Global eXXpedition to Research Ocean Plastic
Donation protected
*** UPDATE ***
Effective 12/2/19
I have reduced my GoFundMe goal again after receiving other cash, check and PayPal donations and am only a few hundred from my overall goal. Thank you for all of your generous support! (Coincidentally, today is Karen Peake's birthday)
This mission is dedicated to my friend, Karen Peake, a fellow Marblehead sailor, kayaker, and ocean lover. ⛵️ December 3, 1962 -April 29, 2019
Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the greatest threats to the health of the ocean and to the human race. To combat this crisis will take all of us - united together- to be a part of the solution. It will not be easy, the obstacles are immense, but we can and we will turn this ship around, and make a difference. To do this, I'm asking your help.
I’m thrilled to have been selected to join an all-women's eXXpedition to raise awareness about plastic pollution. This voyage brings together scientists, artists, educators, and media experts to identify ways to empower local communities, shift consumer choices, ignite a social media and awareness campaign, and raise the alarm about the enormous long-term health impacts plastic has on our bodies. I have been Invited to join a team of 10 women for a 3 week sail across the Atlantic , directly through one of the 5 plastic gyres from the Azores to Antigua, as an outreach specialist on a 70 foot schooner.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP: First, I will be creating and sharing social media posts and articles along the journey. I encourage you to amplify this messaging with your friends, family and news outlets to spread the word. Secondly, should you choose to contribute financial support, your funds will directly go towards:
1) Paying for my berth and food. Each crew member is responsible to pay for her days on this scientific sailing venture. I have been chosen for one of the longest legs of the eXXpedition and need to come up with $12,000. **UPDATE** As of September 29, 2019, my friends, family, neighbors and complete strangers have contributed just over $10,000. I am so very grateful and inspired by this wonderful support!
2) Work with local organizations on ways to deal with plastic pollution, particularly targeting young women to take action and raise their voice to demand change.
3) Craft local education and outreach campaigns tailored and amplify a global digital and social media campaign for women to elevate the conversation about female health.
4) Give talks and film screenings at local schools, conferences, universities and global companies about our findings and solutions. Finally, look here to see how to do your part every single day. One step at a time, together we can make a difference.
WHY ME WHY NOW: I hope you join me in this lifelong passion for protecting our planet. I love the ocean and everything about it - from sailing on the swells to SCUBA diving in the depths. Our ocean is in dire need of attention and if we want our children and grandchildren to have a chance at seeing the ocean as we do today, we need to act now. Think globally, act locally, and when presented with the opportunity, act globally too.
I am absolutely honored to have been selected for this opportunity. I promise to work hard on your behalf, and fight the good fight. I promise to share the good, the bad and the not so glamorous with you in images, blogs, and stories along the way, with tangible ways for you to take action and raise awareness across the globe.
NOT SO FUN TRASH FACTS:
Everyone alive today carries within her or his body at least 700 contaminants. Wherever you live in the world you have been exposed to a cocktail of chemicals.
In the ocean, there are 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic, weighing 269,000 tons- about the same as 1345 adult blue whales. That's 500 times the number of stars in our galaxy.
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish.
Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean.
Substances from plastic may also cross from a pregnant woman’s body into her fetus, potentially changing the way a baby develops.
It's this last reason that really shook me. It reminded me of one of those dystopian films about the future! Endocrine disruptors - hormone-altering chemicals- decrease fertility and increases development disorders during pregnancy. We are literally threatening our very own existence.
YOUR SUPPORT
Unfortunately, mounting a sailing expedition is expensive and each volunteer participant is paying her own way. I am mitigating the costs as best I can, but even so, the trip will cost about $12,000+ which includes flights, vessel usage, expedition expenses: trucking and excess baggage for expedition gear; long-distance team conference calls, Internet support, hotels and meals, etc.). Itemized breakdown upon request. I’m hoping that this #GoFundMe campaign will help me raise a good percentage of my cost to participate in the expedition.
Your gift, no matter how small, will help lead the way in marine plastics education and inspire curiosity and action for all who watch, listen to, or experience the eXXpedition Round the World.
You can also donate via PayPal using my email address to avoid the associated gofundme 3% fee. (Message me for details)
eXXpedition women are on a journey of discovery. We hope to inspire and empower not only young women but ocean enthusiasts everywhere. I need your help to change lives, shift career paths, alter behavior, and spark a movement.
