22.02.12
Julian Huitfeldt says he is a sucker for a good cause.
That is why the Asia Pacific green ambassador for Electrolux
has spent the past eight days hitchhiking the length of New
Zealand with a vacuum cleaner strapped to his back - all in
the name of raising awareness of the large amounts of plastic
polluting our oceans, and creating discussion on recycling
plastic in New Zealand.
The Electrolux he is lugging from Whangarei to Invercargill
is not just any old vacuum cleaner, he said.
This one was designed by eco-fashion designer Laurie Foon
from clothing label Starfish, using an array of plastic
collected from organised Electrolux beach cleanups around New
Zealand.
Mr Huitfeldt said the appliance was one of five
limited-edition vacuum cleaners made from recycled plastic
collected from the world's oceans as part of the Vac from the
Sea initiative. Each of the Vac from the Sea designs embodied
the plastic paradox: oceans were full of plastic waste, yet
on land there was a shortage of recycled plastic for
producing sustainable recycled plastic products, he said.
Source: Otago Daily Times