Project Planet
In conversation with Oly Rush, founder of Project Planet, a charity that raises awareness and takes action against plastic pollution.
Can you give us an introduction to Project Planet?
This has changed so much since it began as an Instagram page back in 2018. We now have a team of 5 trustees, an education committee, a small army of enthusiastic beach cleaners and a number of sponsors supporting the project! We are currently in the process of registering as a charity and aim to continue to expand on the clean up, education and inspirational fundraising events.
We’d love to know your story and how Project Planet began?
It was actually my long suffering girlfriend's idea! Tess suggested I use social media platforms in order to share the shocking images from the beach cleans I was doing. We were travelling back from a camping holiday in Devon in 2018, I was pouring my heart out about this overwhelming feeling that I needed to do something more to tackle plastic pollution. It began as an Instagram page, where I shared images of the beach clean ups I was carrying out.
Before that though I had a realisation: I was working 6/7 days a week as a plasterer and in the evenings I was renovating my little studio flat. I was getting zero satisfaction out of life and was simply existing. Something had to give... I took a day off to head to the coast. The amount of plastic on the beach that day shook me to the core and sparked a huge change in my life.
What kind of impact has Project Planet had up to this date?
Since we started the clean ups back in 2018 we have recovered around 5 tonnes of plastics and fishing waste. Much of this is recycled through various schemes including Odyssey Innovation, Ocean Recovery Project and the small workshop we have recently built!
Alongside the beach cleaning I've carried out 3 big awareness swims to raise money for various organisations with the same goal… to rid the oceans of plastic pollution.
In 2020 I swam the length of the Jurassic Coast (plus a bonus swim on day 10 to round it up to 100 miles) alongside my good friend Roy Beal from Clean Jurassic Coast CIC (CJC). This was a 10 day event and we raised over £10,000 which was split between CJC, Turn The Tide Cornwall and Oceans To Earth.
2021 saw an even bigger challenge as we took on a solo swim around the Isle Of Wight. The swim was a huge success thanks to the amazing team and support, including Scott Dawson (who has also swam solo around the island) and sailing legend Brian Thompson. It took 15 hours 9 minutes and is the fastest solo swim (wetsuit assisted). This swim raised over £12,000 which was again split between the 3 aforementioned organisations as well as some sponsorship funding towards the next big swim!
2022... This was a next level challenge for the team! An unprecedented swim around the island of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. The swim took 36 hours 59 minutes and in the process we set a world record. We had meetings with the Cayman government and helped to support the incredible work Plastic Free Cayman are carrying out on the island. The swim raised $25,000(US) for Plastic Free Cayman and a further £10,000 in sponsorship for Project Planet.
All that may sound impressive but I believe the biggest achievement to date for Project Planet is the amazing team we have built, I truly believe the best is yet to come. On a personal level, I have overcome my fear of public speaking (a huge thanks to Claire, Bill, Jen and Chance for the support and encouragement with this when I was out in Cayman) and now relish the chance to speak and inspire at schools and public events.
You’re now creating products from the recovered plastic waste. How did this come about and what have you created so far?
I can't quite believe this myself! Being able to repurpose the plastics we collect on the beach clean ups is a real pleasure. I was inspired by brothers Matt and Jonny from BrothersMake with the incredible recycling they do and items they make from waste plastics. We had some funding from The Grand Swim and have since built a small workshop where we are able to process the waste plastic. It's been a real learning curve and eye opening to the complexity of recycling. Currently we are making drinks coasters and swimming hand paddles, with lots of other exciting ideas in the pipeline! We have named the project ‘JurassicPlastic.’ Watch this space!
What can people do day to day to help play their part in fighting plastic pollution?
The age old saying ‘reduce, reuse recycle’ still stands true. Reducing, or avoiding plastic where possible really is the key. For example, opting for the bananas that aren't wrapped in single use plastic or items that are packaged in cardboard, being conscious when shopping and choosing the alternatives from mindful manufacturers. Taking a reusable bottle which you can then refill or a coffee cup for when you visit a café. We, as consumers, really do have a collective power and we need to be mindful where we spend our money. Avoiding single use plastics, again where possible, skips the over complex and costly process of recycling. I encourage people to take small steps in reducing their plastic footprint and get involved in local clean ups. There are various groups across the country and I promise you will meet some incredible, inspirational humans!
What’s next for Oly Rush and Project Planet?
This is honestly developing day by day but currently we have more huge swims planned for this year. In late July Project Planet will be teaming up with Sea Shepherd and running a marathon swim consisting of a number of relay teams that will swim between Bournemouth and Boscombe pier on the 29th of July. In early September I will be swimming around the island of Ithaca in Greece, this is expected to take between 22-28 hours and we will be supporting a local organisation out there called Healthy Seas.
Swims aside, the Project Planet team is working together with a number of teachers from local schools on a pilot project that we aim to roll out in the spring.
Coupled with the clean ups and recycling project it's set to be an exciting, busy and productive year!
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
We would like to thank our sponsors – GreenFolk Ltd for the continued support and our exciting collaboration on this year's Ithaca swim! Their support has had a huge impact on the number of clean ups we are able to carry out → greenfolkrecruitment.co.uk
A big thank you to the guys at MACK for their continued support → keepitmack.com
Brindle Collins, a wonderful, talented local artist who we have recently had the pleasure to meet and privilege of her support with the project → bridleart.com
Last but not least to Siavash from Pixel Freaks for his website building skills → pixelfreaks.co.in
All of the team at Project Planet and the beach cleaning, planet loving humans we have the pleasure of meeting on this journey!
