While professional cliff divers, Eleanor (Ellie) Smart and Owen Weymouth, were traveling around the world for their sport they kept noticing the same problem at every location: plastic pollution. The pair put their heads together and came up with The Clean Cliffs Project. It started with a simple idea, lets keep doing what we love while leaving a positive impact on the environment.
Please visit the official website for further details: cleancliffsproject.org
The DRIFTERS PROJECT, begun by Pam Longobardi in 2006 after encountering the mountainous piles of plastic the ocean was regurgitating on remote Hawaiian beaches, has worked directly through local sponsorship, small grant support and personal expenditure by cleaning beaches, making art and working with communities in Beijing, China (NY Arts Beijing, 2008); in Atlanta, Georgia (New Genre Landscape, 2008); in Nicoya, Costa Rica (Chorotega Sede/Universidad Nacional, 2009); in Samothraki, Greece (EVROS Cultural Association and PAI 2010); in Monaco (Nouveau Museé National de Monaco 2011); in Seward, Alaska and Alaskan Peninsula, Katmai National Park as part of the GYRE Expedition (Alaska SeaLife Center 2011, Anchorage Museum 2013-4 and CDC Museum in Atlanta, 2015); in Kefalonia, Greece (Ionion Center, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) with the 2014 birth of Plastic Free Island, and in Armila, Panama in collaboration with women artists of the Guna Yala community there. Longobardi and the Drifters Project was recently featured in National Geographic, commissioned for the cover of SIERRA magazine, and was a guest on the Weather Channel. Longobardi is Distinguished Professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta and Artist-In-Nature for Oceanic Society.
THE CONSCIOUS OCEAN proposes a collaboration between art, science, activism and like-minded groups that begins with the assumption that the ocean is a conscious entity that, in many different ways, from rising levels and temperatures to declining fish stocks to coral bleaching and finally to the deformed material plastic objects that float the world round, is attempting to communicate its declining state of being. The CONSCIOUS OCEAN also proposes that, though geo-political boundaries and naming have created numerous different ‘oceans’ and ‘seas’, it is ONE WORLD OCEAN, one continuous, flowing, interconnected liquid entity.
Please visit the official Drifters Project website for further information: driftersproject.net
Founded in 2017 by Katerina Topouzoglou, AllForBlue is an international, nonprofit organization which is dedicated to the protection of the oceans and its inhabitants, particularly sharks.
With our Beach and Underwater Cleanups we aspire to restore the purity of the waters – not only in Greece, but also in other countries surrounded by seas and oceans.
With our Shark Aware & Ocean Conservation Seminars, we aim to educate future generations about the crucial role of sharks in the ecosystem, thus preparing the citizens of Tomorrow for a big challenge: Saving Earth’s largest life support system.
The oceans and the seas are a source of life on our blue planet – and yet they’re increasingly threatened by disrespectful human activity.
Please visit the official website for further information:
allforblue.org
We are a growing family of beach lovers rolling up our sleeves to help rid the world’s beaches of marine litter and plastic pollution, two minutes at a time.
We believe that every piece of litter removed from the beach matters. So it doesn’t matter if you do 2 minutes or 30. Each and every piece of marine
plastic removed from the beach is a piece that will no longer go on to kill.
Our movement has grown enormously since its inception in 2014. Since then thousands of people all over the globe have used our hashtag for their
beach cleaning activities. Please visit the official website to learn more: https://beachclean.net
In March 2019, we are embarking on a journey to inform, learn, inspire, and quite possibly create a world record.
Join us as South African endurance athlete, Sarah Ferguson, will attempt to become the first person ever to swim the entire perimeter of iconic Easter Island.
Our mission is to use this event to raise awareness about plastic pollution and inspire the world to rethink their plastic use.
Please visit the official website to learn more about the project and how you can get involved. https://swimagainstplastic.com
The most easterly of the Balearic Islands, Menorca is one of the best places to discover an authentic piece of island life! Although much quieter than its neighbours, the larger Majorca and the party-loving Ibiza – Menorca pack quite a punch when it comes to having a fun and rather picturesque island holiday!
On our recent trip to Menorca, we got to explore the length and breadth of the island (and yes, we did eat a lot of food as well, strictly for research purposes of course…hehehe!). If you’re thinking of visiting Menorca soon (totally worth it – you can even visit from one of the sister islands if you’re already nearby), here are 9 of the best places to experience.
1.) Drink up within the caves!
This was actually the last place we visited on the island but by far my favourite! Built within the rocks and natural caves of Menorca, this breathtaking bar is one of the very best bars to experience in all of the Balearics – nay, in all of Spain! This is without a doubt one of the best spots to watch the sunset – complete with your cocktail in hand (I highly recommend getting a Pomada or two here as that’s the local drink – I went with a Pomada and a Caipirinha.)
2.) Become a sailor!
Being surrounded by a sea of, well, sea can only mean one thing… you’ve gotta try sailing! (Oh, any you also have to eat lots of seafood!) The best way to do this, of course, is to take a boat tour around Cala Galdana or, even better still, hire your very own catamaran for an hour or so to discover the most amazing views of the islands.
