Volcanos are fascinating geological structures. They essentially serve as vents, allowing the warmer inner materials of the Earth to emerge in flowing lava. Mount Etna, located in Sicily, is even more interesting than your average volcano though. Known as a stratovolcano for its steep cone-shape, Mount Etna's eruptions have been watched and recorded by humans since 1500 BCE. The mountain is particularly known for producing smokey vortex rings, which look almost mythical—and the mountain has been belching these at a swift rate recently.

Mount Etna is generally extremely active. The name Etna actually may originate in the Latin and Greek words meaning “to burn,” or potentially Phoenician for “furnace.” Vortex rings are Mount Etna's specialty. They are created when vents open up, allowing hot gasses, vapors, and smoke to emerge from the hotter volcanic material below. Differences in speed as the gaseous material is ejected creates a vortex, a high speed swirl. The gaseous ring then floats off, eventually fading.

In April 2024, Mount Etna has produced more rings than any volcano on record, according to The New York Times. Despite this unprecedented pace, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a big explosion is on the way. For now, the hyperactivity is a mesmerizing piece of nature. Even if you’re not in Sicily right now, you can watch the video above. The Straits Times has captured footage of the hypnotizing smoke rings floating through the sky.

The active volcano is currently a protected park. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site that has a unique ecosystem on its slopes, where plants and animals live. One can explore Mount Etna via hiking trails and scenic viewpoints, and perhaps will even catch sight of a vortex ring. You can also follow the explosions and flows through a webpage maintained by The Smithsonian.

Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily, has been blowing out smoke rings at an unprecedented rate this month.

A Mount Etna smoke ring in August 2023. (Photo: PSomol via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

h/t: [Colossal]

Related Articles:

Cloud Rings Around a Volcano Takes Top Prize in ‘Weather Photographer of the Year’ Contest

Videographer Shares Nerve-Wracking Footage of His Drone Crashing Into an Icelandic Volcano

Surreal Photos Reveal the Destructive Aftermath of the Cumbre Vieja Volcano Eruption

Giant Volcano the Size of Mount Everest Is Discovered on Mars

READ: Mount Etna Blows Mesmerizing Volcanic Smoke Rings Into the Sky

Photo: NoteTanapat/Depositphotos

Did you grow up playing with LEGOs? You're definitely not alone. And though many people may grow out of piecing the iconic little plastic blocks together, there are still a significant amount of people who do remarkable things with them as adults. Some have made the bricks their main medium of choice as LEGO artists while others have maintained their playful side as impressive hobbyists who build their favorite sets. For one LEGO fan known only by their YouTube channel name, Build it with Bricks, the toy bricks are a way for them to experiment, learn, and teach viewers more about the world around us. In one of their most popular videos, they used LEGO bricks to build and demonstrate coastal sea defenses.

In the video, the creator begins by setting up a mini beach. First, they add a pile of sand at one end of an aquarium tank. Next, they assemble a wave generator out of a board of LEGO bricks hooked up to an engine. The board is wired to move back and forth. Once water is added to the tank, this mechanism is designed to push against it, simulating waves. Now that the “coast” is complete, the wave generator is turned on to show how erosion occurs. The ripples of water being pushed by the wave generator rush against the small hill of sand, chipping away at it and pulling the grains into the sea as it sways back.

To combat this erosion, Build it with Bricks constructs multiple types of barriers, each with their own varying levels of success. They constructed offshore breakers, gabions, revetments, seawalls, and more, showing their effectiveness in preventing erosion of the shore. Throughout the video, viewers are introduced to new terminology and offered a visual understanding of how structural design affects success rate. Build it with Bricks' video is a fascinating watch that is both mesmerizing and educational.

Build it with Bricks has many videos that make big concepts more understandable as LEGO creations. To keep up to date with their builds and experiments, you can subscribe to them on YouTube. In the meantime, scroll down to see the full video about sea defense.

A YouTube channel known as Build it with Bricks uses LEGO bricks to build machines and to conduct various experiments.

One of their most popular videos uses LEGOs to show how sea defense structures can be built to resist erosion.

