Kenichi Horie, a Japanese sailor, found a good use for his old beer cans. In 1996, he sailed around the world and crossed the Pacific in a boat that ran off of solar power and was made from his recycled empties. Now Horie is ready for his next great adventure and plans to accomplish the world's longest trip in a wave-powered boat. He set sail from Hawaii yesterday on a 4,000 mile journey, expecting that it will require over two months to complete a journey that would take a diesel-fueled boat just 10 days.

The Suntory Mermaid II can travel up to five knots and is made of recycled aluminum. Though the boat has an engine installed, it is strictly for emergencies and Horie will instead use power from the waves to move two fins at the boats' bow to keep it moving.

During his journey, Horie plans to kick back, read and listen to the radio, while he'll survive on a diet of rice, canned food, microwaveable food (there's a solar-powered microwave on top of the boat) and unsurprisingly, beer.

Who knows what ingenius use he'll find for those cans?

» MSNBC Environment