By Mandy Froelich | Truth Theory
To reduce the prevalence of plastic in the environment, a young man in Cameroon is transforming the littered bottles into “EcoBoats.”
Ismaël Essome Ebone was inspired to develop the boats after watching plastic bottles float on passing floodwaters during a storm in 2011. After collecting plastic bottles from around town, he began to develop an “EcoBoat.” When another storm blew in, he tested the concept. To the astonishment of the fisherman washing from the shore, Ebone’s boat worked splendidly.
Ebone was so inspired by the EcoBoat, he invested all of his money into launching the nonprofit Madiba & Nature: a charity dedicated to collecting plastic waste from around the region and repurposing it into boats for ecotourism and fisherman.
The venture has been quite the success. In recent months, the Cameroonian organization installed the nation’s first-ever EcoBin for collecting, sorting, and recycling waste materials.
“The EcoBin makes it easier to collect plastic bottles in a smart way and avoid polluting rivers and the ocean in Kribi and Douala!” says the nonprofit’s Facebook page. “From plastic waste to EcoBoat and EcoBin, the revolution is on the way.”
h/t GoodNewsNetwork
About the Author
Written by: Amanda Froelich
I'm an RHN, chef, writer, activist, and entrepreneur who lives in Colorado. I share healthy plant-based recipes at Life in Bloom and cannabis-infused recipes at My Stoned Kitchen. Read More stories by Amanda Froelich