Build it with Bricks: YouTube | TikTok | Facebook
h/t: [The Kid Should See This]

Related Articles:

IKEA x LEGO Collaboration Releases Storage Boxes That Are Also Toys

Teen Collects, Cleans, and Packages Custom LEGO Brick Sets To Donate To Underprivileged Kids

Versatile 3-In-1 LEGO Set Can Be Built Into a Vintage Camera, Camcorder, or TV

LEGO Unveils New Sustainable Toy Bricks Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles

READ: LEGO Experiment Shows How Well Different Sea Defense Structures Resist Coastal Erosion

The consequences of climate change can often feel far off. It can be difficult to register the gradually increasing temperatures on Earth from season to season. Occasionally, the effects of our planet heating up become more obvious through startling photos and videos of glaciers melting or increasingly violent natural disasters, but even these events are intermittent.

A recent TED Talk video presents a bleak fate for our planet several decades from now if humans fail to address climate change in a meaningful way. The speaker, Shannon Odell, lays out what life on Earth might look like in 2050. In some ways, it mirrors our world now, only in a more extreme way, as she explains that reports of wildfires and heatwaves would fill the evening news, and blackouts would be more common. Her descriptions become more harrowing, however, as she discusses how ambulance sirens would fill the night as people suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion would be rushed to hospitals.

Odell also describes drought-like conditions in parts of the United States, Africa, and Australia and how some communities would be unable to cope with them, likely collapsing altogether. Additionally, Earth's children would be harmed, as higher temperatures and pollutants in the air would cause more infants to be born prematurely, and rates of asthma and other respiratory conditions would also increase.

Odell jumps forward another 50 years to 2100, and the situation has only gotten more dire. Assuming that, thanks to government action, global emissions were to go down after 2050, it would still be too little, too late. Due to rising sea levels, entire island nations become uninhabitable, and climate refugees from all around the globe begin settling in floating cities above their submerged former homes. The video doesn't end there, but it deserves a watch in order to fully understand the gravity of the situation.

Odell paints a bleak picture for us, indeed. But thankfully, we are not in 2050, and we have not yet reached the point of no return. Through government action and our own efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, we will not be able to stop the phenomenon, but we will be able to slow it down and ensure that our planet remains habitable for more generations to come. Humankind has been extremely fortunate to live and breathe on a Goldilocks Planet, but it is now up to us to make sure it stays that way.

h/t: [Open Culture]

Related Articles:

Designer Proposes Floating Cities for a Post-Climate Change World

Carbon Capture Plant Aims to Fights Climate Change by Pulling CO2 From the Air

Striking Photos Document Lives of Indigenous People Most Impacted by Climate Change [Interview]

Patagonia’s Founder Gives Up Ownership of $3 Billion Company to Help Fight Climate Change

READ: Eye-Opening Video Shows How Earth Could Look in 2050 if We Don’t Address Climate Change

Photo: ENCRIER/Depositphotos

Paris is famous for its architecture, art, fashion, and food. For locals, life involves much more mundane aspects of the urban center, such as long commutes and errands. These can be done by car, moped, bike, or public transport. A recent study and subsequent report by L’Institut Paris Région, released in April 2024, suggests the Parisian commute is becoming more eco-friendly. The most recent numbers demonstrate that cyclists now dominate the Parisian streets, sidelining emission-producing cars in city life. The research was desired by academics, corporations, and government alike.

Paris is a bustling city, especially when considering the larger metropolitan and suburban areas in what is known as Île-de-France. Monday to Friday, 34.5 million trips occur within this region. About 39% of trips in the region are work-related, and 40% are people traveling between their own communities and those surrounding them. The researchers tracked these patterns using GPS trackers. Over the period between October 2022 and April 2023; 3,337 Parisians between the ages of 16 and 80 years old volunteered to tote trackers as they bopped around the region for seven days. The resulting data was uplifting for environmentalists and advocates for carless cities.

The data showed that cars remain important commuting vehicles for those who live in the suburbs, more far flung from workplaces and metro stops. But, the report notes in contrast, “[C]ycling clearly established itself in Paris (30% of bicycle trips in Île-de-France are made by Parisians). Parisians use bicycles more than cars.” It is thought that this rise in bicycle use since data collected five years ago reflects wider availability of bike lanes. Paris under its current mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has cut parking, expanded bike lanes, and eliminated cars from certain city streets. Less cars in cities isn't just good for the wider environment, it also helps promote better air quality in the city itself (although cyclists should consider the existing air quality). Also worth remembering: biking is exercise. So there are personal health benefits to this as well. Cities around Europe are considering how to promote cycling logistics to further promote this mode of transport.

