Carola Ludovica Farci, globetrotter to transform plastic into trees

More than 14,000 kilometers travelled, through 11 countries, from his beloved Sardinia to Turkey. A total of 213 days of travel, aboard his unstoppable Polpo Mobile (a 2008 Matiz, on whose bodywork the sea and its inhabitants have been painted, which continues to grind its way despite the challenges it has recently been subjected to), at alongside the trusty quadruped co-pilot, her black labrador, Polly.

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The journey of Carola Ludovica Farci33 years old, tenured teacher at the Cagliari hotel institute, to free our beaches and seas from plastic, ended in May 2022 with a sad haul of 3 tons of waste. To which are added the 80 kilos of waste not waste, objects with still something to give, which kept Carola and Polly company on the long return journey, leaving very little living space inside the passenger compartment. Waste that has become the coveted prizes of an auction whose proceeds have been used to reforest the world. Because Carola’s wasn’t just an experience, an out-of-the-ordinary journey, limited to the sabbatical year from her teaching job. Hers is almost a life mission: to raise awareness as much as possible about the need to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles, in all aspects of daily life, setting a good example above all. And if you think about it, in this green path Carola did almost magic, because she managed to transform all that plastic and waste into trees and new forests.

What’s the strangest object you’ve recovered during your trip and then sold at auction? “A candlestick in the shape of Jesus Christ”. Carola’s journey had begun in October 2021: her goal was to try and save the beloved sea that bathes her Cagliari, collecting as much plastic and waste as possible from the beaches bordering the Mediterranean. A symbolic act of revolution. Between one collection and another, the idea: to keep the objects still in good condition and then sell them to do something good, once back home.

From the sea to the trees, the charity auction

The very high participation in the auction (sets of plates, soccer balls, sets of pot lids only, and finally the gavel used for assignments were auctioned) and the offers allowed Carola to “collect” enough money to plant 6 thousand new trees in Haiti, Nepal and Madagascarthrough treeonfythe non-profit digital platform created by the Sardinian Andrew Piraswhich makes it possible to plant trees, remove plastic from the oceans and offset CO2 emissions₂ with a few euros. “Actually 3,000 of these trees were planted thanks to the funds raised through the auction, Treeonfy has decided to donate as many, in support of the initiative”.

The journey in a book

Carola’s journey has become a book, Plasticchiadi, “Which tells the story of my and Polly’s adventures. An umbrella book that can bring even the most skeptical people closer to these themes, through a laugh with a bitter aftertaste”. All copyrights of Plasticiadias they translate into reforestation projects carried out again through Treeonfy, in Italy, in land subjected to monocultures for decades and therefore now dry and poor, in which nothing grows anymore. Three have already been launched, the first in Abruzzo, “in the land of a boy, Tiziano, who had hosted me during my trip”.

Carola doesn’t stop, her head is a continuous grind of ideas. For some time she has been an adventurous guide on trips organized by We Road, designed for them the first eco-trip ever proposed. “Next Christmas will be held in Guatemala and Belize: a slow tour, we will sleep in sustainable structures, with an eye to local communities, far from megalopolises, following the rhythms of nature, adopting a zero kilometer diet”. Those who have already traveled with Professor Green already know that there are things on which she does not compromise “Only sunscreens that do not harm the sea”. And this summer Carola what are you doing? “Ah, I’m going to plant corals in South East Asia…”.

Plasticiadias you can buy it (here) in classic format (naturally in recycled paper) or ebook (highly recommended by the author).