manchesterfoodtourist Created using 18 tonnes of trash from the Nile River, the installation supports the launch of 100YR CLEAN UP initiative led by Zero Co and The Hidden Sea wine
As world leaders assemble in Egypt for COP27, two organisations have joined forces to launch an initiative to clean the planet for the next 100 years.
Mission-led Australian wine brand The Hidden Sea has partnered with zero-waste company Zero Co to fund the launch of the 100YR CLEANUP initiative, which is announced today with the unveiling of the world’s largest plastic pyramid in the Egyptian desert.
Installed outside Cairo in Egypt’s Western Desert, the structure took four days to build, weighs 18 tonnes, is 10 metres tall and 12 metres wide. It’s made using the equivalent of one million plastic water bottles collected from the Nile River* by entrepreneur Mike Smith, founder of Zero Co and the 100YR CLEANUP initiative, and The Hidden Sea co-founders Justin Moran and Richie Vandenburg.
The team is launching a $1,000,000 fundraising drive to support the initiative and once the target is achieved, 100YR CLEANUP will build full-time teams around the world cleaning the planet five days a week, every week, every year, for the next 100 years, to create a century long wave of collective action.
Justin Moran, founder of The Hidden Sea, which is a wine company on track to take one billion plastic bottles from the ocean through sales of its wines, said: “Despite its epic size, the pyramid shows just a fraction of what is an incredible crisis. Powered by wine drinkers, The Hidden Sea has removed 18 million plastic bottles from the ocean so far; this demonstrates that consumers simply need a clear way to be part of the solution. They want to get behind companies that put their money where their mouth is. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and change and come together as business leaders to help manage the crisis. Those who, like us, have the ability, have the responsibility.”
To sound the klaxon for companies to back the game-changing initiative, 100YR CLEANUP founder Mike Smith will camp on top of the pyramid for three days.
Mike says: “The global waste problem and eliminating single-use plastics are top of the agenda at the moment with COP27 taking place, and our installation will really draw attention to the scale of the problem of plastic waste in our rivers and oceans.
“By working together with businesses and industry leaders and inviting them to be part of a proactive plan that will outlive us all, we’ll be able to build a scalable solution to the problem and have a huge impact. It’s impossible to solve the plastic problem alone, but we can give everyone the ability to take action.”
Zero Co and The Hidden Sea aim to raise $1,000,000 for the 100YR CLEANUP over the next 12 months, which will remove 15 million water bottles worth of rubbish and drive the initiative’s mission year on year, for the next 100 years.
“We want to ensure that future generations can experience untouched wilderness in all its powerful forces. Whilst we inherit this planet from our ancestors, we also borrow it from our children. Backing our initiative will leave an incredibly positive legacy.” adds Mike.
By sponsoring the 100YR CLEANUP and buying a bundle of rubbish, individuals and businesses can contribute to future clean ups around the world.
Find out more about the initiative and donate at 100yrcleanup.com.