In recent tallies, cyclists now dominate the Parisian streets, replacing emission-producing cars.

Photo: ARTAVET/Depositphotos

h/t: [Forbes]

Related Articles:

Inspiring Free Solo Climber’s Charity Provides Solar Power to Communities in Need

Experts Recognize Bicycles as the Future of Sustainability in Cities

Abandoned Golf Courses Are Being Reclaimed by Nature Thanks to Conservation Groups

Artist Gives Old Bicycle Chains New Life By Using Them In Imaginative Human Sculptures

READ: Number of Cyclists Now Outnumber Car Drivers in Paris

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Climbing Gold (@climbinggold)

From scaling the seemingly insurmountable El Capitan overlooking the lush forest of Yosemite to climbing the 3,750-foot Ingmikortilaq in Greenland, rock climber Alex Honnold is no stranger to embracing and conquering elevated peaks in nature. Known for his free-solo style climbing—documented in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo—Honnold works to overcome physical and mental adversities that inevitably occur during climbs. As someone who has experienced some of the most magnificent natural marvels of the world firsthand, Honnold is also a nature lover who plays his part in environmental conservation. The California native has established a philanthropic organization, Honnold Foundation, that encourages the use of solar power.

For Honnold, spreading the benefits of solar power is about more than just clean energy. It is an environmentally conscious alternative to fossil fuels, but it is also something that has the ability to enhance a sense of community and embolden marginalized communities to take back power (literally and figuratively). The charitable institution provides fair access to reliable solar energy resources to places such as Puerto Rico, areas of the Amazon, Kenya, and the United States. The application of clean energy also creates opportunities for members of each respective community to be involved in the installation and maintenance of the energy resources. The Honnold Foundation trains locals on the use and maintenance of the solar energy equipment. This establishes a way for the community to continue to flourish, even after the energy resource is established.

One particular Honnold Foundation project based in Puerto Rico heavily involves a local group called Casa Pueblo, who worked together to construct a microgrid. Having this local group involved in such an instrumental way presents a collaborative experience and its impact on the community. Another noteworthy philanthropic venture of the Honnold Foundation is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The goal of this particular project is to provide alternative energy resources to lower the amount that people in the area spend on energy bills.

“Many communities [the Honnold Foundation] partners with report infringements on their sovereignty through infrastructural, economic, social, and environmental injustices,” the organizations states. “That's why our Core Fund partnerships are unrestricted, ‘no-strings-attached'—giving the space for our Partners to use the funding as a resource to build forms of sovereignty, and development by and for them. Where historically energy systems were a means of disenfranchisement, here, energy becomes a tool of empowerment. So while solar often starts with facilitating energy access, when placed in the hands of innovative community experts, it's so much more! Equitable solar energy access is a leverage point for communities to cultivate local power and self-governance.”

At the heart of what Honnold is working towards lies a desire to provide alternative solutions to energy access while sparking a sense of personal power, joy, and togetherness amongst people he encounters. The Honnold Foundation continuously reaches new heights and inspires people to prioritize ways to help one another gain access to reliable resources.

Free solo climber Alex Honnold is probably best known for his incredible, athletic feats…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alex Honnold (@alexhonnold)

…which have even been highlighted in an Oscar-winning documentary aptly titled Free Solo.

But now he is reaching new heights with his charity called Honnold Foundation.

The Honnold Foundation prioritizes the involvement of locals to implement reliable solar energy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Honnold Foundation (@honnoldfoundation)

Each project typically involves two major pieces of equipment—a solar microgrid and an off-grid solar rooftop.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Honnold Foundation (@honnoldfoundation)

Both of these solar grids capture and store energy from the Sun and turn that into electricity.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Honnold Foundation (@honnoldfoundation)

Honnold Foundation continues to enhance human connection around the world through solar energy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Honnold Foundation (@honnoldfoundation)

Honnold Foundation: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Alex Honnold: Instagram
h/t: [Canary Media]

Related Articles:

Over 600,000 Solar Panels Powered Super Bowl LVIII in Historic Green Milestone

The IEA Announces Solar Power Is Now the Cheapest Form of Energy

Researchers Developed a Solar Panel That Continues To Gather Energy Once the Sun Sets

READ: Inspiring Free Solo Climber’s Charity Provides Solar Power to Communities in Need

Photo: SMALLCREATIVE/Depositphotos

Energy is necessary for moving forward, for both society and individual communities. These days, a shift to clean energy and renewable resources is critical to averting the oncoming climate catastrophe. President Biden has poured money and time into promoting clean energy and related jobs, while startups have leapt at the opportunity to craft a profitable and green way forward. But resistance is strong, especially in areas where coal plays an important economic role, and climate deniers persist in politics and media. As an example of a green, prosperous future, energy company Swift Current Energy (SCE) is building Pennsylvania's largest solar farm—Mineral Basin Solar Project—on land near where a massive coal plant once lived.

