Growing up in Torquay, Rachael Whelan has spent most her life at the beach, so when she moved to Hawaii last year, she was shocked to see the amount of rubbish destroying the ocean.<\/p>\n
On a six-month study exchange for primary teaching, the 21-year-old said she decided to tackle the pollution problem – one bag at a time – with friend and fellow student Sam Webster.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lived in Hawaii for half of last year at college, I was studying teaching and all my friends were studying marine biology; including Sam, who is from the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were on this beautiful island, surrounded by water and ocean creatures but Hawaii is just so unsustainable. There\u2019s plastic everywhere in shops, they have such high single-use plastic waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam and I did a few clean-ups together locally in Hawaii and then decided we\u2019d head to the Philippines for a few weeks and do some clean-ups there too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachael said they chose the Philippines for their high single-use plastic pollution and set off for three weeks where they collected at least 50 bags of rubbish.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took reusable bags with us everywhere and did clean-ups on different islands. Locals would join in, local kids would help put plastic in our bags – it was really cool.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d fill the bags then dispose of them, a lot of the hotels offered recycling and disposal. We found that was the easiest way to get rid of it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachael said the opportunity to lead by example and inspire the kids to want to help make a change was rewarding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were leading through example as opposed to just talking about it. While we were over there Sam got sponsored by 4ocean (a worldwide company cleaning the ocean and coastlines).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both gained 1,000 more followers on our social networking with people interested in our efforts and journey. I\u2019ll
\nbe heading back to Hawaii in a few weeks to catch up with everyone and do a few more clean-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what inspired a 21-year-old to make collecting rubbish her mission? Rachael said it was footage of friends snorkeling with Manta rays through a sea of plastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving on the beach, it was a bit of a kick to the guts. To see the aftermath of plastic pollution, I wanted to do something about it. It\u2019s a nice feeling – a feeling of accomplishment – with every bag you collect, you know you\u2019ve stopped it from going in the ocean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam and I were approached by a few travelers who congratulated us on what we were doing and told us we were good people. If everyone put in a little bit, it would make such a big change. That\u2019s 50 bags (200 kilograms of waste) Sam and I
\nhave stopped going into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Rachael is \u201cinsanely aware\u201d of her purchases and plastic conscious when she goes to the shops, encouraging others to do the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cI notice carrots in plastic, and I\u2019ve picked up really similar things on the shore line. We picked up so many bottles and toothbrushes, a lot of toothbrushes.<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t bought any plastic bottles since I\u2019ve been home.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is to make people more aware and more conscious of the effects plastic has. It doesn\u2019t have to a whole bag of rubbish that people collect, just little bits and pieces along the way makes a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went diving in the Philippines and there\u2019s this beautiful coral, and fish and then a shoreline of rubbish. We are destroying the world and we need to do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Growing up in Torquay, Rachael Whelan has spent most her life at the beach, so when she moved to Hawaii last year, she was shocked to see the amount of rubbish destroying the ocean. On a six-month study exchange for primary teaching, the 21-year-old said she decided to tackle the pollution problem – one bag […]<\/p>\n