ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM BAY OF ISLANDS TO TONGATAPU

From Hannah: Hello from all on board SV Wind Shift on day four of our voyage. We have cycled through all the types of fun since leaving the Bay of Islands on Wednesday – the weather has not been overly kind to us, but Skipper Maisie and Mate Hannah have taken it all in their stride with aplomb as the rest of us find our sea legs. I was hoping mine might be mermaid like but they still very much look like legs.

Getting wiped out by waves aside, highlights include shooting stars, flying fish, rainbows (accompanied by lowlight, rain) and an albatross swooping around us. The weather has been too rough to do any water testing yet (we have all tested plenty of it on our faces), but we did some good land-based surveys in Opua before departing, and are hopeful the weather will perk up enough to get testing soon!

From Bonita: The last few days onboard SV Wind Shift have been truly challenging, for all, with the weather conditions being more severe than expected or hoped for. This has resulted in great camaraderie and support for each other. The weather has been an equaliser for all on board and we are no longer strangers.

Best experiences so far have been how beautiful the stars are at night with the Milky Way so bright. A truly humbling experience was on a night shift when a wave actually broke into the cockpit like the biggest bucket of water being tipped on your head and watch as the cracker snack box floats down the cockpit towards the helm. The only thing a very wet team could do was laugh.

From Elayne: The sea has humbled us and made us bow on bended knee (and splits!) when her rogue waves crashed into the cockpit, not to mention in the heads as well… She’s reminded us of her power but also beauty. Cold starlit nights and sunny days interspersed with rain and 4m swell has tested our crew, some to their limits, but with teamwork, encouragement, ginger gummies and morale boosting chocolate cake (courtesy of Auntie Raewyn) we rallied through, wearing our bruises like badges of honour and our foul weather gear like a suit of armour.

Despite the challenging sailing conditions, damp bunks and 20 degree (but feels like 45 degree) living angle, I’ve loved our voyage so far! Making friends in a such a short space of time is priceless and I’d do it all again! Bring on the rest of the voyage!

From Jackie: It’s been a rough first few days at sea for me.

Literally and figuratively, with sustained wind speed at 25 knots with gusts up 35 knots and confused seas of swells from 3-5 meters, keeping my wits up and my food down has been a bit of a challenge. Our Team Leader along with our Skipper and First Mate have been working double duty keeping the boat on course us all fit and fed.

Now I know why we were wished “fair winds and following seas”.

We are into day 4 our journey and although we haven’t had favourable weather, today has showed some glimpses of sun, plenty of rainbows and I am in better spirits and able to hold down some food. The crew has bonded in unexpected ways and we are looking forward to sharing our stories and doing science aboard when the weather allows.

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ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM BAY OF ISLANDS TO TONGATAPU

I spent a solid hour with my little one in tears last night. He’d become aware that I would not be present for his talent show at school.  The one he’s been practicing and building hype for. The one where he intends to break dance while two girls sing a slow duet from a musical.  Believe me, this isn’t something I want to miss either.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it might look like in action.  If nothing else, I’d like to bear witness to such a complicated task.

I snuggled him while he fought to catch his breath.  Deep sadness, soundless sobs. 

“I want you to be there, mama.”

“I want to be there too.”

“I’m sad you won’t be there.”

“I’m sad about that too, bud.”

“So just don’t go then.”

“It isn’t that simple.”

On Thursday I begin the trek from Maine to New Zealand.  Rockland to Boston.  Boston to Houston.  Houston to Auckland.  Auckland to Kerrikerri.  35 hours and two calendar days later than I departed, I will arrive.  Two days after that, I set my feet aboard a research sailing vessel, and begin the sail from Bay of Islands, New Zealand to Nuku’alofa, Tonga.  

This was a choice.  It’s true that I don’t want to miss the talent show or the dance performances that take place while I’m gone.  I don’t want to miss the soccer games and track meets and day-to-day operations with my family.  As many mothers probably feel, I both need some time for myself, and deeply miss the moments I don’t get to have with my children.  It is a perpetual dichotomy, in which every chosen direction feels met with equal sacrifice.

I am a scientist by education.  A marine ecologist.  I am a scientist by trade as well.  A fisheries biologist.  But with children who are 9 and 11, I haven’t worked in these fields since their lives began.  When my first son was ten days old I started a master’s program in International Logistics Management.  “I’ll be home anyway” I thought, completely unaware of the workload early motherhood actually was.  Why not master a completely new subject with my extensive leisure time??  As it turns out, some children are capable of not sleeping at all for the first year of their lives.  

Still, I got that degree.  Had a second son.  Bought an inn and held down the fort while my husband continued to ship out for work as a marine engineer.  That’s what moms do: a little bit of everything because life requires it.  And over time, the identity of a marine ecologist or fisheries biologist, or expert of anything, really, started to fade away.  I am a mom, first and foremost–and that has been a choice too.  Jill of all trades, master of none as they say.

I have been selected to participate in a research journey with an organization called eXXpedition, studying microplastics in the ocean.  This is an all-women expedition collecting data and telling the story of the global plastic crisis in pursuit of policy change.  My venture is one of many that, together, begin to reveal the impact we have on our ecosystem and illuminate the need for our storyline to change.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with clear and obvious goals toward making a positive impact.  It is meaningful to me to show up in the ways I am able.

I don’t want to miss a second with my children, AND they deserve to see a mother in pursuit of her own growth and happiness.  They deserve to see intentions for good modeled so that they can grow into contributing citizens of tomorrow.  And I deserve to be a complex and multifaceted individual,  with goals and dreams and challenges of my own.

When I was selected for this position, my older son said “Oh my god mama.  You HAVE to do that! That’s so cool!”  Yes, like his brother, he has tired and sad moments where he doesn’t want me to be gone for anything either.  But I also know that he is quietly watching and learning, and they are old enough now to see that moms get to be a lot of different things.  They know me as mom– the maker of snacks and singer of bedtime songs.   They are beginning to know me as I know myself:  a badass scientist, capable of anything, advocating for a better and more sustainable world.  