The Homer City Generating Station closed in 2023, after over 50 years of operation. The coal plant, which produced a massive 1,888 MW of energy, supplied homes and businesses across New York and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, burning coal is a significant factor in the build up of carbon dioxide that is rapidly and dangerously warming our climate. Known as  “the dirtiest fossil fuel,” coal once powered the Industrial Revolution and supported many families in mining regions along the east coast. The loss of jobs has been a significant factor in local resistance to clean energy solutions. However, the overall benefits of clean energy are hard to deny.

SCE is planning to break ground on a massive solar farm, the largest in Pennsylvania. It will produce 402 MW once complete, and power 75,000 homes with much-needed energy. The company is also considering storing excess energy offsite. Funding for the project comes from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) purse under the Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The DOE is specifically interested in replacing former mine land with clean energy such as solar and wind. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm noted, “Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, DOE is helping deploy clean energy solutions on current and former mine land across the country—supporting jobs and economic development in the areas hit hardest by our evolving energy landscape.”

The new solar farm in Pennsylvania will bring over 750 jobs in construction over the next few years. Once operational, it will generate over $1 million in annual tax revenue for the local governments and school system. It will hopefully be completed by late 2026, and it already has a 20-year purchase agreement with New York State. SCE plans to add other solar farms in Appalachia in the near future, helping replace the energy and jobs once supplied by coal mining and burning. Much as coal was once important to local economies, renewable energy is also a growing field.

Where Pennsylvania's largest coal plant once stood, thousands of solar panels will create the state's largest solar farm.

Photo: VER0NICKA/Depositphotos

h/t: [electrek]

Related Articles:

Over 600,000 Solar Panels Powered Super Bowl LVIII in Historic Green Milestone

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Built a Solar Farm in His Hometown That Powers Half the City

Man Saves His Family’s Farm and Allows It to Thrive With 3,200 Solar Panels

Over 7,000 Steel Panels Line Façade of Europe’s Largest Solar Power Plant in Turkish Desert

READ: Enormous Solar Farm Will Replace Former Coal Plant in Pennsylvania

Actors Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet are all stars of the 2022 hit film Avatar: The Way of Water. Recently, they posed for photographer Christy Lee Rogers in an underwater photo series that celebrated our oceans while also raising money for a good cause.

The director of the Avatar series, James Cameron, and Disney commissioned the photos as a way to raise money for The Nature Conservancy. The organization has the goal of conserving 10% of the world’s oceans by 2030, and some of the proceeds from the sale of Rogers’ prints will go toward supporting that mission.

In addition to being for a good cause, the photos are also gorgeous in their own right. The actors are dressed in eye-catching blue and purple fabric that swirls and blends in with their equally beautiful surroundings. They are shot to look like they are floating, weightlessly, with closed eyes and spread arms, effortlessly in harmony with the world around them.

On her website, Rogers states, “Water is healing—it’s life itself. And as the provider of life—oxygen to all through tiny phytoplankton, our oceans need our care more than ever right now. It is a great honor to be able to help James Cameron, Jon Landau, and the ‘Avatar’ and Disney teams in realizing that dream of clean and protected world oceans—through the release of these images for The Nature Conservancy.”

Those interested in purchasing Rogers’ prints can do so through her website.

In a recent series, Christy Lee Rogers photographed stars Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet in an Avatar-themed underwater photoshoot.

James Cameron and Disney commissioned the photo series to raise money for The Nature Conservancy, which has the goal of conserving 10% of oceans by 2030.

The actors float harmoniously in the photos, illustrating how connected humanity is with the water around us.

Christy Lee Rogers: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Christy Lee Rogers.

