Paddlers heading out on Okanagan Lake.
Image Credit: Rattlesnake Island SUP Classic
August 15, 2019 - 4:12 PM
KELOWNA - If working with an organization focused on making the world’s water a little cleaner and helping sports giant Adidas become more ecologically conscientious sounds like fun, there’s an event on Saturday you won’t want to miss.
Hans Schippers works with Parley for the Oceans, a non-government organization based out of New York that is running a tour through Canada and looking to clean 850,000 square metres of Canadian shoreline.
Two teams have been assigned to the task, one on the east coast and one on the West Coast.
“We got to Kelowna a few days ago and we’ve scouted the area — it looks pretty clean, but when we were in Calgary that also looked clean and we removed 500 pounds of trash,” Schippers, who is in Kelowna with his brother, said.
The aim isn’t just to clean up.
They also want to engage local communities about what kind of plastic is showing up in their waterways.
“Each year 15 million tonnes of plastic makes its way to the oceans,” he said. “It’s a major source of life — two out of three breaths you taking are connected to it.”
While the ocean is often the focus, inland water sources, like Okanagan Lake are connected and play a significant role in the well being of the local environment.
Join the cleaning effort won’t require much more than elbow grease, water to stay hydrated and some sunscreen.
“We provide everything, like burlap sacks and gloves,” he said. “Then, on the day of the cleanup, we are going to weigh the amount of plastic we find.”
Last week Adidas announced it was working in collaboration with Parley Ocean Plastic to fight against plastic pollution.
“If we want to survive as a planet and as a species, we need to tackle the rising tide of plastic trash,” reads a statement from the company.
The plastic trash collected from remote beaches and coastal communities by Parley will be used as the raw material for an entire range of sportswear.
The cleanup will be in Kelowna at City Park from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
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