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ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM AUCKLAND TO BAY OF ISLANDS

After setting off from Auckland, we sailed across the Hauraki Gulf and it wasn’t long before the beautiful Great Barrier Island loomed ahead of us. Sparsely populated with around 1200 residence, the island appeared as an untouched paradise. We headed into Port Fitzroy to anchor and rest our weary sailing bones.

In the morning we disembarked at Katherine Bay to complete a beach plastics survey. For this we inspected the bay for any plastic using evenly spread transects. After logging our data using the Marine Debris Tracker app, we met up with our local partners at Sustainable Coastlines to begin a beach cleanup of the bay.

Photo credit: Maya Baneva Petkova

Situated in the North West of Great Barrier Island, Katherine Bay is quite sheltered from New Zealand’s largest city, however the cleanup revealed a considerable amount of litter from the mainland. Plastic bottles, flip flops, lighters and bottle caps (oh so many bottle caps!) showed up in astonishing numbers. We also gathered a vast collection of synthetic ropes and fishing materials from the commercial and recreational fishers in the Hauraki Gulf, as well as a large amount of construction materials.

Photo credit: Katie Giles

It’s disturbing to see how much plastic waste is washing up on this remote, sparsely populated bay. It’s clear that us humans are impacting parts of the world we have barely stepped foot on, and all of the ocean in between.

As heartbreaking as the results of the clean up were, the feeling of accomplishment our team had after finishing was enormous. I cannot recommend enough for you to find a local clean up group in your community, and share in this feeling of achievement. And if I never see another bottle cap on a beach again, it’ll be too soon.

Photo credit: Zheng “Jinger” Zeng

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ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM AUCKLAND TO BAY OF ISLANDS

Last night as I lay in my bunk I remembered the 1967 film The Graduate. It was Benjamin Braddock’s graduation party (Dustin Hoffman’s character) and their neighbour is giving Benjamin career advice: “I just want to say one word to you. Just one word… Plastics.” He adds, “There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it”.

So here we are, 59 years later, and that’s all that some of us are doing: thinking about it. And working on it. Thinking about how to replace it. Thinking about how to dispose of it… Thinking about how it has invaded not only our lives, but the lives of every living species on the planet.

Photo credit: Taylor Maddalene Myers

And so here we are, in the South Pacific: a group of 13 women trying to identify how it is that plastic gets into our oceans; working on quantifying the magnitude of the problem; and thinking about solutions. We actually have a solutions session planned in our schedule. But we are all so invested in the issue that we find ourselves discussing it even during our free time.

Plastics: it’s not enough to just think about it. We need to do something.

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ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM AUCKLAND TO BAY OF ISLANDS

In a critical detour from the typical coastline and ocean research carried out by eXXpedition, the early days of our South Pacific I mission took us to a place giving waste an identity.

‘Waste is a material without an identity’ – Thomas Rau

Photo credit: Britta Baechler

Plastic Recycling New Zealand (PRNZ) very kindly gave us a tour of their processing plant in Auckland.
This site processes uPVC and HDPE with various applications including infrastructure piping, turning it into nurdles that can be used to make picture frames, coat hangers, new pipe and the soles of ladies’ high heeled shoes. They also process LDPE and polystyrene, turning them into various construction products. A new identity.

Innovations such as those occurring at PRNZ keep plastic waste in the value chain for longer, capturing a resource that would otherwise be lost.

Photo credit: Taylor Maddalene Myers

This is not easy work either, the fumes of the processing grows strong as you walk around the facility. Workers move around the site on forklifts and on foot, handling the waste that has been deemed to have ‘gone away’ by the rest of society.

And the volume of waste handled by the site is staggering, a projected capacity of 3,900 tonnes per year by 2027. Whilst recycling keeps plastics from immediately entering landfill and the environment, this quantity of recyclate is still not sustainable, requiring both energy and chemical additives to extend the lifespan of the processed materials.

Whilst we first should focus on reducing consumption and designing for reuse, collectively we can also reimagine how to innovate further to expand the uses for recycled materials and lengthen their life span. Places like PRNZ are essential for this step forward, but should only be part of the solution.

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ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM AUCKLAND TO BAY OF ISLANDS

Where did the estimated 171 trillion plastic particles that are now floating in the world’s ocean come from in the first place? How do they ‘escape’ and end up in our sea?

To understand this journey to the ocean, this mission will be using the University of Georgia’s Circularity Assessment Protocol which gathers data on how plastic is flowing in and out of a community. This involves three pillars of research. 1) water sampling of plastic in the sea 2) sampling of litter plastic in urban areas and on beaches 3) surveyal of plastic products on sale to consumers. We will then be doing some scientific detective work to match the types of plastics seen in the water with those escaped on land and their original products to map a pathway from source to sea.

Photo credit: Zheng “Jinger” Zeng

Our initial focus has been on land, and for the past three days we have been collecting samples from Auckland around different urban areas and beaches. We created multiple transects and using the UoG’s app Debris Tracker. From this, we put a number of samples into paper bags to be analysed for plastic polymer identification on the boat using the Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) provided by PerkinElmer, our Science Partners.

Photo credit: Sibel Bulay

While Auckland is incredibly clean, we still found a few crisp packets, Nurdles, fabric, foam and cigarette ends. We even found an escaped aquarium plastic little tree!

To build a picture of where these escaped plastics might be coming from, we also visited shops and food vendors to see the packaging used for takeaway food and drinks, and consumer items sold like chocolate, drinks and crisps. Auckland has an amazing policy which from 2023 banned many single use plastic items such as cutlery, bowls and produce bags. This aligned with a national ban too.

Our next stage will be on the water, setting sail for Aotea Great Barrier Island!

Photo credit: Zheng “Jinger” Zeng

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An all-women sailing expedition sets sail today on a mission to deliver the first global study mapping ocean plastic pollution back to its sources on land. Departing from Auckland, this first part of the voyage will sail across the South Pacific from New Zealand to Tonga.

