Libby Bowles - Tread Lighter

Libby Bowles was inspired by her pupils to ‘Dream Bigger’. She knew that in order to create a wave of positive, lasting, meaningful change, her path would not always be sandy. To combat plastic pollution, she built a bicycle made of grass and cycled around the world, educating children about ocean plastics. She’s ran workshops for over 10,000 children and 2,000 adults and cycled nearly 6,000 km. Keep reading to hear her story…

THE OCEAN IS MY SPIRITUAL HOME

We are the inner circle: we’ve seen it, felt it and it will never leave us. I’ve spent much of my life flitting between dive sites, surf and SUP sessions, research centres, education outreach projects and conferences, loving it and aiming to make a difference to its health. I assume this is the case for many of you too.

For years I lived the ocean lover’s dream. I heard the waves from my hut, I walked my dog on deserted beaches every morning before yoga, breakfast and then diving. I was immersed in the world of manta ray and whale shark science with world leading experts Dr Andrea Marshall, the BBC Queen of Mantas, and Dr Simon Pierce, at the Marine Megafauna Foundation in southern Mozambique. Our scientific papers helped garner legal protection for these graceful ocean leviathans.

To say this was a charmed existence would be an understatement. Yet beneath the surface of this idyllic picture, the winds of change were stirring. 

THE MOMENT

No doubt we all remember ‘the moment’ we realised the extent of the careless anthropogenic destruction of our second home. Most of us have witnessed it firsthand and no doubt we’ve all been swept along in the wake of Blue Planet II, where Sir David Attenborough brought ocean conservation issues into the mainstream limelight. Suddenly, the plastics problem is omnipresent in the world’s living rooms and conscience. 

Early 2015… I dropped off a dive boat into the turquoise, warm Indonesian waters between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. As we descended into my first Indonesian dive in many years, I watched in stunned horror as manta rays circled, trying to feed on tiny plankton in a murky soup of plastic waste. My stomach churned. In an instant everything changed. I knew I had to do something. Something immediate and something drastic.

We ocean lovers might not wear capes, but I believe we all have a superpower that we can and should unleash with 110% passion. 

The plastics problem is multi-faceted and requires dedication to fixing every aspect of the issue. Once you care so passionately that you must spend your energy doing something about it, your next step must be one of introspection. Where do my strengths lie?  What can I offer?

I have worked with brilliant, dedicated scientists like Elitza Germanov, whose superpower is producing robust scientific papers documenting the effects of plastic on ocean life. I support brilliant organisations like City to Sea, who successfully educate and campaign online to achieve high-level change. Some of us can help change laws, some can help change plastic production. I know that my strength lies in educating and motivating people to make positive behaviour changes. Ironically this has meant moving away from the ocean, which I miss enormously. But I know that in order to create a wave of positive, lasting, meaningful change, my path is not always sandy. 

In my previous career as a teacher, I’d always fired my pupils up to make a difference with conservation causes and knew this was what I would return to. I landed in the right place. Meadlands Primary School in London has the best school motto I’ve heard yet: ‘Dream BIG’.

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During one of our class ‘real life conservation superhero’ chats, my class challenged me to dream bigger. We concocted a plan. I would ride a bicycle made of grass around the world (sustainable, compostable, hardy, low carbon footprint and awesome!), educating as many children as possible about ocean plastics. They would become the game changers in their families, friendship groups and local communities. If local communities all around the world change, the whole world will change.

Six months later I left the UK with my homemade bamboo bike Sunny, armed with a handwritten letter of support from Sir David himself. So far I’ve run workshops for over 10,000 children and 2,000 adults and cycled nearly 6,000 km. As per one of the mantras written on my bicycle, ‘I want to see what happens if I don’t give up.’

Some of the mottos scribbed on Libby’s bike. Photos: Libby Bowles.

Among the feel-good success stories from my journey thus far, two towns have pledged to go plastic free, countless cafes have ditched plastic straws and free milk providers to schools in New Zealand are rethinking their packaging. Perhaps equally importantly, a large number of people have been reminded that they are real life superheroes.

I want to inspire everyone to realise they can make a difference and must do so. My question to people is never about the passion they feel for the sea, or where they’ve been, but what they have to offer and how they can become the very best superhero they can be. 

So, what have you got to offer and what are you going to do with it?

If you’ve enjoyed this article from Libby you can follow her here @treadlighterlib // Facebook: Tread Lighter.

To join the Tread Lighter family, invite Libby to speak in your local community, share some great tips on being kinder to our planet, or just to have a natter with Libby, please visit www.treadlighter.org 

Plastic Not Fantastic, part of our Research Series, highlights recent research efforts into the effects of plastic on marine life, and showcases organisations, individuals and initiatives fighting against the plastic tide

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