Related Articles:

New Zealand Unveils ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Stamps and Coins

Zoe Saldaña Is First Actor to Ever Star in 4 Movies That Cross $2 Billion Mark at Box Office

Interview: Underwater Photography Captures Dreamlike Moments Deep in the Ocean

25,000 Pounds of Trash Removed From Ocean in Just One Extraction

READ: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Stars Pose in Underwater Photos To Raise Money for Conservation

Photo: Lihana111/Depositphotos

There are approximately 15,500 golf courses located in the United States, and they tend to have negative effects on the environment. Between land being cleared for the fairway and the excessive amount of water and pesticides needed to keep the grass looking green and lush, it is no surprise that golf courses have come under increasing scrutiny from environmental agencies and activists in recent years. However, in certain locations, there may be a silver lining, as abandoned golf courses are being reclaimed by nature.

The number of golf course closures have outweighed openings every year since 2006. Conservation agencies have a vested interest in acquiring these abandoned golf courses and restoring them to their original landscapes to combat the effects of climate change. From locations on the west coast in California to places in the Midwest such as Ohio, these efforts are nationwide. Some former golf courses in the United Kingdom and Australia have also been part of the revitalization process as well.

Some of the strategies that conservationists have employed involve reintroducing native plants and animals to the golf courses, combining golf courses with already existing parks, and restoring wetlands and swamps. All of this is part of an effort to restore biodiversity and, hopefully, restore these swaths of land to what they looked like before they were cleared.

Abandoned golf courses in the United States are being reclaimed by nature, thanks to the efforts of conservationists.

Photo: ejkrouse/Depositphotos

h/t: [Reddit]

Related Articles:

Canadian Conservation Group Buys Out Hunting Rights for B.C. Rainforest To Protect Indigenous Wildlife

Conservation Group Finds Tiger Population Is 40% Larger Than Previously Thought

Mexican Family Quits Fishing Industry and Creates a Sea Turtle Conservation Group

The Bellagio on Las Vegas Strip Turns off Its Famed Fountain Show After a Rare Bird Lands in the Water

READ: Abandoned Golf Courses Are Being Reclaimed by Nature Thanks to Conservation Groups

Photo: johnanderson/Depositphotos

Coral reefs are a key element of ocean ecosystems. They provide food and shelter for sea creatures, and they also protect coastlines from storms and erosion. In an effort to restore degraded reefs, the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Programme has transplanted coral fragments onto a network of interconnected “Reef Stars” (sand-coated steel frames). Now, new research shows that these restored reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years.

This breakthrough was observed in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, home to one of the largest restoration projects in the world. “Restoration is increasingly seen as a necessary tool to reverse ecological decline across terrestrial and marine ecosystems,” write the study authors, led by Dr. Ines Lange from the University of Exeter. “Considering the unprecedented loss of coral cover and associated reef ecosystem services, active coral restoration is gaining traction in local management strategies and has recently seen major increases in scale.”

This particular project aimed to restore a reef that was destroyed 30 to 40 years ago due to dynamite fishing. Hoping to bring it back, marine biologists affixed “reef stars” (small, recycled metal scaffolds) to the seafloor. These would provide a foundation for the coral larvae to glom onto so they can later develop their hard bodies.

To measure the success of their program, they looked into calcium carbonate. “Corals constantly add calcium carbonate to the reef framework while some fishes and sea urchins erode it away, so calculating the overall carbonate budget basically tells you if the reef as a whole is growing or shrinking,” writes Lange.

Fast forward four years, and the net carbonate budgets have tripled and are indistinguishable from healthy control sites. “The speed of recovery that we saw was incredible,” said Lange. “We did not expect a full recovery of reef framework production after only four years.” However, due to branching coral being preferred for reef restoration, the overall species diversity is lower in restored reefs than natural ones.

Ultimately, these findings can prove priceless in undoing some damage to the environment. Not only have they found a way to measure grow and decline in coral reefs, they've also seen how quickly they can bounce back. However, the researchers note that preventing the damage is more important than ever.

“Scaling up reef restoration continues to be a challenge and coral restoration does not negate the need for strong reductions in carbon emissions, especially given the higher heat sensitivity of branching corals commonly used for transplantation,” they conclude. “Nevertheless, our findings suggest that large-scale and multidimensional reef restoration programs offer short-term options to recover some important ecosystem functions and thereby increase the reef’s resilience to local and global stressors.”

In an effort to restore degraded reefs, the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Programme has transplanted coral fragments onto a network of interconnected “Reef Stars.”

Photo: kjorgen/Depositphotos

Now, new research shows that these restored reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years.