Led by the British environmental organisation eXXpedition and renowned ocean advocate Emily Penn, the mission will fill critical gaps in our understanding of where ocean plastic comes from – and help pinpoint the most impactful solutions.

“Plastic is polluting our entire ocean – and even our bodies – but the sources of that pollution differ,” said Emily Penn, eXXpedition Founder. “It’s a global problem, but there’s no single-fix. It needs local industry-specific, diverse solutions.”

The global expedition consists of 10 legs and 10 teams. With the first three legs fully crewed, today’s launch also opens applications for the remaining voyages – visiting the Arctic, Antarctica, Caribbean and North Pacific throughout 2026 and 2027. The last time eXXpedition set sail, over 10,000 women applied for just 300 crew places.

Why this matters now

The expedition comes at a critical moment for global ocean health and environmental policy. Despite widespread awareness, plastic pollution continues to accelerate:

• An estimated 171 trillion plastic particles are now floating in the world’s ocean – up from around 5 trillion in 2014.
• Talks for a UN Global Plastics Treaty stalled in August 2025, leaving no binding global limits on plastic production or toxic additives.
• Corporate sustainability funding has fallen sharply, with companies scaling back their environmental teams and commitments.

With global progress not moving fast enough, the mission aims to strengthen the evidence base and create the agency and momentum needed to drive action. All results will be made freely available through an interactive, open-access global data platform. The expedition’s findings are also expected to inform international discussions, including those linked to the UN Global Plastics Treaty.

From local insights to a global picture

The mission will build on insights from eXXpedition’s previous Round the World voyage (2019–2021), which linked human activities with plastic pollution found in nearby waters. For example, microplastic samples collected in Antigua were dominated by paint and acrylic particles, which the team traced back to the local boatyard activities. 

This year’s expedition will scale that approach globally, combining findings into a comprehensive map showing how plastic moves from land into the ocean and travels all around the world.

The resulting visualisation will highlight areas already most burdened – and most at risk – helping to prioritise prevention, cleanup and policy interventions.

State-of-the-art science at sea

During the upcoming mission, crew members will use state-of-the-art equipment at sea – including the portable Spectrum Two FT-IR Spectrometer from PerkinElmer – to collect and analyse microplastics in surface ocean water and identify polymer types. Because each polymer has a unique chemical fingerprint, this in turn allows scientists to match fragments to their source materials.

On land, the team will complete the picture by conducting investigations into litter, consumer goods and waste management infrastructure. They will also work with local experts to gather further insight and identify opportunities to reduce or prevent plastic pollution.

In Penn’s words, “Our mission is to scientifically determine the source of specific pieces of plastic we find in the ocean – right back to where they came from. Which shop shelf? Which brand? With that knowledge, we can start designing and delivering solutions that really work.”.

Collaboration with University of Georgia’s Circularity Informatics Lab

The scientific research will be led by the University of Georgia’s Circularity Informatics Lab in the United States, under the direction of Professor Dr Jenna Jambeck – a crew member of a previous eXXpedition mission. After her trip, Dr Jambeck went on to publish groundbreaking research that became one of the most cited papers ever on plastic pollution. 

Crucially, the research on this mission will be conducted in collaboration with scientific partners, local communities and leaders in each region. 

“Data is power – and it is crucial to get data into the hands of people who need it to make decisions,” said Dr Jambeck.

A crew as diverse as the solutions required

This mission – like all of eXXpedition’s voyages – will be crewed by multidisciplinary women from across the globe, most of whom have no sailing experience. The first crew members include an engineer from Bulgaria, an entrepreneur from Austria, a materials innovator from the Netherlands, a marine biologist from Oman, a tech specialist from Germany, a waste management expert from Norway, a policy advisor from the UK, and a product supply chain director from the US.

The diversity of the crew is wholly intentional. In Penn’s words, “Everyone has a role to play in solving the plastic crisis. We want to get as many people as possible – with diverse skills, backgrounds and influence – to connect with the plastic problem and fulfil their unique role in tackling it.”

Since eXXpedition’s founding in 2014, 274 women aged 18–70 from 41 nations have joined 29 missions. Along the way, these women have partnered with hundreds of organisations, contributed data to 35 scientific studies and generated over 2,000 media interviews.

Route map

The global expedition is made up of 10 legs, listed below, with more added as time goes on. Although the first three trips are fully crewed, eXXpedition is looking for more women to join the rest of the trip.

South Pacific I : Auckland to Bay of Islands | 27th April –  6th May 2026

South Pacific II: Bay of Islands to Nuku’alofa | 11th May – 27th May 2026

South Pacific III: Nuku’alofa to Vava’u | 2nd June – 11th June 2026

Arctic: Disko Bay to Nuuk | 12th July – 19th July 2026

Antarctica: Puerto Williams to Antarctic Peninsula | 28th November – 19th December 2026

Caribbean I: St Lucia to St Maarten | 28th December – 3rd January 2027

Caribbean II: St Maarten to Curação | 7th January – 14th January 2027

Caribbean III: Curaçao to Aruba | 18th January – 26th January 2027

North Pacific I: Hawaii to Vancouver | 15th July – 7th August 2027

North Pacific II: Vancouver to Seattle | 13th August – 20th August 2027

Media contact and interview requests

For more information about this news release or to arrange an interview with the eXXpedition team, UGA team or former/future guest crew please contact press@exxpedition.com.

Meet our Partners

These expeditions are made possible by crew contributions, sponsorships and partnerships. Thank you to our current partners: Kensington Tours, University of Georgia, The Commonwealth, PerkinElmer, 1% for the Planet, University of Auckland, 5 Gyres Institute, Sustainable Coastlines, Chandler and Partners, Sail Seven Seas, Panexplore.

Find out more here.

Follow us across eXXpedition’s social channels 

Instagram | Facebook | X | LinkedIn | TikTok

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Jenna’s connection with eXXpedition goes back to 2014, when she joined our inaugural Atlantic voyage as a crew member. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating closely with her, implementing her Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) in various locations worldwide, including during our Maldives SHiFT project. Her Marine Debris Tracker app continues to be an essential tool, empowering people globally to log and monitor litter and marine debris.

