Gypset Lifestyle ~ David Mayer de Rothschild

David Mayer de Rothschild, thirty-five, is a British adventurer, ecologist, environmentalist, and head of the Sculpt the Future Foundation–a charity that supports environmental protection and sustainability efforts. Rothschild truly embodies the gypset spirit; he has traveled the world over, and while doing so, has found ways to give back the the land and raise awareness on environmental issues and solutions for global concerns.

Rothschild has hiked and traversed polar ice caps and broken world speed records crossing Greenland. He has traveled across the Arctic from Canada to Russia. His extreme expeditions led to his founding of the Adventure Ecology organization, one of many organizations and support programs in which Rothschild participates.

In the late 2000s David Mayer de Rothschild started a mission to raise awareness of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, during which he invented a new sustainable ship at a lab on Pier 31 in San Francisco (it was named the “Plastiki”). In March 2010, Rothschild launched the boat, a 60-foot catamaran which was built from approximately 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles (using a unique recyclable technology called Seretex).

Throughout his time on the ship, Rothschild worked to spread ideas about sustainable living and manufacturing in a “green” way. In April, 2010 he told Good Morning America: “Every part of the boat, even down to the glue we used to stick the boat together, [it] is a glue we made and had to engineer specifically for this project. It’s made of cashew nuts and sugar….every part of the boat – from the interior with reclaimed materials, reclaimed fabric, is all trying to do our best and showcasing there are a lot of solutions out there.”

Rothschild is a true gypsetter– following his dreams of travel, all while spreading awareness and educating the masses on how we can save this beautiful world for many generations to come. Through combining art, community service, world exploration, and environmental awareness he is fostering a shift in the cultural mindset. He encourages people to look towards sustainability, not as a fearful sacrifice, but as an exciting possibility.