By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – Wilmington artist Dixon Stetler made a successful voyage across the Cape Fear River Monday on a handmade raft of plastic items.
Stetler paddled from downtown Wilmington to the Battleship North Carolina. She made her raft out of PVC pipes, water noodles, plastic bottles and dozens of flip-flops. She says the trip and the raft are a statement about the amount of throwaway plastic that is part of everyday life.
We have disposable shoes, that's kind of ridiculous when people on the planet don't have shoes, so let's figure out something to do with them. And all the plastic bottles, my goodness.
Stetler says she knew the raft would float since it's made up of materials that easily float in the water. She says she's keeping the shoes and the raft, which will likely end up in her garage.