Effective 12/2/19
I have reduced my GoFundMe goal again after receiving other cash, check and PayPal donations and am only a few hundred from my overall goal. Thank you for all of your generous support! (Coincidentally, today is Karen Peake's birthday)
This mission is dedicated to my friend, Karen Peake, a fellow Marblehead sailor, kayaker, and ocean lover. ⛵️ December 3, 1962 -April 29, 2019
Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the greatest threats to the health of the ocean and to the human race. To combat this crisis will take all of us - united together- to be a part of the solution. It will not be easy, the obstacles are immense, but we can and we will turn this ship around, and make a difference. To do this, I'm asking your help.
I’m thrilled to have been selected to join an all-women's eXXpedition to raise awareness about plastic pollution. This voyage brings together scientists, artists, educators, and media experts to identify ways to empower local communities, shift consumer choices, ignite a social media and awareness campaign, and raise the alarm about the enormous long-term health impacts plastic has on our bodies. I have been Invited to join a team of 10 women for a 3 week sail across the Atlantic , directly through one of the 5 plastic gyres from the Azores to Antigua, as an outreach specialist on a 70 foot schooner.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP: First, I will be creating and sharing social media posts and articles along the journey. I encourage you to amplify this messaging with your friends, family and news outlets to spread the word. Secondly, should you choose to contribute financial support, your funds will directly go towards:
1) Paying for my berth and food. Each crew member is responsible to pay for her days on this scientific sailing venture. I have been chosen for one of the longest legs of the eXXpedition and need to come up with $12,000. **UPDATE** As of September 29, 2019, my friends, family, neighbors and complete strangers have contributed just over $10,000. I am so very grateful and inspired by this wonderful support!
2) Work with local organizations on ways to deal with plastic pollution, particularly targeting young women to take action and raise their voice to demand change.
3) Craft local education and outreach campaigns tailored and amplify a global digital and social media campaign for women to elevate the conversation about female health.
4) Give talks and film screenings at local schools, conferences, universities and global companies about our findings and solutions. Finally, look here to see how to do your part every single day. One step at a time, together we can make a difference.
WHY ME WHY NOW: I hope you join me in this lifelong passion for protecting our planet. I love the ocean and everything about it - from sailing on the swells to SCUBA diving in the depths. Our ocean is in dire need of attention and if we want our children and grandchildren to have a chance at seeing the ocean as we do today, we need to act now. Think globally, act locally, and when presented with the opportunity, act globally too.
I am absolutely honored to have been selected for this opportunity. I promise to work hard on your behalf, and fight the good fight. I promise to share the good, the bad and the not so glamorous with you in images, blogs, and stories along the way, with tangible ways for you to take action and raise awareness across the globe.
NOT SO FUN TRASH FACTS:
Everyone alive today carries within her or his body at least 700 contaminants. Wherever you live in the world you have been exposed to a cocktail of chemicals.
In the ocean, there are 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic, weighing 269,000 tons- about the same as 1345 adult blue whales. That's 500 times the number of stars in our galaxy.
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish.
Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean.
Substances from plastic may also cross from a pregnant woman’s body into her fetus, potentially changing the way a baby develops.
It's this last reason that really shook me. It reminded me of one of those dystopian films about the future! Endocrine disruptors - hormone-altering chemicals- decrease fertility and increases development disorders during pregnancy. We are literally threatening our very own existence.
YOUR SUPPORT
Unfortunately, mounting a sailing expedition is expensive and each volunteer participant is paying her own way. I am mitigating the costs as best I can, but even so, the trip will cost about $12,000+ which includes flights, vessel usage, expedition expenses: trucking and excess baggage for expedition gear; long-distance team conference calls, Internet support, hotels and meals, etc.). Itemized breakdown upon request. I’m hoping that this #GoFundMe campaign will help me raise a good percentage of my cost to participate in the expedition.
Your gift, no matter how small, will help lead the way in marine plastics education and inspire curiosity and action for all who watch, listen to, or experience the eXXpedition Round the World.
You can also donate via PayPal using my email address to avoid the associated gofundme 3% fee. (Message me for details)
eXXpedition women are on a journey of discovery. We hope to inspire and empower not only young women but ocean enthusiasts everywhere. I need your help to change lives, shift career paths, alter behavior, and spark a movement.
Fundraising team: Ocean Ambassadors (6)
Barbara Roy
Organizer
Marblehead, MA
Steve Herman
Team member
Susan Bott
Team member
Victoria Arakelian
Team member
Steve Kleiner
Team member