Our Oceans are polluted with plastic litter. It is estimated there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. Our beautiful Frisian waterways endure pollution as well. We were surprised how much trash was gathered in 2018 when the SUP 11-City Tour was also the longest (220 km) trash clean up by SUP.
We love for our event and Ohana, who reaches over 30 countries, to set example and inspire towards change for a healthier Planet.
Learn more about the SUP11 Green Wave, who is riding the SUP11 Green Wave, the problem of plastic pollution, SUP 11-City goals to minimize the carbon foot print and how you “Go Green”.
The SUP11 Green Wave
The SUP11 Green Wave is a global platform where people and organizations come together and educate, inspire and create awareness towards Solutions. The Green movement will be stronger and change can happen faster when we are working together with as many Green ambassadors as possible.
The SUP11 Green Wave is an initiative from Anne-Marie Reichman-Totah: founder & Green Coordinator of the SUP 11-City Tour.
“There are many Green initiatives happening at the moment which is fantastic and hopeful. Truth be told, our planet is suffering and needs help. Change towards consumer demands and mass productions that influence our daily pollution, needs to happen sooner than later. When we get on board with our growing Ohana from over 30 countries, we can contribute to the solution and make all these amazing & fun local, national, international initiatives transparent.
It would be a DREAM COME TRUE to see our Planet flourish again and create a healthy path for our kids and their kids. It takes commitment, discipline, hard work and it always feels GREAT to give back. Let’s put the SUP 11 City metaphor to work here: there will be challenges, and the distance to go is far, but man!.. it is beautiful, rewarding, bonding, beyond words to describe and so worth overcoming every obstacle to reach that finish line!’
Who is riding our SUP11 Green Wave?
Ambassadors:
Anne-Marie Reichman-Totah: Located on Maui, Hawaii, USA: “I LOVE nature and any body of water! She is my happy healing playground and sanity. With the challenges our planet is enduring, is time to unite, give back and heal our planet for ourselves and our future generations”.
Janneke Smits-Van Leeuwen: Located in Gouda, the Netherlands: “I am born and raised on the water. Water cleans, water connects, water gives life, water keeps us alive. It will always be important to my life, but also to yours and your kids, so we need to take care of it. Keep it clean, please”.
Joanne Hamilton-Vale: Located in Victoria, Australia: “ The environment gives us the most amazing playgrounds. It is time for us to give back. Do your bit”.
Juliette Ball: Located in South Africa and Turkey: “We live today as if we do not need to care about tomorrow, our life has become disposable and our planet is suffering. We need to stop this today, educate, clean up, say no to plastic where we can – be the difference. Take care of our environment so that it can take care of us, and so that we can enjoy its natural beauty for years to come”.
Morene Dekker: Located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: “I do clean ups for a while now. I was part of a world wide 24 hour clean up in 2014 with LiveLoveSUP. I think clean ups are important, but the care for clean drinking water is just as important to me. The water quality in ‘IJmeer” and Amsterdam where I paddle, is pretty good, but it can be better. That’s why I organize clean ups every once and a while. And off course when I see trash while I SUP, I pick it up. We need to be the example here”.
Organisations
Plastic Tides: Located in Santa Cruz California & Brooklyn USA: “As paddlers, looking out for our playground is second nature, but it’s not so natural for everyone. Being on the front lines, on the water, it’s our job to inspire the rest of the world to pitch in for a sustainable future. This is what the Green Wave is all about”.
SUPCleanUp: Located in Gouda and Friesland, the Netherlands: “United we stand, divided we fall. By increasing the SUPclean-up movement, we reduce the contribution to the Plastic Soup”.
SUP 11 Crew: Located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands & Europe: “As the SUP 11 CREW, we set example for everyone involved in our events. We are committed on land and on the water and we Go Green where we can. We hope that everyone who comes to the SUP 11-City Tour & SUP11X, will go home Greener and motivated to educate their Ohana in environmental solutions at home”.
Sponsors:
Green Joy: Located in Leeuwarden & Haarlem, Netherlands: “The best way to enjoy a City or Country is from the water. We want you to enJOY and Go Green at the same time”.
Education
Trashy Selfie: Located Maui, Hawaii and riding waves all over the world: “Progress over Perferfection” and “When done together and consistently in small actions, there will be a big impact”. WE love to connect with like minded movements such as the Sup11 Green Wave Movement to feel inspired and empowered”.
