Hear all about Fanatic rider Lizzie Carr’s latest SUP challenge, and what’s motivating her to take to the waterways in America:
British Environmentalist and adventurer, Lizzie Carr, is embarking on the challenge of a lifetime:to successfully travel thelengthofthe HudsonRiverusing entirelyhuman powered means–apaddleboard.
The eight day feat of endurance comes with an important environmental purpose – to highlighttheissueofplasticpollution, oceanhealthanditsroleinclimatechange througha seriesofscientificsamplingandcommunity outreachinitiativesonherroute.
On 6thSeptember Lizzieleft Albany,NewYorkState –thestartofthetidal river,takingthefirst strokesofthis275km(170mile) journeythatwillseeherpaddlefor morethan one week consecutively – almost a marathon a day, to cover the distance. She will be carrying 20kg of equipment on her paddleboard, including a tent and supplies along the river.
She says, “America isoneof theworld’sbiggest consumersofsingleuse plasticwith80per cent ofitbeingusedonlyonce beforeit’sthrownaway.This isaman-‐madeproblemand can bestoppedbypeopleandbusinesses thinkingandactingmoreresponsibly.80 percent of marine debris starts from inland sources including rivers like the Hudson – before it eventuallyflowsout totheocean.Byaddressingtheproblemofplastic pollutionfromits source we can tackle a global crisis effectively. I want my journey along the Hudson to motivatepeopletotakeaction,sotogether,wecanmakea realdifferencetoresolvethe globalproblemofplasticschoking ourseas.”
Lizzie will be collecting water samples for micro plastic analysis and testing the latest Smartfin technology fitted with sensors that measure multiple ocean and riverine parameters including temperature, location, and water motion characteristics; helping to createabaselineforunderstanding riverinetrendsandoceanwarmingindicators.
Having operated aseriesof successfulplastic clean-upoperations throughouttheUKthis summer and removing more than 80 tons of waste from waterways, Lizzie explains, “It’s throughcommunityeffortsandpeopledriven initiativeslikePlasticPatrolthatweareable to build an evidence base for accountability of perpetrating brands and bring about meaningful change. My mission for this challenge is to create a legacy that empowers individuals and communities to tackle plastic pollution head on and believe that their individualsactions, nomatterhowsmall,makeadifference.”
All participants ofthebeach cleanswillgeo tagtheplasticwaste collectedviathePlastic Patrol app to add to a growing global database. To date, the app houses crowdsourced uploads from 14 countries worldwide and shows more than 50,000 examples of global plastic hotspotsandcanbedownloadforanyonetocatalogue plasticwaste.
Follow Lizzie’s journey via the hashtags #plasticpatrol #savethefuture #thehudsonproject andinrealtimeviaalivetracker.
Also check out her websites www.lizzieoutside.co.ukwww.plasticpatrol.co.uk, Instagram@lizzie_outside/ @Plastic_Patrol, Twitter@LizzieOutside /@Plastic_Patrol and Facebook Pages @LizzieOutside/ @PlasticPatrolOfficial