Research Ocean Plastics by Sail

Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario, I'm excited to be representing my part of Ontario, Canada on the eXXpedition research crew that includes female researchers from all over the world.I was selected as one of 14 women, from around the world, to be a crew member for eXXpedition Amazon aboard the S/V Sea Dragon to sail from Recife, Brazil to Georgetown, Guyana this December 2015.  We will be​ doing research on plastics in the ocean. Our goal is to bring awareness of the issue of plastics in our environment and our bodies.  We hope to ignite public support on this issue, to inspire others to take action, and to promote women in science.

I feel led to participate in this research and awareness trip for a number of different reasons. As a woman who works with youth, I feel a strong need to model being a woman in science and sailing. As a person with family and friends have been effected by cancer, I hope to educate myself and raise awareness about exposure to plastics and avoidable toxins in our environment. Through this work I hope to honour those who have passed due to cancer and to celebrate and support those who are survivors. As part of this, each member of eXXpedition (not just Amazon) has given blood to be tested using the UNEP Safe Planet Protocols for:
14 fluorinated compounds,
14 PCBs,
5 pesticides,
2 PBDEs and
1 dioxin.
This will build a better understanding of exposure around the world.

As part of official crew for the 2015 Amazon eXXpedition, I will participate in the research projects aboard, trolling for plastics, managing the galley and participating in all of the other logistics required for a successful eXXpedition.

Why?
As a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with Float n Flag, I feel an urgent call to address the issues of plastics in our water, both for the creatures whose habitats we are destroying and because ultimately it will feed back up the food chain to us. As an organic farmer, I have a deep concern for how, as individuals and wider society, we impact the natural world through the items we create, how we use them and how we dispose of them. I see this eXXpedition as an opportunity to support research into plastics and their impact on us and the world at large.

After the Trip:
I will come back from this trip and design a week-long workshop that would be aimed at middle and high school aged youth around plastics in our environment, ways of prevention and ways of becoming activists.

​I will also report back to the farm alliance that Meeting Place Organic Farm belongs to: The Collaborative Regional Alliance of Farmer Training and the National Farmer's Union - Huron County, and to the Ecological Farmers of Ontario. ​

I will raise awareness in the dive community through writing articles and giving presentations, as well as incorporating information into every class that I teach. I am also excited about the synergies and collaborations that will occur as unintentional fruits of this project.

Regardless, you can follow my adventures in farming and at sea on my blog .

​I am excited to share this experience with everyone who supports me financially, emotionally, spiritually and physically (thanks for taking care of the farm!) and in my communities during this creation of eXXpedition’s inspiring narrative of female leadership, personal and environmental exploration, and cultural conversation space aboard Sea Dragon , a 72 foot scientific exploration vessel.

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Benefits to you:

1. My gratitude and reciprocal support of projects you are working on.

2. Mail!
I will send anyone who makes a donation a postcard from the trip (though I'll need your mailing address).

3. A Slideshow à la Grandpa Bill:
I will also make a photo slide show of my experience that I will share digitally with you. Anyone geographically close can come over for an evening viewing.

Donors of $500 and $1000 or more will be recognized with a surprise gift (I'll contact you individually)
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Here is more info about eXXpedition :


VISION:
Creating life changing all female research missions exploring the unseen problem of plastic and toxic contamination while creating an inspiring narrative of female leadership, personal and environmental exploration, and cultural conversation space aboard Sea Dragon, a scientific exploration vessel.

MISSION:
Our mission is to explore the issue of chemicals, endocrine disrupters and carcinogens in our personal and global environment that can cause disease, in particular raising awareness of those linked to the rise in breast cancer rates.

Our aim is to engage women in scientific narratives relating to the consumer choices they make, and their long term health impacts on themselves and our environment.

During an eXXpedition voyage we collect environmental samples to assess plastic and pollutants, feeding in these samples to wider studies investigating the impacts of toxics and plastics pollutants and linking this sampling to narratives of ecosystem health, personal health and the products we consume.

The eXXpedition crew participate in biomonitoring with the UN founded initiative ‘Safe Planet‘ to assess personal exposure to known toxic substances. Through personal exploration of our internal environment (MeSearch) we aim to better understand the levels of toxic exposure in women. Through our shared mission to understand this invisible pollution we hope to create a conversation which sheds light on the science of ecotoxicology and inspire positive actions to tackle the root causes.

All women’s voyages to make the unseen seen, from the toxics in our bodies to the toxics in our seas!

“eXXpedition” is a series of voyages to “make the unseen seen”, from the toxins in our bodies to the toxins in the seas. The overall mission is to explore the issue of chemicals, endocrine disrupters and carcinogens in our personal and global environment that can cause disease, in particular raising awareness of those linked to the rise in breast cancer rates.

The initiative is to engage women in scientific narratives relating to the consumer choices they make, and their long term health impacts on themselves and our environment.

During this eXXpedition voyage, the key is to collect environmental samples to assess plastic and pollutants, feeding in these samples to wider studies investigating the impacts of toxins and plastics pollutants and linking this sampling to narratives of ecosystem health, personal health, and the products we consume.


Manta trawl sampling will be conducted along the way in order to collect plastics that are larger than 333 microns. GPS locations of the trawls as well as locations of specific types of debris found will be tracked using the Marine Debris Tracker App.

Bucket sampling will be done on a daily basis to sample microplastics at several different levels. Floating debris will also be collected and tracked using the marine debris tracker. You can even keep up-to-date with news of our journey through different blog sites and track our plastic data collection information as well as GPS through the marine debris tracker app website.

This research is all part of a 22 day journey in the month of December 2015 sailing from Recife, Brazil to Guyana, but the research being done here will be far reaching and will serve to provide useful information on reducing plastic accumulation and pollutants around the world and for future generations to come.


Follow our blog casts , watch video footage, and await the film that will be produced as a part of this exploration and research. Watch the film from the first eXXpedition.The film will be shown all over the world and you can keep track of my research and news about the voyage at www.exxpedition.com

@eXXpedition