Saad Abid, a Moroccan activist and environmentalist, has won the prestigious OceanLove Innovation Award in the Netherlands for his ocean conservation invention, called “The Chbika.” His innovative micro-waste tool emerged as the winner in a competitive field of entries from 38 countries.
In his acceptance speech on Wednesday in The Hague, Abid expressed both surprise and gratitude, saying, “I would have been happy just to be one of the five finalists, as this is the first time we are participating in a competition.”
Abid’s “The Chbika” is designed to efficiently collect and manage micro-waste, which poses a significant threat to marine life and ecosystems. Micro-waste, consisting of small plastic particles and other contaminants, often goes unnoticed but has a devastating impact on marine biodiversity.
The Moroccan activist’s invention aims to address this problem with a practical, scalable solution that can be applied globally in coastal areas.
Abid explained the origins and development of his tool. He mentioned that his background as a surfer and tennis player inspired the initial concepts. During beach cleanups, they used a tool designed to filter small particles, an idea that came from a tennis-related cleaning tool.
The real motivation to develop “The Chbika” came from a tragic incident in his community, where a child stepped on a rusty can and subsequently died due to a lack of medical resources.
“This heartbreaking incident motivated Abid and his team to create a tool that could detect and remove hidden waste, particularly microplastics, from the sand to prevent such accidents.”
“We know that microplastic is a major issue worldwide. We started developing this in 2016. In 2022, a video went viral with 14 million views on Instagram. Many people were inspired by this video,” he added.
This widespread interest encouraged them to further develop the tool, Abid emphasized, not only because of its practical utility in removing microplastics but also because of its role in raising awareness about hidden contaminants in the sand and promoting environmental protection.
He also highlighted his team’s effort to make the tool accessible to everyone. The team plans to use 100% of the prize money to create a new website and upload guides in multiple languages, so people worldwide can reproduce and use the tool locally. Additionally, they are working on recycling aluminum cans to produce a lighter version of “The Chbika,” making it even more efficient and affordable.
Inaugurated in January 2024, the OceanLove Innovation Award is an initiative of OceanLove, a global non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. The award aims to inspire and recognize individuals and teams from around the world who develop creative solutions to protect the ocean and its ecosystems.
This year, the award received a diverse range of entries, particularly from the Global South, with finalists from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa.
The award was judged by a distinguished panel of scientists and activists from eight countries, led by Sian Owen, Executive Director of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.
Morocco World News
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