Photo: johnanderson/Depositphotos

h/t: [Good News Network]

Related Articles:

Parts of the Great Barrier Reef Show the Highest Coral Cover in 36 Years

Newly Discovered Coral Reef Is Taller Than the Empire State Building

Scientists Create 3D-Printed Terra Cotta Tiles to Encourage Coral Reef Growth

Monumental Ceramic Coral Reef Installation Is a Swirling Combination of Beauty and Awareness

READ: New Research Shows Artificially Restored Coral Reefs Can Grow as Fast as Healthy Reefs

Beach cleanup efforts around the world are all commendable; however, we rarely get to see what actually happens to the trash that’s been collected. It's even rarer for gathered waste to be turned into art. One company called Ocean Sole hosts clean ups to pick up trash on the beaches and waterways of Kenya to combat the amount to flip-flops that are discarded in them every year. They then give these scrapped objects a second life with the help of local communities, turning them into colorful sculptures of all sizes.

The story of Ocean Sole began when Julie Church, founder of the social enterprise, noticed children creating toys out of discarded flip-flops. Noticing the versatility of the material, she then encouraged the children's mothers to collect, wash, and cut the discarded flip-flops, which they then could turn into new products that could be sold at local markets as an additional source of income.

“Ocean Sole was founded on the premise of cleaning our oceans and waterways whilst employing artists from high impact communities in Kenya,” Joe Mwakiremba, head of sales, tells My Modern Met. Today, the company impacts over 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment. This includes providing steady income to nearly 100 low-income Kenyans.

The participation of the community is key to every step of the process. “Once the collector is paid and gone, the dirty flip-flops are washed with detergent and left to dry,” Mwakiremba shares. “The next step is joining them together using an adhesive and then carved down into different shapes and forms. The third stage is sanding which is a smoothening phase before the finished product is finally washed and shipped to many of our ‘solemates’ around the world.”

Ocean Sole can produce 15 small sculptures a day, or two to three larger pieces per week. Most of their creations are inspired by endangered species to help put a spotlight on them, but they've also produced car designs and practical objects, like bottle openers and doorstops. “Each piece is unique based on the materials collected,” explains Mwakiremba. “The locals benefit greatly from selling the plastic waste to us. During the heavy rain season, they can find lots of flip-flops which is great for us compared with the dry seasons.” He also shares that one of their collectors has been able to put one of his kids through college; others have been able to purchase land and even livestock.

The positive effects can also be seen in the environment. “We aim to recycle a million flip-flops [per] year, recycle over one tonne of styrofoam a month, and save over five hundred trees a year—by using flip-flops instead of wood,” the company states on its website. “We contribute over 10-15% of our revenue to beach cleanups, vocational and educational programmes as well as conservation efforts.”

You can support Ocean Sole by buying their art online or hosting a beach clean. To learn more visit their website.

To combat the amount to flip-flops that are discarded every year on the beaches and waterways of Kenya, Ocean Sole hosts clean ups to gather these materials.

Then, they give them a second life with the help of local communities, turning them into colorful sculptures of all sizes.

“Ocean Sole was founded on the premise of cleaning our oceans and waterways whilst employing artists from high impact communities in Kenya,” Joe Mwakiremba, head of sale, tells My Modern Met.

Today, the company impacts over 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment. This includes providing steady income to nearly 100 low-income Kenyans.

“We aim to recycle a million flip-flops [per] year, recycle over one tonne of styrofoam a month, and save over five hundred trees a year—by using flip-flops instead of wood.”

Most of their creations are inspired by endangered species to help put a spotlight on them, but they've also produced car designs and practical objects, like bottle openers and doorstops.

“We contribute over 10-15% of our revenue to beach cleanups, vocational and educational programmes as well as conservation efforts.”

Ocean Sole: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Ocean Sole.

Related Articles:

Lighting Fixture Uses 100% Recycled Materials To Combine Sleek With Sustainability

Largest Ocean Cleanup Hauls 103 Tons of Plastic From the Pacific Ocean

Vibrant Mosaic Façade Created From a Rainbow Array of Recycled Barrel Lids

Over 20,000 Pounds of Recycled Materials Used to Create Interactive Light Installation at Burning Man [Interview]

READ: Eco-Friendly Group Cleans up Beaches of Kenya and Turns Discarded Flip-Flops Into Colorful Works of Art