Flip Flop Art
Nature Seychelles’ management of Cousin Island Special Reserve earned Cousin the status of being the first carbon neutral island in the world in 2010. With the support of the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Nature Seychelles’ partner in the UK, Carbon clear was hired to assess the carbon footprint of the Island. International tourists visiting Cousin are responsible for 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually, and the restored forest on the island can only absorb a certain amount of this. It was therefore necessary to offset the bulk of the carbon dioxide through a carbon sequestration project.
Four years on, the island maintains its carbon neutral status. However, the island, like many habitats around the word faces another challenge in remaining pristine and pollution free. Litter!
Each week, volunteers and staff on Cousin Island dedicate a chunk of their time to collect plastic and other litter that wash up on to the otherwise pristine beaches of Cousin. On the 20th of September individuals and environmental organizations worldwide took part in the annual beach clean-up day. Sally Fisher, who is currently volunteering on Cousin has found a creative way to deal with floating flip flops that find their way to Cousin and hide among the pisonia or lie unattractively on the white sand.
“I brought my paints to Cousin but couldn’t squeeze any canvases into my rucksack, so when I was looking for something to paint on, recycled flip flops were the perfect answer,” she says. “Being based in Scotland, I have painted many beach scenes and the shores of the Seychelles share some similarities: clear turquoise waters, white sands and lush vegetation. I knew straight away where to start.”
Sally is helping with patrolling of nesting turtles on Cousin but says she finds time during her breaks to do her flip-flop art. “Choosing only the best flip flops, the more sea-battered the better, I set to work. First, I prepare the flip flops by trimming them to shape and removing rough edges,” she explains. “Next I paint them white as a nice fresh base for the picture. I use a palette knife to apply the paint in quite a casual style; you could probably describe my paintings as impressionist.”
Sally’s flip-flop art will be displayed on Cousin for tourists and other guests visiting the reserve. More than raising funds, Nature Seychelles hopes that her artwork will raise awareness on the environmental impact of waste mismanagement. “I love the idea of turning a waste product into something useful that people would want to take home with them.” Sally says “I hope that visitors to Cousin may consider donating towards the conservation of the island’s unique wildlife in exchange for a little flip flop art.”
Sally Fisher is a self-taught artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can see more of her work on her website www.salgallery.com