Jenna’s expertise, innovation, and dedication make her a true force of nature in the fight against marine pollution, and we were thrilled to catch up with her and share her remarkable journey and insights with you!

Tell us a bit about yourself? 

My name is Jenna and I’m a professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Georgia. I grew up between two worlds, a small rural town in Minnesota and the beaches of Florida, which gave me an interesting combination of experiences as a child. 

Photo Credit: Dorothy Kozlowski

When I was young, I read ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ by Madeleine L ‘Engle. There’s a part in it where the kids look at their mum and she is in her laboratory connected to their house, stirring stew over a Bunsen burner. For some reason that always stuck with me. Before that, I knew I wanted to be a scientist, but I also knew I wanted to be a mum. I wasn’t sure if I could be both because I had not seen examples of how a woman would juggle being a scientist and a mum, but that moment of the book inspired me to imagine it is possible to integrate these two roles. I am grateful every day that I get to be both a researcher and a mom to two amazing kids!

How did you become an environmental engineer? 

As a child, I did not know what an engineer did or that I could even be one, but I picked environmental engineering science as my major because I wanted to do environmental science so I figured that was close enough. I really had no idea what the engineering aspect of that was going to be. And it was much harder than I anticipated, but luckily I always loved math. Because I never intended to take engineering as a major, I call myself an ‘accidental engineer’.

“Growing up I also remember this feeling of ‘if they can do it, I can do it’.”

Growing up I also remember this feeling of ‘if they can do it, I can do it’. If someone was doing something like getting their PhD or taking a hard class and passing it, I couldn’t see a reason why I couldn’t do it too –  and it certainly never crossed my mind that I couldn’t do it because I’m a woman.

I was inspired by one of my professors to do a PHD focusing on solid waste management.

In lectures, he would discuss current events with solid waste and I was fascinated by how there was this complex human component to managing solid waste. It was more than just what I perceived as engineering, and often what I was learning in my classes – pipe and slope design, for example. I realised that many people have an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ perspective with waste. We’ve engineered amazing systems to put our waste or recycling into bins and it goes away – but there is no ‘away’ and waste is always having an impact. I kept asking questions like, how can we better understand our generation and perceptions of waste, and how can we reduce its impact?

How did your work become more ‘ocean-focused’?

At the start of my PhD, I heard about plastics ending up in the ocean through Charles Moore’s work and I immediately connected it to land. Many associated the waste with materials dumped into the ocean, but I thought instead that something must be wrong on land for our waste to be leaking out.

I approached a professor in marine science to discuss pursuing this idea… imagine this conversation in the year 2000. I was in my 20s. I prepared everything I wanted to say and how I felt compelled to dedicate my work to this. After I passionately explained all my reasons, he looked at me, took a pause, and said “nobody cares about that.” I was speechless – this was not how I imagined the conversation would go.

Honestly, he was right. Not many did care at the time, there wasn’t a specific scientific field to understand it, and the general public didn’t know much about it at the time; but I still cared. Hearing someone tell you that nobody cares about the thing you’re most passionate about was my fuel to keep going, and I am glad to say today that people not only care but are working around the world to prevent plastic pollution. 

Where did Emily come into your journey?

In the summer of 2014 my tweets lit up as Apple had released a video at the Worldwide Developer Conference featuring our app – and Emily using it!

(Embed Video)

From then we connected and a I signed up for a future eXXpedition journey (the inaugural one was full), but a few months later just before they were about to set sail I got an email saying a last minute spot had opened up… this was it – a moment in time to take the fork in the road. It seemed like it was not meant to be since I had very young kids at home. I called up my husband to joke about being gone for 4 weeks, but to my surprise he became very serious and said quietly, “I think you should do it.” Although I doubted myself, he encouraged me to at least explore it.

I needed to check with my university. In the back of my mind I figured everyone would say ‘no’ but everyone just kept saying yes, and that this was a great opportunity to further my work! At that moment, instead of hearing ‘nobody cares’ all I could hear was people saying “Go! You should do this!”

In the commencement address I gave in 2024, I said before this moment it felt like there were red lights slowing me down, but now it felt like every light was green – and things were falling into place. The trip completely changed my life in so many ways. It was such a turning point because it was probably the hardest work I had ever done, both physically and mentally.

“8 million metric tons of plastic was leaking into the ocean every year from mismanaged waste on land.”

And then your paper was published? How was it received?

When I got back, I found out our paper was accepted and was going to be published in Science. I knew it might get some attention because we had estimated the quantity of plastics entering the ocean from land for the first time. The estimate was that 8 million metric tons of plastic was leaking into the ocean every year from mismanaged waste on land.

Nothing could fully prepare me for the press or the attention this paper got. It was on the CBS evening news the week it launched. It was covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and many more media channels – I lost track of how many interviews I did. Later that year, I was asked to speak at the Our Ocean event, which was hosted by John Kerry and gave a talk at a Washington, DC event hosted by the Prince of Wales. These were the first of many speaking events to present the topics in this paper.

“I learned that there may be people who warp what you’re trying to communicate, so it is important for you, as the scientist, to discuss it and take responsibility for it.”

I felt a responsibility to communicate it as the science it was, and not how it was being covered, in some cases. I learned that there may be people who warp what you’re trying to communicate, so it is important for you, as the scientist, to discuss it and take responsibility for it. The importance of this paper was that it also sparked more work and catalysed more action to address plastic pollution around the world.

What is the circularity assessment?

After the impact of our paper being published in 2015, I started being hosted by the US State Department in their Public Diplomacy Program. I was hosted by embassies in 14 different countries through 2022. In all cases, there was great discussion, and in some, even disagreement, over the paper results and I welcomed it all. Many countries had new access to resources they did not have before, were making commitments to reduce plastic pollution entering the ocean, and collecting their own data. The State Department brought me in to teach and lecture, but it was always a two-way street and I learned so much from each new country and person I spoke with. I am so grateful for those trips and that time. 

