MSGID: 1:317/3 6451e360   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    World tour for model boat inspiring citizen science against   
   environmental pollution    
      
     Date:   
         May 2, 2023   
     Source:   
         Northumbria University   
     Summary:   
         A model sailing boat which represents a key part of a project   
         working to banish single use plastics has embarked on a global   
         tour that will help its message reach thousands more people and   
         communities across the planet.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Supported by Northumbria University researchers and lecturers, the   
   Flipflopi project, which in the last ten months alone recovered 135   
   tonnes of post- consumer plastics from the Lamu Archipelago on the Kenyan   
   coast with a population of just 50,000. They built the world's first   
   100 per cent recycled plastic sailing boat around four years ago from   
   reclaimed materials found on Kenya's beaches. The materials included   
   30,000 discarded flip flops, which are ubiquitous in the world's oceans.   
      
   But plastic isn't the only issue, and cross collaboration across the   
   University is aiming to highlight the fact that natural microfibres from   
   textiles and clothing can also harm our environment.   
      
   After capturing the world's attention on expeditions around East Africa,   
   the Flipflopi project continues to find ways to inspire communities,   
   governments and businesses to take action against environmental pollution.   
      
   Now, a model of the traditional 'dhow' style vessel has arrived in Lisbon   
   in Portugal from Dundee in Scotland as part of a travelling exhibition.   
      
   Plastic: Remaking Our World, which will be at the Museum of Art,   
   Architecture and Technology (MAAT) until the end of August, looks   
   at what it calls "the revolutionary and yet deeply controversial"   
   range of synthetic products collectively referred to as 'plastics',   
   opening with a film installation exploring the geological relationship   
   between plastic and nature, and ending with the Flipflopi model as an   
   inspirational example of contemporary efforts to rethink plastic and   
   implement alternatives that reduce production and consumption, as well   
   as encouraging re-use.   
      
   Simon Scott-Harden, an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University's   
   School of Design, is part of the team behind Flipflopi and was involved   
   in the engineering and design of the model. He explained: "We adopt   
   what we call a full systems approach to influence behaviour change,   
   made up of education, innovation and captivating campaigns to keep the   
   issue front of mind.   
      
   "This exhibition is a great example as it helps highlight to a global   
   audience the novel things that can be done with plastic -- its versatility   
   really is astounding."  Now, new recycled plastic sailing vessels are   
   being made in Kenya by local students of the project, who are learning   
   traditional boat-building skills, as well as how beach rubbish can be   
   recycled and embedded into a circular economy.   
      
   Simon continued: "Research shows that 70 per cent of marine macro   
   litter collected is plastic, but our mantra is that plastic is wealth!"   
   On his most recent trip to Flipflopi HQ in Kenya in December, Simon   
   spent time looking at new manufacturing techniques and was part of a   
   workshop for academics to evaluate and promote different materials,   
   including microplastics and textiles, many of which shed microfibres --   
   microscopic natural and synthetic fibres that can be harmful if ingested   
   by small aquatic creatures, along with chemicals sometimes used in   
   their manufacture.   
      
   Northumbria's Dr Kelly Sheridan is part of the Northumbria team looking   
   specifically at the abundance of microfibres and their impact. An   
   Assistant Professor of Forensic Science in the University's Department   
   of Applied Sciences, Kelly led research culminating in a paper authored   
   by Northumbria PhD student Chimdia Kechi Okafor on the Prevalence and   
   characterisation of microfibres along the Kenyan and Tanzanian coast.   
      
   Kelly explained: "Textile fibres, known as microfibres, and their   
   prevalence in the environment have been studied by forensic scientists   
   for decades. However, the majority of recent environmental studies have   
   overlooked that knowledge and focused only on the characterisation   
   of microplastic fibres. This has led to inaccurate microfibre data   
   and much misunderstanding in the literature, culminating in a general   
   underestimation of the threat posed by natural fibres.   
      
   "The Flipflopi research outcomes have demonstrated the strength of cross-   
   collaboration, bringing together designers, environmental scientists and   
   forensic scientists to tackle a global environmental challenge. We need   
   to foster a no-regrets approach, leveraging from others' expertise if we   
   are fully to understand environmental challenges and develop appropriate   
   solutions to overcome them."  The Flipflopi team are continuing their   
   holistic approach to beating plastic pollution through continuous   
   scientific and academic collaborations, and innovation in plastic   
   recycling techniques. They are also passing on indigenous knowledge and   
   plastic boatbuilding skills, through a new heritage boat building training   
   centre, so that more ocean plastics can be recovered and transformed   
   into new products and sailing vessels for the local communities.   
      
   Kelly's colleague Dr Matteo Gallidabino, Lecturer in Forensic Chemistry at   
   King's College London, who also worked on the paper, feels the Flipflopi   
   team's full systems approach is effective.   
      
   Matteo added: "We need to increase awareness of the environmental impact   
   of the textile industry. Even if the clothes we wear are composed by   
   natural materials, such as cotton or wool, some of the textile fibres they   
   are made of can find their way into the environment and, potentially,   
   accumulate into living organisms. These may be very harmful and have   
   significant effects on biodiversity."  The multi-disciplinary approach   
   includes a Flipflopi petition aiming to collect one million signatures,   
   asking for a regional legislation to ban unnecessary single-use plastics   
   East Africa, where the problem is said to have reached 'epidemic'   
   proportions.   
      
   The next stop for Plastic: Remaking Our Worldwill be the Hyundai   
   Motorstudio in Busan, South Korea.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Environmental_Awareness # Environmental_Issues #   
                   Earth_Science # Sustainability   
             o Science_&_Society   
                   # Environmental_Policies # STEM_Education #   
                   Travel_and_Recreation # World_Development   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o IPCC_Report_on_Climate_Change_-_2007 o Global_climate_model o   
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             o Decade_Volcanoes o United_Nations_Development_Programme   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by Northumbria_University. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Chimdia KeChi-Okafor, Farhan R. Khan, Usama Al-Naimi, Victor   
      Be'guerie,   
         Libby Bowen, Matteo D. Gallidabino, Simon Scott-Harden, Kelly J.   
      
         Sheridan. Prevalence and characterisation of microfibres along the   
         Kenyan and Tanzanian coast. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution,   
         2023; 11 DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1020919   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230502201348.htm   
      
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