Fazilette Khan, founder of environmental charity GreenSeas Trust, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for her significant contributions to marine conservation.
Since founding GreenSeas Trust in 2000, Fazilette has been at the forefront of addressing marine pollution — long before it became a global talking point. Under her leadership, the charity’s BinForGreenSeas campaign has stopped over one million plastic bottles from reaching the world’s oceans.
The BinForGreenSeas initiative has installed 23 bins in key UK coastal towns including Cardiff, Margate, Scarborough, Eastbourne and Portishead, and continues to grow globally with recent installations at The Pearl Island in Qatar.
Fazilette broke new ground as one of the first female Radio Officers from an ethnic minority background after qualifying as a marine electronic engineer at HMS Worcester (Merchant Navy College) in 1984. Her maritime career, including time with P&O Cruises and Cunard, exposed her to the growing threat of marine litter, driving her passion for conservation.
Her service to marine conservation has already earned her the Merchant Navy Medal for Services to the Marine Environment and the Points of Light Award from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Reacting to her MBE, Fazilette said: “I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive this recognition. My hope is that this inspires others to join us in protecting our beautiful blue planet.”
To learn more, visit: https://www.greenseas.org