa, in Argentina. In his venture he also got children from local schools involved and taught them about the importance of recycling.
The boat from the Fiji islands
Going to another part of the world we find Tom Davies, a New Zealand native from Fiji, who has constructed an actual boat, 4.5 metres long by 1.4 metres wide, by recycling 600 ml plastic bottles. All the bottles are joined using a special foam capable of guaranteeing both durability and water resistance. After several attempts, the official launch even saw Davies welcome 3 people on board. Like Blanc’s project, Davies’s idea has an educational objective at heart: the aim of collecting plastic bottles was to protect the beaches, while at the same time preserving the islands’ bamboo.
by editorial staff
