In March of 2019, the teams of Plastic Oceans International and Breathe Conservation converged on one of the most remote islands on Earth – Easter Island / Rapa Nui. Together, with many local organizations and individuals, they not only conducted coastal cleanups and educational workshops, but they also supported a record-setting Swim Against Plastic, as Sarah Ferguson became the first person ever to swim the entire perimeter of Easter Island.
What inspired this project?
While engaging with the community in March the Plastic Ocean team were eyewitnesses to this problem during the beach cleanup where we cleaned up 720lbs of plastic of the beach, but also when they visited the waste sorting plant “Orito.” Here, they told the Plastic Ocean’s team about the growing waste problem that tourism is generating.
Stay tuned on future swims with the Breathe Conservation team.