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Rishi describes himself as a musician, artist, and carpenter. But he's more than that - a visionary with a global purpose. The environmentalist Rishi puts his belief in cleaning our planet into practice by constructing islands made out of recycled materials which float entirely on plastic bottles.
The first island was located in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras in Mexico. In his first attempt, Rishi failed to get the appropriate permits from the Mexican government and the locals ran him out.
His second attempt, off Playa Del Carmen, again in Mexico, was more successful with the backing of the local people. Some 250,000 bottles were used to keep the 66 feet (20 m) by 54 feet (16 m) island structure afloat. Rishi tied together bundles of nets filled with empty discarded plastic bottles to give support to the island structure of plywood and bamboo, on which he piled sand and planted mangroves. Rishi planted mangroves for shading on the island but also for their roots to serve as a locking system to bind the bundles of plastic bottles beneath the island. The amazing island hosted a livable two-story palapa structure, a solar oven, fruit trees and three beaches. Unfortunately, the island was destroyed by Hurricane Emily in 2005. See the video below:
Rishi's third floating island, "Joysxee", is the largest and the most ambitious - with the goal to "sail" in the ocean. Rishi's vision is to provide a livable island blueprint that can float around the world to show others how to turn trash into treasure.
Gaining fame and recognition for his forward-thinking, people from all over the world come to Rishi’s dock for a tour, which is now his primary source of income.
Your next trip to the Yucatan Peninsula should include a stop at Isla Mujeres to see the island for yourself before it "sails" away!
