Global perspective Human stories
No Denying It Episode 8 graphic

No Denying It episode 9: Erin McGoff Introduces Lefteris Arapakis

UN/Paula Bustamante
No Denying It Episode 8 graphic

No Denying It episode 9: Erin McGoff Introduces Lefteris Arapakis

Climate and Environment

In episode nine of the UN climate action podcast No Denying It, award-winning documentary director Erin McGoff introduces Lefteris Arapakis, the self-proclaimed “worst fisherman in Greece”. Lefteris hauls in a bountiful catch every day - of plastic pollution. He is the co-founder of Enaleia, Greece’s first fishing school, with a program to train and incentivise fishermen to collect plastic from the sea. 

Lefteris Arapakis

Lefteris Arapakis, co-founder of Enaleia.
© Enaleia
Lefteris Arapakis, co-founder of Enaleia.

The Enaleia plastic fishing project allows fish stocks and the ecosystem to recover, provides a source of income for fishermen, and returns plastic waste to the circular economy.

Mr. Arapakis founded the school after hearing from his fisherman father that there was a lack of labour for fishing boats, despite Greece’s economic crisis (Lefteris’s family has five generations of fishermen).

He inspires us to think about the choices we have, and act where we are - to take the skills that we have in our community and leverage them to create change.

We talked to Mr. Arapkis about how to use local knowledge and direct action to find solutions that work for your community - and how a bottle of whiskey can kick start the process!

 

Erin McGoff

Erin McGoff
© Erin McGoff
Erin McGoff

Erin McGoff is an award-winning documentary director, editor and TikTok content creator. 

Upon receiving her degree in Film & Media Arts and Marketing, from American University, she was awarded the AU SOC Woman of the Year Award and an International Reporting Fellowship from the Pulitzer Centre, which supported her first feature film. 

Her debut documentary about unexploded ordinance in Laos, This Little Land of Mines, drew attention to the lasting trauma of the country’s people following the Vietnam War. 

Ms. McGoff has also created short documentaries including New York is Silent, Southern Sustainability and Darrouzett, TX.

As an editor and director, the 26-year-old has worked with clients from Google and National Geographic, to Capital One and Under Armour.

In 2020 she launched her TikTok account, where she shares film industry career tips with her 1.8 million followers.