On some of these trips, after I had spoken in a community, the municipality asked what they could do. Often I had only been in their 24-48 hours, so I said that they were the experts and knowledge holders of their community and that is the information that is most important. However, I saw that they were lacking data – data to inform their decisions based upon their own culture and context. The data was what I was seeing as soon as I landed in a city with new eyes – what is for sale in the stores and how is it packaged? What do the trash cans or recycle bins look like? What is ending up on the ground? 

That’s when we came up with the Circularity Assessment Protocol, or CAP for short. It is a hub and spoke model of seven components in a community including from what comes in (in stores and is used in restaurants) to what is used and forms of packaging, to how materials are collected and managed and what leaks out of the system. Data is collected through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Policy, governance, and economics are drivers. For example, if retail plastic bags are banned (enforced) then you won’t find them offered in stores, you won’t see them in the waste stream, and you will likely see less in the environment, with less ending up in the ocean. The context in the community is very important to be able to decide if a policy is right for them (e.g., retail plastic bags are banned in Hawaii, USA).

We work collaboratively with communities to collect data and then they can use that data. Local implementation partners (LIPs) who get funds from the project work with us to collect the city data. This means community experts have input into the entire process. The data is also open and will be available to everyone on an updated Circularity Informatics Lab website coming out in 2025. We present the framework, the tools, and people use the data in the best way they see fit, and the Debris Tracker all is also a part of it. The use of CAP has grown and has been applied in 56 cities in 16 countries to date. 

Photo Credit: Malin Jacob

Have you felt a shift in people’s attitude towards plastic pollution?

Yes, 100%. It’s only been 24 years since I was told that ‘nobody cares’ and an entire scientific discipline was formalised, plastic pollution (alongside marine debris). And now the UN countries are discussing a legally binding global agreement to address plastic pollution. I find that so amazing. This leads me to the equation that I came up with for my commencement address: Persistence + Patience = Perseverance. There are always obstacles. Some, we just need to figure out how to get over it by being persistent. Some obstacles force you to pause by creating a reason not to pursue something. But if you’re persistent, you might just need to be patient first. Because we get everything almost immediately nowadays through online, delivery, on-demand shows, etc., patience feels kind of rare in our world – but I still seem to have a heavy dose of it – maybe that’s one of my superpowers.

You could also say that patience and persistence are in tension with each other. Patience is waiting, and persistence is pushing forward through whatever is in front of you. So it’s a dance between the two, but put these two together and you can persevere! 

How did the voyage impact you?

It was hugely impactful. At the start we did a beach cleanup in the Canary Islands. I saw all these fragments washing in from the ocean, every wave was a confetti of plastic. I remember thinking “the ocean is literally spitting this material out back at us.” And we must protect the ocean from this material.

When we were at sea, I would find myself gazing out at this endless pristine sea, and yet whenever the net was pulled up we often saw plastic. It was no longer just a model or numbers on a page.

Supporting women in underrepresented disciplines has always been a passion for me too and the voyage showed me the strength of women. It hasn’t been easy being a woman in engineering. When I first started at the institution I’m with, there were only two other women – but now we have 17. Now there’s five women’s offices in a row in my hallway, whereas before, there weren’t even five women in the whole college.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was trying to decide if I should do my PhD, a professor said “If you can avoid your PhD, you should” At first, I had no idea what he meant… until I was working to finish my dissertation. I realised the only direction I could see in front of me was through it. I really valued that advice, and it’s something I now often share with my students. Otherwise, when things get hard, you might just jump off that path, but not if you only see one way, and that is through it. Kind of like being on the boat – once we set sail there was only one way to get to the other side of the ocean – on that boat! 

What is your superpower? 

Earlier I said patience, but I think it’s optimism in equal measure. These qualities can work in harmony together to push you in the right direction.

I also think creativity. Engineering is effectively problem-solving, which is helped so much by being creative. I do firmly believe that my creativity has allowed me to be the unique ‘accidental engineer’ that I am!

What keeps you feeling hopeful about the future of the ocean?

That there are lots of people actively working to help the ocean, and even more people who also care! I’m grateful that the legacy I’ll leave behind with my research is something that may help others to push science and solutions forward. In 24 years, we’ve gone from nearly nobody caring about plastics in the ocean, to people agreeing there is a problem and negotiating a global agreement to address it – that is a big change!

Photo Credit: Malin Jacob

If you could give one message to the world, what would it be? 

Even when things feel eternally broken, don’t sit back and ‘hope’ things will work out. Hope is good, but I would say we need optimism to get through that. Stay optimistic and you will not give up.

The post Jenna Jambeck Superpower Story appeared first on eXXpedition.

As Spring blossoms around us, it’s the perfect opportunity to embrace new beginnings, reflect on the changes we can make and live more sustainably. It’s also an ideal moment to evaluate our lifestyles and consider how perhaps one of the biggest factors can be our mindset and attitude. 

With plastic pollution being a pressing global issue, impacting our oceans, wildlife, and even our own health, it’s important that we as individuals take a closer look at what changes we can make, but often these ideas only stick if we have the right motivation and are empowered with the knowledge to make the best choices. However, small, mindful changes in our daily lives can make a substantial difference.

So this spring, let’s take a dive into finding ways to empower ourselves and our communities by learning more about our plastic consumption and explore practical steps we can take to minimise our environmental footprint. Whether it’s opting for reusable alternatives, supporting sustainable products, or making conscious choices in our daily routines, every action counts.

Join us as we delve into some different solutions for reducing plastic in our lives and discover how spring can serve as a catalyst for positive mindsets and sustainable behaviours!

#1 READY TO DITCH THE PLASTIC?

This Spring, let’s make a real difference – for ourselves and the planet.

