A new thisweek@ucsandiego article highlights the world’s first algae-based flip flop, an innovation by students and researches at the campus that could change the world. The eco-friendly footwear comes approximately two years after creating the world’s first algae-based surfboard on campus.
By changing the chemistry of the algae oil you can make renewable athletic shoes, car seats, and even tires for a car. Renewable flip flops seemed like a necessary item to design to Stephen Mayfield, a UC San Diego professor of biology who headed the research effort with Skip Pomeroy, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “Even though a flip flop seems like a minor product, a throwaway that everyone wears, it turns out that this is the No. 1 shoe in the world. And, in fact, one of the largest pollutants in the ocean is polyurethane from flip flops and other shoes that have been washed or thrown into rivers and flow into the ocean.”
It may be a little while before you can buy one of these pairs of flip flops, but the plan is that within the next year you will be able to go into a store and get your hands on these revolutionary shoes.
To read the full article on this story visit: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/a_flip_flop_revolution