Caroline Chaptini Set to Break a World Record With Largest Lebanese Flag

The huge flag is made out of plastic
The huge flag is made out of plastic
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Caroline Chaptini Set to Break a World Record With Largest Lebanese Flag

The huge flag is made out of plastic
The huge flag is made out of plastic

Plastic poses an environmental threat that reflects negatively on people’s health, leaving repercussions that cannot be underestimated, especially since it requires hundreds of years to decompose. Lebanon is among the counties considered to have a massive excess of plastic bottles and containers. Today, it is incurring immense costs to recycle or dispose of 280 tons of it.

To alleviate the situation, the artist Caroline Chaptini decided to launch an initiative to reduce the damage resulting from plastic by incorporating used bottles and containers in her designs. Her first step project is erecting the world’s tallest Christmas tree. At 28 meters tall, it breaks the record that had previously been set in Mexico City. Her second work was designing the world’s largest crescent, which she made with used plastic lids and bottles. Both pieces entered in the Guinness Book of World Records, replacing Japan with her crescent made with recyclable plastics.

Today, Chaptini is preparing for a new project with which she hopes to break another world record. This time, she chose the Lebanese flag as a theme and she decided to design and manufacture it from plastic containers and lids. In an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, she said: “ Lebanese Independence Day, November 22, is very nearly upon us. On this occasion, I would like to give a gift to my country, in the hope that it demonstrates its real role in the region, a cultural beacon that will never fade."

She adds: “The Beirut explosion and the catastrophe it caused compelled me to think of a positive contribution, through an artwork, that would alleviate some of the sadness caused by this disaster.

Chaptini searched for the Guinness Book of Records’ entry for the largest flag made of plastic, and when she found there was no such entry, she decided to make one. “I liked the idea, and I started preparing for it with young volunteers who are always ready to help with collecting the many plastic bottles, containers, and caps that I use in my designs. Currently, I am in the final stages of designing the flag.

"I have used materials that suit the flag’s colors, red and white, with green in the center, thousands of plastic and metal water bottles and lids used for candy containers and others."

It took about three weeks to design and make the flag, currently placed in a wedding venue in north Lebanon.

With the help of the two young men Yusef Masoud and Rabih Mahfoud, she made a 15-meter-long and 20-meter-wide flag. Its total size is around 300 square meters.

On breaking yet another record, Chaptini says: “I am very close to entering (Guinness) for a third time, especially since the concept has never been done before. After the final touches on the flag, I will film the work with a drone and send it to the encyclopedia."

On why no representative from the encyclopedia could come to Lebanon and examine the piece, she says: “Unfortunately, I do not have the budget. The cost of bringing a (Guinness) representative to our country is about $10,000. No official or private entity showed interest in supporting me financially. Until today, I am paying for my artistic works myself. I receive modest support from an environmental association (Go Green), which provides me with a limited amount of adhesive, no more."

Chaptini added that the proceeds of her work go to charitable organizations such as Kids First, which cares for children cancer patients.

She blames the officials in Lebanon for the lack of support for youths’ innovations, saying: “Unfortunately, in my two previous works, I caught the attention of other countries and no attention whatsoever from the Lebanese officials. I call upon all those associations and institutions concerned with preserving the environment in Lebanon and abroad to provide support for such works.

On her future projects, she adds: “I have many ideas for designs connected to the capital, Beirut. I am thinking of a work that focuses on sports, the youths, and our athletic achievements.”



Eastern Half of US Braces for More Long Days of Dangerous Heat

A kid cools off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park as temperatures climbed to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), in Chicago, Illinois, on June 21, 2025. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)
A kid cools off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park as temperatures climbed to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), in Chicago, Illinois, on June 21, 2025. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)
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Eastern Half of US Braces for More Long Days of Dangerous Heat

A kid cools off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park as temperatures climbed to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), in Chicago, Illinois, on June 21, 2025. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)
A kid cools off in Crown Fountain in Millennium Park as temperatures climbed to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), in Chicago, Illinois, on June 21, 2025. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP)

Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East braced Sunday for another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures as a rare June heat wave continued to grip parts of the US.

Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory Sunday. So were parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, The Associated Press reported.

The temperature had already reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) in the Chicago area by 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasts called for heat indices of between 100 and 105 degrees F (37.7 to 40.5 degrees C).

The heat index in Pittsburgh was expected to top 105 F. The temperature in Columbus, Ohio, was 77 F (25 C) at 8:30 a.m. Highs there were expected to reach 97 F (36 C) with a heat index around 104 F (40 C).

Forecasts called for a heat index of 100 F in Philadelphia on Sunday, with a 108 F (42.2 C) heat index on Monday.

The city’s public health department declared a heat emergency starting at noon Sunday and ending Wednesday evening. Officials directed residents to air-conditioned libraries, community centers and other locations, and set up a “heat line” staffed by medical professionals to discuss conditions and illnesses made worse by the heat. At Lincoln Financial Field, officials said each fan attending Sunday’s FIFA World Cup match would be allowed to bring in one 20-ounce (0.6-liter) plastic bottle of water.

Sunday marked the second straight day of extreme heat across the Midwest and East Coast. Heat indices on Saturday hit 103 F (39.4 C) in Chicago and 101 F (38.3 C) in Madison, Wisconsin, turning that city's annual naked bike ride into a sticky and sweaty affair.

Minneapolis baked under a heat index of 106 F (41.1 C). The actual temperature was 96 degrees F (35.5 degrees C), which broke the old record for the date of 95 F (35 C) set in 1910, according to the weather service.

The heat is expected to persist into the coming week, with the hottest temperatures shifting eastward. New York City is expected to see highs around 95 F (35 C) on Monday and Tuesday. Boston is on track for highs approaching 100 F (37.7 C) on Tuesday, and temperatures in Washington, D.C., were expected to hit 100 F on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meteorologists say a phenomenon known as a heat dome, a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is responsible for the extreme temperatures.

Mark Gehring, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sullivan, Wisconsin, said this level of heat is not uncommon during the summer months in the US, although it usually takes hold in mid-July or early August. The most unusual facet of this heat wave is the sheer amount of territory sweltering under it, he said.

“It's basically everywhere east of the Rockies,” he said, referring to the Rocky Mountains. “That is unusual, to have this massive area of high dewpoints and heat.”