Plastic Oceans International and Breathe Conservation, two global nonprofit organisations dedicated to solving the plastic pollution problem, have announced Swim Against Plastic: Easter Island.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about plastic pollution with a world-record swim, education and beach cleanups on Easter Island in March.
Sarah Ferguson, a former national swimmer for South Africa and founder of Breathe Conservation, will attempt to set a world record to become the first person ever to swim the entire perimeter of Easter Island, covering more than 40 miles, with the swim estimated to take up to 24 hours to complete.
Easter Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Chilean territory that is considered the most remote inhabited island on the planet, located in the South Pacific Ocean between Chile and New Zealand.
The waters surrounding the island contain one of the highest concentrations of microplastics in the world, most of which originates from sources thousands of miles away.
Swim Against Plastic: Easter Island includes a series of beach cleanups to help restore Easter Island’s environment.
“The planet needs leaders to draw attention to the serious global plastic pollution problem worldwide to understand the dangers of and change how we think about and use plastic,” said Julie Andersen, Global Executive Director, Plastic Oceans International.
“By showing the world that our most valued and remote locations are not immune to plastic pollution, our goal is to inspire people to find solutions and eliminate use of single-use plastics that attribute to the problem.”