3.) Get cheesy and tipsy
No visit to Menorca is complete without sampling some of its sweetest and prized treats – wine and cheese! Whilst discovering the island, take a pit stop in S’Hort de Sant Patrici Winery and Cheese Farm where you’ll learn all about its heritage production and, the best bit – sample all the delicious wine and cheese!
4.) Learn how to cook a fresh lobster
Lobster is one of Menorca’s most prized dishes which dates back many centuries when locals would scour the shores for this tasty crustacean! Back in the day, it was peasant food and the chicken was food for rich folk – funny how this has changed now, eh? ? Head to Café Balear and grab a seat early as this is one of the islands most famous restaurants and it’s easy to see taste why! ? In the summer months, queues stretch down the street to sample its tasty seafood.
Book a table, learn about their lobster bisque (and other signature seafood dishes), then devour it in one deliciously swift swoop of a soup spoon!
5.) Kayaking excursión in Es Grau
This is the perfect experience for any water lover whilst on the island. Book yourself onto a guided expedition through the caves and beautiful coastline of the Mediterranean coast. You’ll even get to stop at the historic cliff caves and might even spot a tortoise or two! ?
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One of Costa Rica’s most famous sights, how hard can it be to spot a volcano that’s 1600 metres high and has a 140-metre-wide crater when you’re only a few miles away from it? Well, a lot harder than you’d think. A perfect cone-shaped peak – or so I’m told – Volcan Arenal towers over the nearby town of La Fortuna. But local weather conditions mean that the top is often totally covered by clouds, and its not unusual to go your whole visit without ever seeing the summit, as I found out on my trip there.
Volcan Arenal was dormant for hundreds of years until 1968 when a major eruption started off a series of explosions, lava flows and ash clouds which carried on for the next 50 years. For a while it was one of the most active volcanoes in the world, but recently it has become much calmer, though I did still feel a few earth tremors. But the days when you could watch the lava flowing down the side of the volcano practically every night from your hotel room seem to be over for now though (thanks to Justin Jensen for the photo above showing what it is actually supposed to look like minus the clouds).
So if you can’t see the volcano, what else is there to do in the area?
Although the most popular place to go zip lining is in Monteverde Cloud Forest, there’s a site 45 minutes outside La Fortuna where you can give it a go. The Sky Tram gondola takes you up through the rainforest to an observation deck at 1000 metres which overlooks the volcano and Lake Arenal. Then you can choose whether to go back the same way or zip line down along 11 different cables stretching over two miles.
The 70-metre high La Fortuna Waterfall lies a few miles outside the town, and one of the best ways to get there is by horseback. The trip starts off with an hour-long ride through pasture and forest before you leave your horse. From there you head across a rope bridge and clamber down to the waterfall’s pools, where you can swim (remember to pack a towel as it’s an uncomfortably damp ride back otherwise).
A useful by-product of the area’s volcanic activity is its hot spring waters. There are a few spa complexes in the area around La Fortuna, including the Baldi Hot Springs. Here there are 30 different pools amongst the rainforest where you can you soak in water ranging from a cool 35 to a toasty 65°C. It’s a relaxing place to soak away any aches and pains after horse-riding or canyoning, with a swim up bar if you’re in need of stronger painkilling, and a prime view of that elusive volcano if you get really lucky.
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Backpacking in Nicaragua is a superb choice for travellers who are new to backpacking and also the more established drifter. The (mainly) Spanish – speaking Central American country, Nicaragua, was voted eighth happiest country, it’s a nice place to be! It has had a raw past with centuries of civil war and dictatorships and Nicaraguans are tired of it but on the forefront, you would never know. Like the fruits that grow on the trees, the sunsets that fire up the sky, and those pesky volcanoes – Nicaragua is colourful, and hot right now! Here’s everything you need to know before you go.
Nicaragua is sandwiched between Honduras, on top, and Costa Rica on the bottom. Managua (Man-ahg-oo-ah) is the Nicaragua capital and largest city. This is the city, which gets less attention from backpackers, many ‘get in and get out’ to move on to other areas. Slightly north from Managua (2.5 hours by bus) you will find the liberal university town, León, which is the gateway to the infamous tourist attraction – volcano boarding (you bomb down the volcano, Cerro Negro). Hiking up an active volcano and sledging down it is one of the main things Nicaragua is best known for! If you want to find our more about Nicaragua’s history, there is a revolution tour which is worth checking out in León.
Thirty minutes by chicken bus from León is paradise which takes the shape of a beach town called Las Peñitas (Pen-yiet-ahs)! North of León is the coffee and tobacco region. Popular stops include Matagalpa and Estelí (Es-tel-lee), both which can be reached by microbus (approximately 2.5 hours from Managua). Somoto Canyon day trips can be organised from both towns. Somoto itself is a little on the quiet side (we opted for a slightly more bustling Estelí after reading Nicaragua travel tips online). Why not visit the Hermit the in Cave if passing by Estelí?
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