Three women are set to row the Atlantic Ocean this December in support of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and its “Clean Seas” programme.
Jess, Caroline, and Susan, aka team “Status Row”, will be taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and rowing for the entirety of the 50-day trip – their mission is to become the second ever all-female trio to row across the Atlantic. Sleep deprivation and salt sores are just two of the testing factors the women will come up against on their voyage – but they maintain the cause is worthy enough to keep them motivated for the duration.
“We believe that tackling the plastic pollution crisis starts with the individual,” the team said in a statement. “We hope to bridge the gap between awareness and action by inspiring everyday changes that add up when we make them together.”
The goal of the “Clean Seas” programme is to protect the ocean from further damage. The MSC works to identify pollutants and develop solutions to combat the sources. For over a decade, the programme has been leading the way in the fight against marine pollution. The team has successfully advocated for the plastic bag charge, the removal of microbeads from many beauty and bath products, and a change in the labeling on items that are routinely ‘mis-flushed’ down the toilet.
“Our actions have implications for pollution in the ocean, which in turn impacts our health and welfare,” the MSC states on its website. “We need to move away from a throwaway society to a circular economy in which all products are designed to be repaired, reused and remade, thereby removing waste and litter.”
Countries around the world are beginning to take action to protect the world’s oceans. Taiwan will be free of single-use plastic by 2030, the country’s Environmental Protection Administration has stated. And in the UK, a ban on plastic straws is expected to be implicated. “For most of us [plastic straws] are just a convenience; for wildlife, they are killers,” the Environmental Secretary, Michael Gove, recently noted.
Image Credit: Status Row
