Rivers to the Sea - It Starts with Me

More than £18 million in foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment has given Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact. One such project involves reducing plastic in the ocean.

Our local Rotary clubs are embarking on a journey to help the world address the challenge of plastic waste. Back in 2019 Dr Geoff Brighty, scientific advisor to Plastic Ocean UK, spoke to Rotarians. The topic was well received and interest spawned.

Plastic Ocean UK sponsored a superb film called ‘A Plastic Ocean’, now available on Netflix and YouTube, which clearly outlines the most pressing challenge we all face, with our rivers and oceans literally drowning in plastic waste. Some Rotary clubs have screened this film in their communities to help raise awareness, but more action is needed.

In answer to the growing call for a more organised effort, our local district started what is now called the Plastic Waste Initiative with the themed title, ‘Rivers to the Sea, It Starts with Me’. A group of interested Rotarians has been meeting regularly. There are now 10 Rotary clubs formally aligned to support this initiative including ones in Peterborough, Deepings, Huntingdon, St Ives, St Neots and Kimbolton. Our local group is concentrating on the Nene, Great Ouse and Welland River catchments, as well as the Wash itself.

The group has formed strong partnerships with outside organisations. These are

Plastic Ocean (now rebranded as Ocean Generation), Sea Trust (US-based non-profit organisation), the Rivers Trust, and potentially with the United Nations itself through attendance at the Conference of Parties (COP) 26 to be held in Glasgow at the end of this year. The team is growing quickly, and plans are taking shape. Immediate goals are to support clubs with local initiatives directly addressing plastic pollution and to raise public awareness of the problem. The plan is to grow our local efforts in parallel with that of the larger Rotary effort and hope this challenge might become as well-supported as the End Polio Now efforts have been for the past 40 years.

Removing plastic from our rivers would prevent it reaching the ocean and exacerbating the problem. This activity adds to the litter picking and tree planting already being carried out by local Rotarians.