Did you know that in the UK, more than 60% of the plastic we use ends up in landfills, incinerated, or polluting our environment and oceans? It’s a pretty daunting statistic, but it’s also a call to action! So why not challenge yourself to go fully plastic-free for an entire month?

Since 2011, the Plastic Free Foundation (Plastic Free July) has been leading the charge with Plastic Free July, offering a wealth of resources to help us all reduce our plastic footprint. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, their tips can be tailored to fit your life, making it easier than ever to cut out plastic. But this amazing event isn’t just in July – you can ditch the plastic with their support, resources and tips all year round and these habits can carry you through every month of the year.

What makes it even more rewarding is you’re not alone! When you join the movement, you become part of a global community of passionate individuals all striving for the same goal – a cleaner, greener planet. 

Let’s challenge ourselves to go plastic-free for spring – and who knows, you might just find you can keep it up for longer than a month!

#2 DOCUMENT YOUR JOURNEY

Thinking about cutting plastic out of your life? Why not document your journey and inspire others to do the same? One of the best ways to learn how to reduce plastic is by hearing how real people – like you – are doing it. The good, the bad, the ugly – and most importantly – the triumphs! These are the stories that can truly make a difference, beyond what we hear from brands or companies.

In 2017, over 467,000 tonnes of household recycling in England was rejected from recycling plants. That’s a huge amount of waste that could have been avoided if we were all more aware of what we’re throwing away and how we’re recycling. By sharing your plastic-free journey, you can help raise that awareness and encourage others to make changes too.

Whether it’s through a blog, vlog, podcast, or even a Facebook group, you have the power to create a platform where you can be real, relatable, and inspiring. And the best part? There are no rules! You can write or talk about anything that matters to you – from daily tips to big-picture ideas – whatever reflects your experience and passion.

Not only does this give you a chance to tell your story, but it also helps you engage with a like-minded community. You’ll find support, share advice, and connect with others who are on the same journey. And with free options like Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms, it’s easy to get started.

So, why not take the leap?

#3 WE CAN’T DO BETTER UNTIL WE KNOW BETTER!

Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we have in the fight against plastic pollution.

But while it would be ideal to offer environmental education for free, there are often costs involved—whether it’s travel, printing materials, or other resources needed to make an educational program effective. That’s where education grants come in, providing the financial boost needed to make these important initiatives happen.

Consider this: globally, we produce over 390 million tonnes of plastic per year – that’s the weight of all humans on earth! So we think it’s pretty clear that there is an urgent need for widespread education on plastic-free living and sustainable choices. We need all the support we can get to spread awareness and grants can help do just that.

Writing a grant application isn’t just about securing funds – it’s also a valuable exercise in identifying and articulating the key benefits of your programme. This process helps you clarify your goals, refine your approach, and ensure that your efforts are making the greatest possible impact. Plus, you have the opportunity to tailor your grant request to fit the specific needs of your programme or community, making your application more compelling and effective.

In the UK, Grants Online is an incredibly valuable resource, offering the most comprehensive and up-to-date database of grant funding opportunities. With millions of pounds available each year specifically aimed at protecting the environment, it’s a resource you can’t afford to overlook. These grants can empower you to educate yourselves further and make knowledge more accessible and inspire others.

So, if you’re passionate about spreading the knowledge needed to reduce plastic use, consider applying for an education grant. It could be the key to turning your vision into reality, making a real difference in the fight against plastic pollution.

#4 THE BIGGER PICTURE

If you’re passionate about reducing plastic waste, it’s important to look at the bigger picture and stay informed about global efforts to ban single-use plastic items. 

Many countries around the world have implemented bans on items like plastic bags, straws, cutlery, and to-go food packaging in a bid to tackle the plastic crisis. While the enforcement of some of these regulations slowed down due to COVID-19, progress is still being made, and there’s a great tool to help you keep track.

Starboard’s Plastic Ban Matrix is an invaluable resource that lets you explore which single-use plastic items have been banned, when, and where around the globe. This comprehensive database allows you to see how different regions are addressing the plastic problem and can serve as a powerful educational tool.

With over 300 million tons of plastic produced annually – 50% of it for single-use purposes – it’s more important than ever to understand and support these bans. The Plastic Ban Matrix not only highlights global progress but also helps identify gaps where more work is needed. Whether you’re an educator, an advocate, or just someone who wants to make a difference, this resource can deepen your understanding and inspire action.

Staying informed about these bans is crucial in the fight against plastic pollution. The Matrix allows you to contribute to the global conversation, raise awareness, and help push for stronger regulations where they’re needed most.

#5 DISCOVER SOLUTIONS

Are you passionate about tackling marine plastic pollution but unsure where to start?  

SHiFT Workshops are designed to help individuals and groups discover their unique role in solving this global issue. These workshops offer an engaging, interactive experience that takes participants on a journey from understanding the plastic problem to exploring solutions and identifying actionable steps.

With 80% of plastic waste originating on land, it’s clear that the most effective solutions need to address the problem at its source. SHiFT Workshops are tailored to do just that, offering a deep dive into the causes of plastic pollution and the range of solutions available – from reducing single-use plastics to advocating for policy changes. Whether you’re a student, an athlete, a corporate team member, or even a government official, these workshops provide the tools and knowledge you need to make a meaningful impact!

One of the key strengths of SHiFT Workshops is their ability to help participants identify how they can leverage their own skills and passions to combat plastic pollution. Whether you’re an educator looking to inspire students, a business leader aiming to reduce your company’s environmental footprint, or an individual eager to make a difference, these workshops offer practical guidance and inspiration.

Emily (and many of our Ambassadors!) have successfully used these workshops to engage everyone from children to government ministers, making them a versatile tool in the fight against plastic pollution and accessible for a wide range of groups.

Join or run a SHiFT Workshop and become part of the solution to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Together, we can turn off the plastic tap and protect our oceans for future generations!

#6 MAKE WAVES OF CHANGE!

Are you ready to lead your town toward a plastic-free future?

