From YouTube to environmental protection
Its aim is to free oceans and coasts from plastic waste, while at the same time addressing poverty in rural regions and raising awareness of environmental protection and plastic avoidance. To this end, it wants to tackle the problem of global plastic pollution at a local level.
The programme supports affected coastal communities in setting up municipal recycling workshops in which collected plastic waste is turned into new products using non-industrial recycling machines specially developed for this purpose. The sale of these products is intended to provide local collectors and recyclers with new sources of income and improve the local environmental situation.
Nike Steiger at the Baltic Sea on three weekends in September
Now Nike Steiger is bringing her project to Germany. From 3 September, you can see her work for yourself on three weekends at German Baltic Sea ports and discover for yourself how new objects can be developed from plastic waste.
Steiger had launched an appeal via her social media channels to find a boat that would serve as a base for the Baltic Sea tour. Her project is now underway with the "Rooster", a 14-metre steel yacht owned by a German skipper. You can apply for a place on a day trip by sending an email to we-are@in-mocean.org. The dates are
- Flensburg: 3 September, 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.
- Kiel: 10 September, 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.
- Lübeck: 17 September , 10.00 to 12.30 and 14.00 to 16.30
Recycling in action
How a recycling workshop works will be explained on site - from identifying suitable types of plastic to mechanical shredding and melting down into new items. In separate workshops, visitors will learn how to transform bottle caps into jewellery using a small amount of equipment. Independently of the workshop, visitors can bring 20 lids and transform them into a new product. Dates and times:
- Flensburg: 4 September, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Maritime Museum
- Kiel: 11 September, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sailing Centre of Kiel University, Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Harbour
- Lübeck: 18 September, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Newport Marina/ Media Docks
Lectures by Nike Steiger
The Baltic Sea project also includes lectures in which Nike Steiger reports on the history of the creation of "In Mocean", but also looks back on the early days of her refit and YouTube project in Panama. The lecture is free of charge, registration is not necessary. The dates are:
- Flensburg: 4 September, 4.30 pm at the Maritime Museum
- Kiel: 11 September, 4.30 pm at the Sailing Centre of Kiel University, Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Harbour
- Lübeck: 18 September, 4.30 pm in the Newport Marina/ Media Docs
Interview with Nike about her new environmental project (from YACHT 22/2021)
YACHT: Mrs Steiger, who is behind your "recycling fleet"?
Nike Steiger: It's part of my new project, which is about reusing rubbish washed up from the sea in remote regions. I was able to get eight crews to take part. These include internationally renowned sailing vloggers such as "Delos" and "Uma". The high profile of this "recycling fleet" should help to create a lot of buzz around the topic.
What exactly will the sailors be doing?
The crews sail in very different parts of the world and, above all, in remote regions where huge amounts of plastic waste drift in the sea and wash up on the beaches. However, the locals usually have more pressing concerns than the proper disposal or even recycling of the waste. We want to change this with the help of the fleet.
How is that supposed to work?
Together with a friend, I founded the "In Mocean" initiative, with which we are committed to the fight against plastic waste. Initially, we organised beach clean-ups. Then we built two machines based on an open-source template that you can use to shred your own cleaned plastic waste and mould it into new products - on board!
Is the recycling fleet now going to do the same? Aren't eight boats far too few to make a difference?
The idea goes even further and has already been tried and tested: In summer 2021, we successfully completed the first project in Costa Rica, in which we collected waste with locals, which they processed into 300 products such as bowls and jewellery in three weeks and sold to tourists. The proceeds are roughly equivalent to a full-time local job. Our aim is to raise awareness of plastic waste as a resource and promote reuse.
And that's where the sailors come in ...
Exactly, with the recycling machines on board, it is possible to demonstrate what can be created from waste. The next step will then be to support the locals with expertise and help with financing so that they can purchase land-based recycling machines.
How did the crews react to your idea?
It was very positive, almost everyone immediately wanted to take part, and of the ten crews I asked, eight are now involved.
When does it start?
The prototype for the on-board machines is currently being manufactured at PlasticPreneur in Austria. I am currently in Germany to drive everything forward. The crowdfunding campaign to finance the machines will start in November.
Will you continue to live on your boat and report about it on YouTube?
I will continue to live and vlog on "Karl", but the content of my channel will change slightly.
