PADDLE CLEANUP
#PaddleCleanup
I launched the #PaddleCleanup campaign after taking part in an expedition to paddle the width of England in 2017. I instantly understood how paddlers have a unique access to the waterways and remote beaches and wanted to empower paddlers to lead the way on and off the water.
Nature, water, friends, fun and helping the planet – whats not to like about doing a Paddle Cleanup!?
The best way to get into beautiful parts of our waterways and make a huge impact by cleaning it up while you there.
Anyone can join in! I am a new paddler, its a perfect activity for nature connection, contemplation, meditation, fun, laughs and getting up close and personal with the bodies of water that feed our oceans and in turn the air we breathe.
How can you get involved?
Download the new Paddle Cleanup toolkit which will enable you to go to your local club and arrange one with them. Scroll down for the link!
Alternatively, join one of Evoke Adventure’s annual #PaddleCleanup expeditions more details below.
Paddle Cleanup Expedition 2020 has been postponed
The groundbreaking annual Paddle Cleanup Expedition is …. no more! 3 expeditions later and we are taking a covid-enforced break. This may extend way beyond as Evoke and Clare Talks are refocussing elsewhere. In the meantime, use the toolkit in the link above to organise your own!
Bespoke trips could be arranged going forward. Get in touch with Erin or myself to discuss your requirements.
Huge thanks to the amazing women who have taken part to date.
Previous Paddle Cleanup expeditions have reached the national press and cleared tonnes of waste from our waterways.
Plastic collected has been taken to outreach events by Incredible Oceans, worn by Jodie Kidd in London fashion week, and been recycled and turned into kayaks by Odyssey Innovation.
Left: Clare Osborn – Conservation and Wellbeing
Right: Erin Bastian – Expedition Lead (super hero)
Blue Health Adventure
Evoke Adventure and the Blue Health Coaching ethos that Clare subscribes to are all about connecting people with wild water environments.
“We protect what we love, but we only love what we understand and only understand what we learn”
– Jacques Cousteau
It is our mission share the blue spaces and wild waters we love in the hope you will join us in protecting it. Watch this space to see what blue mind retreats are coming up in the future.
Adventure, Environment and Wellbeing
Connecting with wild water has the ability to clear your mind and allow you to truly reflect on what is important. It humbles us and reminds us that we are only temporarily here on this blue planet, a small part of the big ecosystem of life on earth.
Modern life is busy and stressful and puts us into what blue mind coaches call ‘red mind’. Red mind state is when we are in our head, lost in our thoughts or our technology and disconnected from our body… not noticing all that is around us – sounds familiar right!?
So get out into your nearest wild water environment, do a cleanup, feel proud, pat yourself on the back and share your efforts – tag us on socials #PaddleCleanup #BlueHealth
Past Expeditions
Paddle Cleanup Scottish Summer Isles 2019
In May 2019 we took to the open ocean and put our sea kayaks into the waters they are truly designed for. We cleaned up remote beaches in the Summer Isles in Northern Scotland. Over one week we cleaned 8 beaches with the help of Kayak Summer Isles who are also responsible for some of the epic photos of that trip. We collected almost 5 tonnes of waste on those 8 beaches and 80 % of that was waste from industrial fishing industry.
Featured in: Daily Express / Daily Mirror / BBC Scotland / BBC Sussex / Highland Times / Paddler Magazine
Paddle Pickup Length of Wales 2018
In 2018, Erin Bastian led us on another epic journey, this time we paddled the length of Wales (despite never actually touching Wales). We set off from Ellesmere Port and finished in Sharpness. This time we worked with the Canal and River Trust and we again found epic amounts of waste reflecting our supermarket shelves and daily lives.
How do you know your rubbish isnt polluting the ocean? / Top tips for repurposing your Paddle Cleanup rubbish / Equipment needed to Paddle Cleanup / How to turn river rubbish into sustainable catwalk fashion / Top five take aways from paddling the length of Wales
Featured in: BBC North West / BBC Radio Gloucestershire / The Argus / The Daily Mail / Canal and River Trust
Paddle Pickup width of England 2017
This was a world first female only expedition to paddle 300km from Coast to Coast the whole width of England. The original idea came from Erin Bastian and Bex Band and the kayak expertise provided by Erin’s company Evoke Adventure.
It didnt take long for me to realise there wasnt a plan for the waste we collected and so I took over the conservation element and the rest is history so to speak!
Featured in: Observer Magazine / Evening Standard / The Argus / Twickenham and Richmond Times / British Canoeing
Join our community
Join the Paddle Cleanup / Paddle For Plastic Facebook Group to share and find tips and advice. What did you find? Share your photos. What did you do with the waste? What did you learn? Find out how to win a marine recycled kayak.
Turning Your Passion into a Sustainable Business: Rob Thompson
Season Two of the Clare Talks Rubbish Podcast Launches today. Episode 1 is with innovator an award winning Rob Thompson of Odyssey Innovation. Rob has created the world's first ever marine recycled kayak and is moving on to make even more products with his new marine...
How To Adventure With Less Plastic Waste.
Here are my top 10 tips for adventuring with less plastic waste.
Top Tips For Repurposing Your River Rubbish
Top tips for repurposing your river rubbish from up cycling to recycling and avoiding landfill.
5 Take Aways From Paddling the Length of Wales
The only thing that separates you from someone who is doing what you want to do is time! Start spending time doing the things that you want to do and eventually you will be that person too! Sounds too easy right? It IS that easy though.
How do you know your rubbish isn’t polluting the ocean?
It is time that manufacturers started to design products with the end in mind. If brands like Lush and Patagonia can make huge profits with sustainable values there is no reason why others can’t follow.
Tweet your actions to me using #BeAPlasticDisruptor
Where is the rubbish now?
Walking into the prestigious Royal Geographical Society in London with bags of river rubbish was an experience I can’t say I ever thought I would have in life!