Surfers Against Sewage is spearheading the Plastic Free Community network, a movement dedicated to eliminating single-use plastics from our everyday lives. This initiative tackles the issue from all angles – starting with beach cleanups and extending to the brands and businesses that produce plastic.

In 2016 alone, the world generated 320 million tonnes of plastic, and this figure is expected to double by 2034 if we don’t take action. The Plastic Free Community network provides tailored advice for both individuals and businesses to help you make a significant impact in reducing plastic waste.

By joining this movement, you gain access to a free toolkit designed to help you create meaningful change in your community. Whether you’re looking to organise local events, partner with businesses, or educate others about the importance of reducing single-use plastics, the toolkit offers practical resources and guidance.

You’ll also become part of a network of dedicated leaders who are committed to making a difference. Connect with others in your area who are working toward the same goal, share ideas, and collaborate on initiatives that can drive real change.

Take the lead and be part of a growing community that’s determined to turn the tide on plastic pollution. Together, we can create a cleaner, more sustainable future for our towns and beyond! 

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With these just being a few examples of the many ways you can make changes to your outlook and attitude, we hope that we’ve inspired you to try something new, shift your perspective and hopefully inspire others to do the same!

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Help us have a bigger impact and share this article with your friends too.

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On the SHiFT platform, there are now hundreds of solutions available at just the click of your mouse and filters that help you refine the options down to the ones that are most appropriate for you.

We don’t need everyone to do everything, but we do need everyone to do something. What will your next SHiFT be?

We encourage you to share your actions across social media to inspire others to join you in making a difference in their own lives, communities, businesses and wider world.

#jointheshift

by eXXpedition Team

The post SHiFT Spring Blog appeared first on eXXpedition.

As the founder of Resilient Coasts Ltd, her work extends globally, where she’s recognised for her advice on innovative approaches and solutions to coastal management. We were excited to explore the waves of impact Emma’s been making since we last crossed paths.

Tell us about yourself!

I’m the founder of Resilient Coasts, a multi-disciplinary consultancy offering bespoke coastal management advice. I have three degrees covering marine biology and oceanography, and I specialise in geomorphology. As a child, I was interested in saving the planet and vegetarianism. Over the years I moved interest towards ocean and ecosystem thinking – how we continue to shape our world at scale as custodians.

My journey has been like following breadcrumbs. I’ve worked with many different NGOs, universities, organisations and consultancies on various projects over the years. I’m an interdisciplinary marine scientist and work in lots of different fields – I’m ‘a jack of all trades’ when it comes to the marine sciences! I like to look at the different pieces of the puzzle and understand it enough to translate it for others to also understand how the system works, in pieces or as a whole puzzle. 

Those puzzle pieces might be improving natural or implementing artificial defences for flooding, opening connections and flows for water or soils, or developing specific policy or legislation to support conservation or better management of a place – unpicking the complexity of issues and laying out clear strategy to improve upon a situation.

Photo Credit: Kristine Berg

What’s your superpower? 

My superpower is being able to see all problems and synthesise them. Specifically, I love being able to understand the natural systems and find ways to translate them to someone, be it governments, councils or even private firms, so that they understand it better to design a more effective, holistic integrated solution with the bigger picture in mind. 

There are often many components to man-made issues that can be improved with better connectivity in natural systems. These improvements allow nature to do what nature does best – provide us with nearly everything we need to function and survive!

Photo Credit: Rachel Lucas

Can you tell us more about Resilient Coasts Ltd? 

We’re all about the marine and coastal space – and the communities and activities in those spaces. We are typically developing solutions and advising clients on how we can manipulate the environment or reduce the risk posed by the environment for the benefit of humans and nature.

For example, recently we’ve worked on a project locally in Plymouth where we were asked to consult on a planned pontoon construction. They wanted to know what the wave heights and the sea levels would be at the site, now and in the future, and how this would impact the structure so engineers could design the structure accordingly. They seem like simple questions but you’ve got to gather a lot of information about the situation (topographic, meteorological and oceanographic) before you can build a numerical model to understand offshore waves, then propagate those waves through a model over a complex shallow seabed before they reach the site of interest – it becomes very technical quickly, and that’s before we add the complexity of climate change induced sea level rise!

We help our clients understand a site in a level of detail required for their project design, at a conceptual scale through to detailed design. We take on an advisory role and help people – governments and businesses – think through a problem and create reports to give insight to the systems involved, helping them to understand the marine space better and create resilience. This can be anything from waste water systems to decisions at the shoreline (a cable coming onshore or the world’s largest deltas) to the management of the sea space itself (marine plastics, marine protected areas or blue economy) and in most cases a large emphasis on engagement and decision-making with coastal communities.

Essentially, our work is research based, understanding systems and presenting solutions or recommendations for projects  to councils and local communities.

Photo Credit: Bonita Baker-Robins

Can you give us an example of the sort of projects you work on?

The projects I work on are all climate change-related issues such as disaster risk reduction (mostly flooding) and/or adaptation to sea level rise and erosion-subsidence issues. I focus on how those places will be impacted and what they could do to mitigate it or adapt and how we can engineer with nature. In projects involving mangrove forests, seagrass beds or coral reefs for example, I examine how to better connect systems to improve water flow or flushing and alleviate the blockages and bottlenecks that cause flooding.

Flood and erosion related projects mostly address the issue of loss of land and therefore increased risk to homes and infrastructure i.e. the sea is seemingly moving inland, flood happens more frequently and along with salinity issues for inland soils and water bodies. So, what can we do to stop people’s homes being washed away? How can we move people out of harm’s way? The answers are often practical. You are often limited by space and confined by local policy or rules. However, many solutions are politically complex and incredibly difficult to float directly with the local government or communities. We can either physically move people out of harm’s way, or do so with engineering by figuring out how to either enhance natural systems (beaches, dunes and habitats) or apply grey infrastructure – more often a combination of both is required.

Image Description: Emma during a site visit in the Caribbean. 

