The family that lives on a boat collecting ocean waste to turn it into backpacks, bags and accessories

    Thanks to The Sea Monkeys project Sydney and her family collect and recycle the plastic of the oceans creating bags, backpacks and accessories

    The XNUMX-year-old's family Sydney Steenland has made, for several years, a very particular choice, that of living on a boat. To contribute in some way to the enormous problem of litter at sea, the Steenlands have decided to give life to the Sea Monkey Project that collects and recycles plastic making backpacks, bags and other objects.





    They are known as The Sea Monkeys and, since 2014 they have been sailing and living on a 41-foot monohull yacht called the “Sea Monkey”. It is an Australian family of 4 consisting of Carlos the Skipper and project manager, Sarah the cartoonist, Sydney the environmentalist & founder of the Sea Monkey Project and Indi, the director.

    When Sydney with her family decided to cross Southeast Asia five years ago with the boat she was ready to live a real adventure which, however, proved to be a bit disappointing and bitter when she found herself in sailing in a sea of ​​plastic waste and abandoned nets.

    As Sydney put it:

    "It was difficult to avoid plastic because it was everywhere and floated through the villages, to the sea and back to the villages" 

    This close encounter with plastic pollution has deeply affected the Steenlands so much that the family decided to dedicate their lives to making the planet a better and cleaner place by working together. This is how the Sea Monkey Project was born.

    The Steenland family's project aims to tackle the problem of plastics and other types of waste in the oceans and one of its key initiatives is to recycle waste by making products such as bags, backpacks and other accessories.

    The family that lives on a boat collecting ocean waste to turn it into backpacks, bags and accessories

    © seamonkeyproject

    Everything is done in Malaysia because, as the girl explained, after having sailed through many countries in Southeast Asia it is precisely there that the engine of the Sea Monkey broke and, the forced stop, gave the family time to become attached to this country which is was chosen precisely as a basis to start the Sea Monkey Project also for the serious problem of plastic pollution that lives.



    Recently, from July 21 to August 21, the Sea Monkey Project launched its first line of bags and bags made entirely from recycled ocean waste. This, thanks also to a crowdfunding campaign, has received exceptional support from not only Malaysians but also from users from all over the world.

    The initiative also benefits the weakest segments of the local population as i products are handmade by refugees and women of the Orang Asli community (indigenous people of Malaysia) who in this way are able to have a source of income.

    Currently, the Sea Monkey Project creates plastic recycling machines based on the open source projects of another social enterprise Precious Plastic. The machines are placed on a remote island or rainforest so that the communities that reside there can recycle their plastic waste.

    As Sydney explained, in fact, the problem of the accumulation of plastic in these countries also lies in the fact that often the islands and the most remote communities do not have the adequate means for recycling.

    The family that lives on a boat collecting ocean waste to turn it into backpacks, bags and accessories

    © seamonkeyproject

     

    But recycling may not be the best way to tackle ocean plastic pollution, Sydney said.

    “The fact is that recycling is not the answer. Education is, ”said this young but already very busy and wise girl.

    The Sea Monkey Project actively teaches people of all ages about plastic pollution through interactive educational workshops and lectures.

    “The more educated you are about a problem, the more you can do to address it. And it starts small, like using a metal straw or a reusable bag, but eventually you'll get better at wanting to make a change, ”she added.



    The message that Sydney and her family want to send is very clear: we can all make a change, no matter how small, our contribution is always fundamental.

    Fonte: Sea Monkey Project / The star

    Read also:

    • Precious plastic: the free machine to recycle plastic and create new objects directly at home
    • EcoBoat: in Cameroon, plastic bottles become ecological boats for fishermen
    • The Portuguese company that produces brooms, shovels and household items made with plastic recovered from the oceans
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