Visit to Ocean Sole

“Flip the Flop” – Ocean Sole

Ocean Sole first came into my vision one morning in late May, as I aimlessly scrolled through Facebook. I decided to click on an “Ocean Sole’ video link and was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of their progressive and innovative projects.

Ocean Sole turns flip-flop pollution into art and functional products to promote ocean conservation.  Their catchy and appropriate moto is ‘Flip the Flop’ – simply brilliant, right?!  Since 2005, they have cleaned over 1,000 tonnes of flip-flops from the ocean and waterways in Kenya,  have provided income to over 150 Kenyan’s and contributed 10% of their revenue to marine conservation programs.

When I found out they were based in Nairobi I felt a calling to go visit them. I hopped in an UBER with my bestie Jesse and we headed to their workshop! As we walked up to their building, my eyes started to fill with water – I was so happy to be visiting this brilliant project. Their innovative eco-friendly ways, #BEATPOLLUTION attitude and modern ways of creating alternative income for community members is everything I stand for in one project!

As we walked up to their workshops we were greeted with open arms and even bigger smiles! We were given a private tour of their studios and shown how they create these beautiful art pieces.

“Most people think of flip-flops as casual beachwear. Cute, sexy, colorful, decorated and fashionable. In fact, flip-flops for over 3 BILLION people are the only pair of “shoes” they own. In emerging warm-climate markets, billions of cheap flip-flops are made to supply the feet of the poor every day. These flip-flops get worn for years and then after many repairs are discarded into dumpsites that ultimately seep into our Earth’s waterways and then into our oceans. The world is aware of the plastic problem, but what is looming is the ‘flip-flop’ problem. The mass of discarded flip-flops pile up and block waterways for fresh water and then make their way to our oceans–killing everything in their way.”       – Ocean Sole

Now let me tell you if you think you have seen a decent amount of flip-flops in your life… believe me, you haven’t! The first step of our tour was to the flip-flop dumping ground.  The Ocean Sole workshop is filled with bins simply overflowing with piles upon piles of them all!  Can you believe that they receive up to 400,ooo flip-flops a year and mostly employ women to collect them from Kenyan beaches?

I absolutely love this company’s holistic way of thinking. Employing women to clean the beaches means empowering their communities. How?  International Development 101, when a woman is empowered she passes this on to her children & other community members. Education & empowerment is the way to break the cycle of poverty, clean our world and rid beaches of pollution.

The next part of our tour was the washing station. This station is where staff members wash the flip-flops clean, and then bring them to the sculptors. Ocean Sole employs over 50 talented artists who create masterpieces day in and day out.

Seeing these artists in the flesh create their beautiful art, was nothing short of inspirational. I sat next to them and watched in awe. Their work, devotion, and love for their jobs truly shine through their work.

If ever you want to gift a gift that keeps on giving – look into buying your own sculpture from Ocean Sole. This social enterprise company believes that more awareness is essential to the growing flip-flop problem that is cluttering our Earth. What are you waiting for – Go Flip That Flop!