In these scenarios, I work with councils/governments to figure out how to logistically transition and adapt community thinking and behaviour to the reality of climate change. Addressing the change with the communities, as well as communicating the science and the reasons behind it, helps with these steps towards adapting both coastal defences and human activities.

“People are starting to recognise that these considerations and changes are needed, and the environment can’t just be tagged on as an afterthought.”

Do you sense a change in how people and businesses are receiving advice?

In some projects I’ve worked on, you can see the value of your contribution. People are starting to recognise that these considerations and changes are needed, and the environment can’t just be tagged on as an afterthought. The environmental system has to be improved and the environment made more resilient, only then can you input the infrastructure. I refer to the resilience in nature as the “building blocks for development”.

“…utilising systems that are already in nature and enhancing or restoring their capacity protects the environment, which in turn protects us.”

Image Description: Emma during a site visit in the Caribbean. 

In other words, utilising systems that are already in nature and enhancing or restoring their capacity protects the environment, which in turn protects us. Finding the harmony between solutions and re-establishing these natural systems is crucial for long-term development; and that’s where our consultancy (Resilient Coasts Ltd) works best.

When did your passion for the ocean begin?

I grew up in Gloucestershire, but my grandmother lived in Devon where there are lots of beaches. I grew up watching the water moving in rockpools, making huge sandcastles and witnessing the rapid erosion of cliffs, land falling away into the sea with the waves – it fascinated me. As a child, watching the world, you absorb everything, and those memories stuck with me.

Image Description: Emma in Koh Kong, Cambodia during a mangrove forest project.

My interest in marine biology however, began when I started diving and surfing. When I was 18, I went to the Red Sea with school and I took my advanced PADI out there. After school, I travelled and worked in dive tourism and charities and was always around water; whether surfing, diving, kayaking or sailing!

Why did you join an eXXpedition voyage?

The reason I wanted to join was to essentially alleviate my eco-anxiety, which for me was horrendous. I just wanted to have an opportunity to relieve that anxiety, live a simpler life and do something good, something practical and conservation-oriented. 

Photo Credit: Meraki Fade

One thing that was bugging me was the astonishing amount of plastic that was in the environment. It was everywhere; in cities, beaches, all over the reefs. All my travels and work internationally, it is a key indicator of poor waste management practices, and highly indicative of wider environmental issues. 

There was a lot of noise being made about ‘marine plastics’ in European countries, but it didn’t feel like the same noise was being made elsewhere, often where the problems were far greater. I knew from working in the industry that waste was not being properly managed, and the problem wasn’t necessarily being directly addressed. Personally, it was getting increasingly hard to hear the problem being essentially ‘brushed under the carpet’ and I wanted to do more proactively. I also wanted to learn more about the issues and challenges within the subject and share back my understanding and experience. So, when the opportunity to join eXXpedition popped up in my social media feed, I applied for it enthusiastically!

What surprised you most during the voyage?

That we didn’t find a lot of plastic in the South Pacific gyre, but closer to the coastlines of islands – there was more than I had expected. It did resonate with my observations from work in India and South East Asia. That was personally impactful because there is such vastness and distances to travel across  the Pacific and yet it was still washing up on remote islands. For example, on Rapa Nui, there was more plastic on the beaches than I could have imagined, especially given its offshore location and given the lack of plastic that the community uses. But that’s the point isn’t it? It’s the places in the middle of nowhere that are carrying the burden and being impacted the most. The islands ‘capture’ it because they’re almost sitting in a funnel due to oceanic processes – the sea is continuously flowing the plastic around and towards islands and dumped onto their beaches. Most plastics have been carried from distant places and nations, and we can only imagine how much plastic has sunk into the deep ocean.

“There is value in showing the impact of our decisions and behaviour in remote places because it can help us make more impactful changes inland where the problem originates.”

Photo Credit: Emily Penn

How did your experience impact your life? 

Personally, it was a confidence boost, even just from the perspective of raising the funds to join the trip! It gave me a challenge – a goal after a redundancy. That helped provide a demonstration of what I could achieve for eXXpedition, and therefore myself in a move away from employment. The experience helped me understand myself and people better, in how we communicate about the environment – whether that’s through social media, storytelling or the impact of word of mouth.

There is now so much more noise about these issues on land, and the way eXXpedition focuses on the source and behaviour change is important. There is value in showing the impact of our decisions and behaviour in remote places because it can help us make more impactful changes inland where the problem originates.

What keeps you hopeful about the future? 

There is always hope, even in the back of my eco-anxiety. I know that things will change for the better, and the mindset is shifting. You can even see in the way things are being globally financed, and that there’s a fundamental shift in awareness and attitude. People genuinely want to do more and do better.

It will take a lot more people like me working in these spaces but we’re certainly on the way. You have to play the game to some extent to be able to make the change from the inside. Individually, people want to do better and are leaning on governments to do more, and there are more people working towards a better future now. 

If you could give one message to the world, what would it be?

If we had that as a common goal, it would be to put biodiversity-loss higher on the agenda. We put a lot of focus on other issues, such as climate change and marine plastics, but they are interconnected. We need to work to relieve the pressure on biodiversity to be less vulnerable to environmental threats and hazards. And, if we continue to lose biodiversity quicker than we are changing, then we are never going to keep up with the risks posed by climate change. We are only resilient to climate change if we hold a deep and unwavering respect for our natural systems and how they serve us. 

Image Description: Emma in Koh Kong, Cambodia during a mangrove forest project.

There’s a big shift happening towards people – collating coastal communities and peoples efforts, actions and stories – and there is always hopefulness in that messaging. People are changing and searching for alternative or traditional approaches. Eyes and ears are open to old/new management techniques, less pressured or sustainable practices, and want to fund large initiatives to support our natural systems and processes.

There is hope that we are going in the right direction and we’re moving back towards nature and recognising that we are the custodians of our planet. Next we need to agree to global protection legislation and effective governance for our oceans and coastal spaces. The question always remains, will it be soon enough and/or go far enough in law for real international commitment?  

The post Emma Rendle Superpower Story appeared first on eXXpedition.