Posted: 9 March, 2020

Putney Alumna on a Mission to Reduce the World's Plastic Use

Alumnae

Rebecca Faber (class of 1999) is at the forefront of a global mission to reduce the world’s plastic use.

The embodiment of a GDST girl, Rebecca combines her day job with volunteering for The Flipflopi Expedition. Backed by the UN, the expedition saw ten tonnes of plastic waste and 30,000 repurposed flipflops form the world’s very first 100% recycled plastic dhow which completed a ground-breaking sailing expedition from Lamu, Kenya to Zanzibar, Tanzania in 2019.

This pioneering research and development project also aims to inspire communities to find their own creative ways to give used plastics a valuable second life.

With a day job in PR, Rebecca initially helped with some of the project’s early social media and website writing. However, it wasn’t long before she began to also dedicate her free time to the cause, managing their communications and joining the expeditions to spread the word. Such was the impact that Tanzania, Zanzibar and Burundi have now passed legislation to ban plastic bags, as well as Malawi reinstating theirs. Furthermore, Kenya introduced a ban of single-use plastic in all national parks, and around 40 local hotels and businesses agreed to join the #plasticrevolution, banning the use of all non-essential single-use plastic.

The next adventure is to Lake Victoria, an area that supports 40 million people. Here, they are aiming to facilitate regional consensus to ban single use plastic items, scaling up their objectives to focus on the environment and health of the region and create further impact in East Africa. At the same time, they seek to build a bigger Flipflopi and sail with their message around the world.

 

Rebecca demonstrates the spirit of a Putney and GDST girl. Innovative and fearless, she is giving her time to think outside the box to help others and to take action on a cause about which she feels passionately.

Rebecca sings the praises of those she meets – adventurers, explorers, creatives. But she herself is one such unsung hero!

Rebecca previously worked as a teacher in Tanzania, and, following a personal tragedy in her life, was encouraged by her brother to return to Africa. Although she has always had a heart for charity, her investment in this project is humbling. This year, whilst being mindful of her carbon footprint, she is devoting six-weeks of unpaid leave to be part of the work in Lake Victoria.

The timing is pertinent, given Putney’s commitment to building awareness, understanding and appreciation of our environment both at school, locally and on a wider level through our Breathe project. Rebecca is also an exemplar of the entrepreneurial mindset which is the hallmark of a Putney education.

Read more about the project here

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