On Monday night (7th October 2019), the University of Plymouth hosted the eXXpedition team on the evening before their departure at the Marine Station. The University of Plymouth is a key science partner for eXXpedition Round the World. The event was held in the Marine Station, which with panoramic sea views was the perfect location for our Send Off event.

Photos credited to: Sophie Bolesworth & eXXpedition

Event attendees included the professional boat crew, leg one guest crew members, partners and official kit suppliers, and wider members of the eXXpedition community. They enjoyed naturally-derived non-alcoholic drinks from Sea Buck Tonic and Senser Spirits, alongside delicious vegan cheese fondue from Willicroft Plant-Based Cheese.

Photo credit: Sophie Bolesworth & eXXpedition

eXXpedition Mission Director Emily Penn hosted and introduced Professor Richard Thompson, Director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth and eXXpedition’s Science Lead Dr. Winnie Courtene-Jones who is based at the University. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to share more background on the relationship between eXXpedition and the University of Plymouth, and a bit more detail about the science programme on board.

Photo credit: Sophie Bolesworth & eXXpedition

They were followed by leg one guest crew member and International Maritime Organization bursary recipient Kirana Agustina, who shared her excitement in joining the first voyage and why it was important to her as a Indonesian citizen to take part in a voyage to raise the profile of the impact of plastics and toxics.

Photo credit: Sophie Bolesworth & eXXpedition

Plymouth City Council Councillor Sue Dann was then able to shed light on some of the initiatives that are being implemented in Plymouth to tackle plastic pollution on land. Improvements to waste management and an emphasis on behaviour change initiatives had made an impact on the effectiveness of recycling and reduction in overall waste. It highlighted the importance of upstream solutions in tackling our ocean challenges.

Photo credit: Sophie Bolesworth & eXXpedition


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Photo credit: Soraya Abdel Hadi & eXXpedition 

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