The Couple who are Saving the Ocean and Building Prosthetic Limbs Simultaneously #Watwb

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
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Considering his name is Moriarty, you (and Sherlock Holmes) have every right to squint your eyes and be suspicious. But the truth is, Chris and Laura Moriarty are doing magic right now with their Million Waves Project. To do this, they have combined two major global problems and offered a solution for both.


  • Every single year, 28 billion pounds of plastic gets dumped in our oceans.
  • There are over 40 million people in the world, including children, who need a prosthetic limb. Less than 5 % have one.

The two facts may seem unrelated until you take into account the Million Waves Project, a charity initiative by this couple that offers a sustainable practical solution to both problems.

The non-profit organization, Million Waves Project takes the plastic recycled from the ocean. The couple actually cut it all up by hand before feeding it into a paper shredder and then a 3-D printer. Via their app, they connect with people who need a limb and print out the required limb, wrist or digit based on the specifications sent. They then deliver it to the disabled person.

They get donations by selling keychains and other products at their site Million Waves Project.

The Million Waves Project transforms recycled ocean plastic into 3D printed prosthetic limbs for the needy.
  Till date, they have successfully provided limbs to 18 disabled people across the world.
Image source: MillionWavesProject

The Moriartys are not done yet though. With the aim of increasing their productivity ten fold and providing limbs for the disabled at a quicker rate, they are presently working on getting an industrial-sized shredder to help their cause.


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Via the Million Waves Project, couple Laura and Chris Moriarty tackle two seemingly unrelated global problems simultaneously, removing plastic waste from the ocean and converting it into usable 3D printed limbs on demand to help disabled people
The team of the Million Waves Project definitely deserve to make it to the list of Heroes of Kindness who inspire the world with their deeds.

Authors note:

This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event to showcase stories of compassion. The hosts for this month are:  Shilpa Garg, Peter Nena, Inderpreet Uppal, Sylvia McGrath, Belinda Witzenhausen and me, Roshan Radhakrishnan.

The idea is to spread positivity and light to counterbalance the negativity and darkness in social media. You can check their pages to find the list of feel-good stories written by bloggers from around the world.










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11Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. Combating plastic menace and providing prosthetic limbs to the disabled... these are such worthy initiatives. It's so wonderful that Chris and Laura are able to make a difference in not only the lives of so many disabled people but are making our planet green too. More power to them!

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  2. This is another inspiring story and hats off to these people who think of these ideas to help others. World will be a better place only if everyone starts thinking this way.

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  3. Brilliant that Chris and Laura have taken initiative to tackle two problems at once. It would be fantastic if many follow the example set by the Million Waves Project! Thanks so much for sharing this and for being part of #WATWB!

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  4. What an incredible and brilliant project! This kind of innovative thinking and action is truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing, and for co-hosting #WATWB this month.

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  5. I have just seen the video Eric Lahti shared of the turtle with the plastic straw stuck in its nose. It was awful. To see people dedicated to removing plastics from the oceans and reusing them is too welcome. Laura and Chris are true heroes of our time. Thank you for sharing their story.

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    1. The link to my blog in the previous message does not exist. I have corrected it here, though. Thanks.

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  6. What a noble idea. Truly inspiring and encouraging. It is because of excellent efforts like these that this world remains a beautiful place to live in.

    Thanks for sharing, have great weekend. :)

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  7. Brilliant. Bravo to the Moriartys. I hope they get their industrial shredder. May an initiative like theirs take off on every continent of the world.

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  8. A truly inspiring post indeed! It is such acts of kindness that restore my faith in humanity.
    Thanks for sharing this beautiful story...

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  9. Hi ! Impressive content. People are still not sure what particular steps to take. Now, I think your initiative is well understood to target those to learn the basics. Thanks sharing.

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  10. What a great idea, this really inspired me

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