H2O Trash Patrol Prepare for 50-50-50 State Challenge

SAN DIEGO, California - H20 Trash Patrol is the brainchild of Lorenzo and Patti Diaz, parents and paddlers who've taken the environmental principles they installed in their children - to leave this world a better, cleaner place than we found it - and used them to develop an action plan to combat pollution in our waterways, marinas and harbors. After seeing a big 'beach cleanup' effort being made by leading brands and organizations, the couple noticed a need for the same thing in their local paddle spots. They've since mobilized their efforts and taken to the water on SUP's, putting in countless hours cleaning up mounds and mounds and mounds of trash.

 

It's not glamorous work. Picking up garbage is a foul way to spend any afternoon, but somebody's got to do it. The couple explain on their Indiegogo page that an "estimated 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean each year worldwide. That's about 38 million pounds per day! To say trash is an epic global problem is an understatement, and it's NOT just a coastal issue. The trash is coming from everywhere and every one. In the US alone, 246 million pounds of plastic is consumed on a daily basis. About 24 million pounds of that ends up in the ocean each day!"

 

The couple is focussing their efforts on the whole country now. In the Summer of 2014, they'll be setting off on a national marine awareness campaign called the 50-50-50 State Challenge, where they'll be doing 50 waterway cleanups in 50 states in 50 days! To really quantify the scope of their mission, they'll be making a documentary along the way. The reason behind this is "tp show that there is marine trash in every state and that you don't need to live near the ocean to be affected by it. That way the message can reach tens of thousands more people. And by spreading the awareness, we can make an even bigger impact on reducing the amount of trash that makes it into the oceans each year." 

Help H20 Trash Patrol

The problem of pollution isn't just ours - paddlers, surfers and water users. It affects everyone and won't go away until we start cleaning up. And that's the point of their journey, Patti explains. "Ultimately that's our goal - to get this into as many peoples' hands as possible, so that everyone realizes that everyone is part of the problem. And if you're not a part of the solution, you're just making matter worse. One by one we put the trash in the oceans, and in our waterways and in our lakes and steams, and one by one we can take it out."

Their trip across the country is going to be a very costly one and they need some support to make a success of the 50-50-50 State Challenge. You can do this by visiting their page and making a donation. 

H20 Trash Patrol is supported by Boardworks Stand Up Paddle Boards.     

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