Almost a month ago, Caroline Chaptini set up in motion a simple idea to amass plastic bottles from the Lebanese people to build a Christmas tree.
Along with the municipality of Chekka and a crowd of people donating and assisting, she started working on building it out of 120 thousand plastic bottles.
The purpose, which was indeed environmental initially, quickly turned into the challenge of setting up a new world record for Lebanon. And they’ve made it!
This 28.5 meters tall Christmas tree just broke Mexico’s record of their 28-meter-high Christmas tree made of 98,000 plastic bottles. Thus, Lebanon just entered the Guinness Book of Records for the ‘Largest Christmas Tree Made of Plastic Bottles.’
Caroline is a Lebanese mother who wanted to find a creative and environmental way to get rid of her plastic water bottles. But, she didn’t want them to go to waste, especially with plastic dangers to the environment.
She started using them at first to make a small and creative Christmas tree before she decided to go bigger.
She launched her environmental campaign “Collect Them, Don’t Waste Them” that aimed to reduce plastic bottles’ waste in Lebanon, and developed the idea into investing these bottles in an ambitious project inspired by the upcoming holidays.
Chaptini went asking people on social media to donate their plastic bottles in order to reach the required number of 120 thousand to break the world records.
The project had two obvious benefits: To bring Lebanon to set a new world record and ensure that120,000 plastic bottles weren’t thrown to waste.
Caroline cooperated with the municipality of Chekka, the Scouts of Lebanon Mar Maroun, Chekka Regiment, and the Orthodox Youth Movement in the town, who all helped with the realization of the Christmas tree.
The municipality contributed its last year’s iron tree structure and provided the lighting, and the others contributed with the bottles and the construction of the tree.
The work was done with a lot of dedication and plenty of passion from all involved, and the outcome is splendid.
To the RT Arabic, which documented the achievement and the finished product, Chaptini explained how the execution of her idea was put in motion. She went on her Instagram asking people not to throw away their plastic bottles and send them to her instead.
Why plastic bottles in specific? Because they are the number one factor in the pollution of Lebanon’s sea, thus severely harming the environment and human life.
The Mayor of Chekka, in his turn, wished that all Lebanese municipalities would take the same initiative, and accomplish what his city has just accomplished.
This environmental Christmas tree now lits up the sky of Chekka. The area around it has turned into a Christmas village, beautifully decorated and sparkling with lights for the holiday.
It’s now the destination of many Lebanese families to go and witness what a group of people with a great idea, dedicated work, and endless support, have been able to accomplish in Lebanon.
Congratulations to Lebanon, to Caroline, to the municipality and to everyone who worked and participated in the success of this project. Lebanon, you’ve been gloriously pinned in the world record map once again!
