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Hudson Project: 275 km in 8 giorni

di - 21/09/2018

La sfida del progetto Hudson di Elizabeth Carr (Lizzie Outside). Lizzie ha percorso il fiume Hudson di New York per contrastare l’inquinamento plastico: 275 km in 8 giorni!

Dopo aver superato una battaglia con il cancro nel 2015, Lizzie è diventata la prima persona nella storia a remare per la lunghezza dell’Inghilterra da sola e senza supporto, e nel 2017 è diventata la prima donna ad attraversare in solitaria con il SUP il Canale della Manica – un’altra prima mondiale. Il 6 settembre Lizzie è partita da Albany, nello stato di New York per la sua nuova sfida.

Lizzie, che ha fondato l’iniziativa Plastic Patrol all’inizio di quest’anno – un programma di volontariato guidato dalla comunità che aiuta a ripulire le vie navigabili interne da paddleboard – invita anche le persone a unirsi a lei lungo l’Hudson in una serie di operazioni di pulizia in collaborazione con Riverkeeper e Hudson River Park Trust e supportato da REN Skincare.


Websites:
www.lizzieoutside.co.uk
www.plasticpatrol.co.uk

Instagram @lizzie_outside / @Plastic_Patrol
Twitter @LizzieOutside / @Plastic_Patrol
Facebook @LizzieOutside/ @PlasticPatrolOfficial

 

British environmentalist set to paddle the length of New York’s   Hudson River to tackle plastic pollution

1 Woman. 8 Days. 275 kilometres

British   Environmentalist   and   adventurer,   Lizzie   Carr,   is   embarking   on   the   challenge   of   a   lifetime: to successfully travel the length of the Hudson River using entirely human powered   means – a paddle board.

The   eight-­‐day   feat   of   endurance   comes   with   an   important   environmental   purpose   –   to   highlight the issue of plastic pollution, ocean health and its role in climate change through a   series of scientific sampling and community outreach initiatives on her route.

On 6th September Lizzie will leave Albany, New York State – the start of the tidal river -­‐ and   take the first strokes of this 275km (170 mile) journey that will see her paddle for more than   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.

Lizzie is no stranger to a challenge. After overcoming a battle with cancer in 2015, she   became the first person in history to paddle board the length of England solo and   unsupported a year later, and in 2017 became the first woman to solo paddle board across   the English Channel -­‐ another world first.

Photo credit: Andy Hargraves

She says, “America is one of the world’s biggest consumers of single use plastic with 80 per   cent of it being used only once before it’s thrown away. This is a man-­‐made problem and   can be stopped by people and businesses thinking and acting more responsibly. 80 percent   of   marine   debris  starts   from   inland   sources   -­‐   including   rivers   like   the   Hudson   –   before   it   eventually flows out to the ocean. By addressing the problem of plastic pollution from its   source   we   can   tackle   a   global   crisis   effectively.   I   want   my   journey   along   the   Hudson   to   motivate people to take action, so together, we can make a real difference to resolve the   global problem of plastics choking our seas.”

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   create a baseline for understanding riverine trends and ocean warming indicators.

The Londoner, who founded the Plastic Patrol initiative earlier this year-­‐ a community driven   volunteer scheme helping to clean up inland waterways by paddleboard -­‐ is also inviting   people to join her along the Hudson in a series of beach clean-­‐up operations in in   partnership with Riverkeeper and Hudson River Park Trust and supported by REN Skincare,   taking place on:

  • Sunday, September 9th, 3:30-­‐5:30, Kaal Rock Park in Poughkeepsie
  • Wednesday, September 12th, 5:30-­‐7:00, Croton Point Park in Croton-­‐on-­‐the-­‐Hudson
  • Friday, September 14th, 5:30-­‐6:30, Pier 26 Hudson River Park, NY

There are FREE paddleboard taster sessions at each clean up and people are encouraged to   sign up for a spot here: lizzieoutside.co.uk/clean-­‐ups/

Lizzie’s epic challenge will culminate on the 15th September when she paddles through New   York City and joins the APP World Tour to race to the final destination on her route – the   Statue of Liberty – ending her adventure with purpose.

Having operated a series of successful plastic clean-­‐up operations throughout the UK this   summer   and   removing   more   than   80   tons   of   waste   from   waterways,   Lizzie   explains,   “It’s   through community efforts and people driven initiatives like Plastic Patrol that we are able   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   individuals actions, no matter how small, make a difference.”

All participants of the beach cleans will geo tag the plastic waste collected via the Plastic   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 hotspots and can be download for anyone to catalogue plastic waste.

Lizzie says, “My overall aim is to rid the world of single use plastic. The waterways should be   a natural playground, not a dumping ground. I’m bringing my mission to America, as one of   the worst offending nations when it comes to plastic pollution, to encourage people in the   US and globally to take positive action in the fight to save the future of our planet.”

 

Follow   Lizzie’s   journey   via   the   hashtags   #plasticpatrol   #savethefuture   #thehudsonproject   and in real time via a live tracker at: lizzieoutside.co.uk/live-­‐tracker/.

Notes to Editors:  

   ABOUT PLASTIC PATROL

#PlasticPatrol   was   founded   in   2016   by   Lizzie   Carr   following   her   record-­‐breaking   paddle   boarding   exploits through Britain’s inland waterways, where she tracked more than 3000 examples of plastic   waste in 22 days.

Regular #PlasticPatrol clean up events now operate through the UK on a regular basis, with the app   used globally, geo-­‐tagging plastic pollution and identifying pressure points around the world.

As part of the journey, Lizzie is creating a short documentary film ‘The Hudson Project’ that will be   distributed globally in 2019, spreading further awareness that people can effect positive change in   the battle against plastic pollution by taking action.

ABOUT REN Skincare | Headline sponsor   From the outset, REN Clean Skincare has challenged skincare convention. From our inception in East   London in 2000 we pioneered Clean Skincare, a smarter skincare which delivers high performance   visible   results   whilst   scrupulously   avoiding   any   skin   unfriendly,   toxic   ingredients.   By   saying   yes   to   Natural   Bio-­‐actives   that   help   skin   help   itself,   no   to   harsh   chemicals   and   no   to   waste,   REN   Clean   Skincare is Clean to skin, Clean to Planet.   We are truly committed to finding new ways of improving   our positive impact on the world we all share.       @renkincare #cleantoskin #cleantoplanet                           www.renskincare.com

OTHER PARTNERS:   APP World Tour -­‐ the New York City leg of the 2018 World Championship Tour will take place on the   15th September at North Cove Marina in front of Brookfield Place, in conjunction with the broader,   all inclusive City Paddle Festival event with action on and off the water for all ages -­‐ go   to www.newyorksupopen.com for moire information.       Smartfin: www.smartfin.org     Riverkeeper: www.riverkeeper.org   Hudson River Parks Trust: www.hudsonriverpark.org

Useful links  

Websites:   www.lizzieoutside.co.uk   www.plasticpatrol.co.uk     Instagram @lizzie_outside   / @Plastic_Patrol   Twitter @LizzieOutside / @Plastic_Patrol   Facebook @LizzieOutside/ @PlasticPatrolOfficial