On International Coastal Cleanup Day (18 September) Captain Fanplastic is launching with Alessandro Gigli and Zolani Mahola an incredible audio project. With catchy pirate songs and an audio book of ‘The Legend of Captain Fanplastic’, it takes Captain Fanplastic’s message to another level. Telling the story of how this friendly pirate saves ocean creatures from plastic and then turns that plastic into treasure. The book is available in print, as an e-book and soon the newly developed audio book will be on sale too.
To honour International Coastal Clean-up Day (18 September) Captain Fanplastic launched their first pirate songs and audiobook at the Two Oceans Aquarium during Captain Fanplastic’s Sounds for the Ocean. Together with their partners in crime, the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation threw a true pirate party with grand musical and storytelling performances by Alessandro Gigli & Zolani Mahola and inspiring ocean speakers. To help spread the message even further, for every Captain Fanplastic book bought online, Captain Fanplastic will donate another book and distribute them to children and communities with minimal access to literacy.
The event’s speakers included Zandile “The Black Mermaid” Ndhlovu, on changing the ocean narrative. It ended with a message in a bottle activity by all attendees as a pledge to the ocean. Prior to the launch, the fun started early on in the day as the Captain and The Aquarium team hosted a #TrashBash Beach Clean-up at Monwabisi Beach in Khayelitsha. The entire event was done under strict Covid-19 protocols.
Ann Lamont, Executive Chairperson of the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation has said, “We are excited and keen to work together with Captain Fanplastic. No matter where in the world we find ourselves, as corporates and individuals, we need to start encouraging children to consider plastic differently and to actively think about regenerative ways of living in general. If we can help promote this kind of thinking early on in life, everyday reduction, conscious consumption & recycling could become an integral part of their lifestyle. The amount of discarded plastic on land and in our oceans is unsustainable. If we start a movement to inspire change now around plastic among young people, this can help sustain and conserve marine life.”
You Buy One – We Give One
Anyone buying a book will result in Captain Fanplastic matching that purchase, and together with an NGO will donate it to a school or community who do not have the funds to purchase these books. The book can be purchased via The School of Sustainable Development as well as Takealot and retails at R190. If you are a corporate and would like to sponsor a series of books, or donate it to a school as part of their environmental programme, you are welcome to contact the team at Captain Fanplastic here.
Author and owner of the Captain Fanplastic brand, Ruben Hazelzet, says: “This book holds a powerful message and we’ve seen its impact on kids from all our programmes with various schools in South Africa & the Netherlands. It demonstrates how harmful plastic waste is to our precious marine life and, more importantly, how plastic can be turned into amazing treasure, if recycled correctly. Through our ‘buy one/give one’ initiative, this story is really a gift that keeps on giving. We’d like to invite the public to join us, so, if one wants to, for example, buy 2 books, we will automatically give 2 books to communities to match their purchase.”
All proceeds from Captain Fanplastic’s Sounds for the Ocean go to the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation and Captain Fanplastic which will further assist in raising awareness about the importance of responsible plastic consumption and production, and this will be an ongoing education and conservation programme.
For more information visit the website and follow them on social media:
www.captainfanplastic.com
www.facebook.com/captainfanplastic
www.instagram.com/captain_fanplastic/?hl=en
ruben@captainfanplastic.com
