CalmMoment.com 17Lizzie’s journey began following a
cancer diagnosis and treatment; as a
means of recovery, she took up paddle
boarding and fell in love with it. “I found
that it was this magical thing that gave
me a sense of peace and perspective
that I really needed,” she remembers.
As she spent more time on the
water, Lizzie experienced first-hand the
serious impact of plastic pollution
affecting our rivers, which inspired her
to start collecting plastic on her trips.
“Being out on the water helped me to
reconnect with nature, and opened my
eyes to the plastic problem,” she says.
Inspired, in 2016 she set out on an
expedition to be the first person to
paddle board the length of England’s
waterways, logging more than 2 , 000
pieces of plastic on an interactive map.
Lizzie launched the Plastic Patrol
app shortly after – which can be used
by anyone, anytime, anywhere to log
plastic waste – and began organising
plastic clean-ups on both water and
land, asking volunteers to find,
document and clear away plastic
pollution. The data collected is
analysed by scientists at the University
of Nottingham to provide vital insight
to help inform public policy. “This year
we’re hoping to clean-up one million
pieces of plastic, representing the one
million marine animals killed each year
due to plastic pollution,” says Lizzie.
Find out more and join Lizzie’s #oneforone
campaign at plasticpatrol.co.uk
Lizzie Carr is an
eco-activist raising
awareness of plastic
pollution on the water
WHAT I DO
For Lizzie, the ultimate aim
is to "restore the balance
between environmental
and personal wellbeing".