Opening speech of the event: AM Ocean ambassador & founder SUP 11-City Tour
Plastic Tides Motivation speaking: Christian Shaw
Maui Huliau Foundation Maui Educational videos
SUPCleanUP Schools in Friesland and in the Netherlands are being educated what they can do to be part of the solution.
We welcome green minded athletes, ambassadors, Sponsors, organizations and companies to be strong together and make change!
The Problem of Plastic Pollution
From our sustainable partner Plastic Tides
It’s 1907 and we’ve just invented the very first plastic, Bakelite. Before that fateful day, the stuff didn’t event exist. It wasn’t until the mid-40’s that plastics truly made their way into our lives. Now, in 1919, it’s an epidemic. We’ve produced 5 billion tons of plastic! Enough to cling wrap to wrap the entire world!! (imagine this for a moment…) We are almost drowning in plastic. 93% of Americans test positive for BPA in the blood stream. Our convenience is not only killing our planet, it’s killing us. But how has it come to this? Who is to blame? There is no one to blame, but ourselves. Our throw-away culture. Our consumerism. Our lives of excess. Our apathy toward our home and our own bodies. It is time to stop. It’s time we fix it. It’s no longer a question of when, it’s a question of how
The SUP 11-City takes action to minimize the carbon foot print
– Water systems are in use (start, lunch and finish stations) replacing bottled water.
– Dutch tap water (and the water on the accommodation boats) is clean tasty drink water
– Reusable drink cups to use for our athletes and crew used by our catering.
– A big Clean Up by SUP in Leeuwarden on registration day during the Prologue
– The longest clean up by SUP in 5 days & 220 kilometers long (the 5 day event)
– Omrin Friesland comes to pick up our daily trash (and sorts & recycles).
– The majority of our boats are electric boats from GreenJoy.
– Single Used plastic bottles are being banned from any catering list
– Reusable and biodegradable utensils and plates will be offered for dinner
– Environmental solutions are gifted as prices for athletes (bottles, cups, utensils)
– Free SUP clinics are linked to Environmental education plus SUP clean ups.
– We are ready to Plant more trees to compensate our carbon foot print
– We will Reuse the collected trash from the Clean Ups into an Art project #trashart
What can you and I do? Solutions, Solutions, Solutions…
– Use reusable items: thermoses, water bottles, bags, utensils and containers
– Make your own (lunch, coffee) in your own (containers). Often healthier and greener
– Bring your own containers, straws, cups for take outs, your bags to the grocery store
– Reduce daily single used plastic by reusing your own reusables
– Recycle your waste and help these products being used for “recycled materials”. You will be amazed how much waste we can safe from the landfills.
– Rethink your purchases in the store: Is there an alternative for items wrapped in plastic or styrofoam?
– Buy buy bulk products (bring your own container to the store).
– Shop at the local farmers markets and bring your own bags
– Try a plastic free week at home (not buying any plastic for an entire week)
– Reinvent: any process or product that is creating pollution in the short or long term? Be part of the “green re-inventers” and come up with inventions for a greener future.
– Take the bike or walk (instead of car) and get fit for the SUP 11-City TourJ
– Carpool to safe some gas, safe money and pollution.
– Be critical to taking the airplane as each plane produces a massive amount of pollution
– Do Clean Ups: Every bit of plastic and trash that ends up in our environment, mostly ends up being eaten by animals on land or in the ocean. It makes them sick. WE end up eating the bigger animals in the food chain, which means that it then ends up in us.
– Compost: Our Planet’s natural resources get overused at the moment. The balance is gone. Composting is an opportunity to give our nutritious waste back to our earth that needs it badly (think of city gardens, closed compost holders)
– Be precious with daily energy use: light, water heaters, TV, electronics in general. Our planet needs to provide a lot of that energy and there is a lot of Over Use happening.
– Use environmental personal products: Think about reef safe sunscreen, plant based shampoos, conditioners, lotions, toothpaste, etc.
– Use natural health products like essential oils and homeopathic medications when you can.
– Use natural and biodegradable house products like plant based dish was soap, laundry detergent, cleaning products, hand soap etc. Be aware what goes through your drain in the earth.
– Educate yourself and google information about the environment. https://www.ted.com/topics/environment
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.
Anne-Marie Reichman-Totah
