California Paddle 2007—A Campaign for Plastic-Free Oceans

By: Tom Jones, Extreme Athlete and Founder of the Tom Jones Foundation
My name is Tom Jones, and, no, I cannot sing “What’s New Pussycat!” But because of my name, I always have to explain a bit of my background. So, without trying to “toot my own horn,” but merely as an introduction, here you go. I am a seven-time Muay Thai Kickboxing Champion, with four U.S. titles and two world titles. I have run the length of California three times, at a pace of a marathon (26.2 miles) per day to raise funds for abused children. In 2000—for the same cause, I ran from Huntington Beach, Calif., to New York City, requiring 121 consecutive daily marathons. Because of my own abusive childhood, I founded the Tom Jones Foundation, whose mission is to create awareness and funding to find solutions to problems that threaten the future of our society.

“I have run the length of California three times, at a pace of a marathon (26.2 miles) per day to raise funds for abused children.”

A couple of years ago, I took up surfing and oceanic paddleboarding just to try something new, and that’s when I became acutely aware of the plastic pollution issue in our oceans. It is also why I am extremely excited to partner with the Alaskan Brewing Co. and its Coastal CODE initiative. Because, simply put, we need to stop plastic pollution before it stops us, and I believe that organizations such as Alaskan Brewing and Coastal CODE will play a significant role in this effort.

I have become well acquainted with many environmental organizations trying to bring awareness to the plastic pollution issue, and I decided to take on another extreme event to assist in this effort. Called California Paddle 2007, the event is a world record-breaking expedition. I will become the first person in history to traverse the entire 1,250-mile coast of California on nothing more than a 14-foot paddleboard. Joining me in this effort will be a host of surfing legends, including Laird Hamilton, Rob Machado, Mickey Munoz and Jericho Poppler Bartlow.

Why am I doing this?

For one reason, a recent study off the coast of California found that there is six times more plastic in the ocean than plankton—a condition that threatens our entire food chain, as well as any hope of ocean recreation in the near future. Furthermore, a United Nations Environmental Report estimates that more than 5.76 million tons of plastic enters our oceans every year—enough to put 2/3 of California in a plastic bag. At that rate, we could cover the entire state of California in plastic debris by 2014 and every landmass on Earth by the year 2042.

We all have a responsibility to the environment. We also have the power to make positive changes in the world. The Campaign for Plastic-Free Oceans is a movement we hope will generate enough publicity to spark change in our attitudes toward the danger of plastics in our seas. We hope to shake the resources of governments, corporations and individuals enough to motivate radical changes and solve this earth-threatening problem.

“United Nations Environmental Report estimates that more than 5.76 million tons of plastic enters our oceans every year—enough to put 2/3 of California in a plastic bag.”

Despite the enormity and complexity of these problems, I am filled with hope. Preparing for California Paddle 2007 has given me the opportunity to meet many like-minded individuals and companies that want to make a difference like the Alaskan Brew Crew and Alaskan Brewing Co. However, to really make a splash big enough to promote change, we also need you. If you believe in the seriousness of this issue, and want to be an instrument of change, please visit our web site www.CaliforniaPaddle.com and explore the many ways you can be involved.