EarthOne Shakes Things Up: Dive Into Eco‑Vibes
Rocinha’s Creative Crew Turns Food Donations Into Rad Skateboards
In the vibrant heart of Rio’s Rocinha favela, a community project is flipping the script on recycling. Picture this: people bring leftover food, trade it for a handful of bottle caps, and boom—those caps morph into colorful skateboards. That’s what Na Laje Designs, headed by Canadian engineer Arian Rayegani, is cooking up.
From Trash to Thrills: The Skateboard-Baking Process
- Gather ~500 plastic bottle caps per board.
- Crush and melt them until they’re gooey.
- Push the molten plastic into a custom mold.
- Pop the mold into a pizza oven for a dough‑like bake.
- Pull out a slick, factory‑quality skateboard after around two hours.
It’s a one‑hour craft of two unstoppable forces: recycling and innovation. Rayegani proudly states, “It’s made 100 % from recycled plastic that’s collected, processed, and remade right here in Rocinha.”
Why It Matters
Every skateboard tells a story of transformation—turning discarded bottles into aboard for street‑loving riders. It’s a win-win: the community feeds its local shop, the planet gets a cleanup, and kids get a brand‑new ride.
Take a Peek at EarthOne for More Planet‑Pushing Thoughts
Check EarthOne, the fresh section launched by AsiaOne, for articles that blend science, style, and a love for the earth. From green tech to nifty up‑cycling hacks, it’s your go‑to hub for keeping the planet shiny—and you’ll be cheering on the next big eco‑innovation.
A Canadian Skateboard Rebel Turns Trash into Triumph in Brazil’s Rocinha
Meet Arian Rayegani, 28, a Canadian entrepreneur with a dream bigger than any skateboard factory. He launched the Na Laje Designs project, a community hub that transforms recycled plastic waste into skateboards while earning food for local garbage collectors in Rocinha, a bustling slum of Rio de Janeiro.
The Skateboard & Food Swap
In a clever twist, Rocinha’s trash collectors front food donations in exchange for bottle caps. Arian says, “We’re not just forging boards; we’re building a mindset shift. Think of it as a recycling playground where kids learn to repurpose their neighborhood’s mess.”
No More Rubbish‑Free Disaster
- Daily garbage dump: Rocinha churns out a whopping 230 tonnes of waste every day.
- Recycling reality check: There’s practically zero structured waste management on the ground.
- Aiming for a future: “Today we’re tackling plastic, tomorrow we’ll tackle paper, metal, and glass.”
Future‑Proofing the Neighborhood
Arian’s vision extends beyond boards: he wants to spawn a new generation that “learns about recycling, prevents the problem, and goes beyond.” In other words, he’s preparing tomorrow’s leaders to be tomorrow’s clean‑up crew.
Why Recycle is Rock Star
Turning plastic bottles into skateboard decks feels like a DIY horror film where the villain is garbage but the hero, of course, is your local community. By turning trash into something people actually use and love, the project proves you don’t need a factory to make a revolution.
Next Up
With plans to expand into more materials and more kids, Arian’s project is already a headline‑-worthy hack—because who says you can’t skateboard through a slum and still save the planet? If you think that’s overachieving, just wait until you see the next prototype.
