New year, new me. It’s the cliche heard around the world at the stroke of midnight come NYE. As if throwing out one calendar and hanging a new one in its place has the magical power to fix your flaws and make you the unicorn princess you were #borntobe.
- Go to the gym every day.
- Get 8 hours of sleep a night.
- Drink less vodka.
All great intentions but rarely do these plans survive past the initial January push. What you really need for a resolution to stick is a quantifiable goal. Well, boy, do we have a goal for 2018. We’re going to row across the Atlantic ocean and teach people how to curb their plastic consumption. #goals.
But we can’t do it without some help. No man is an island and no team makes it to the start line without an incredible support system behind them. However, first steps first. We need to show our commitment to the cause before we can expect anyone else to back us. So here are our 2018 Rowsolutions:
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Train, train, train. Our training schedule is ramping up now that we’ve got less than a year to go. We’re going from a few days a week mixed strength and flexibility to a much more demanding schedule. Caroline has moved a rower into her living room and has already completed a half marathon on it while Suze and Jess have taken up gym memberships to help their fitness journey. We’re looking into ways to keep you all up to date with our training schedules and plans (watch this space!) so you can hold us accountable.
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Plastic rehab. As Susan outlined in her Plastic Addict blog post the past few months have been a real eye-opener for us all. Once you see just how much you’re using single-use plastic it can be a bit overwhelming and seem impossible to cut back. But it’s not, it’s really not. Not only will we be arming you with easy switches to lessen your personal impact but we’ll be working with our suppliers to see where we can help cut unnecessary waste out, hopefully influencing their wider production practices.
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Network till you drop. There’s no point talking into a vacuum so we’ll be working to get in front of as many groups as possible to spread our message. From educating the next generation to exploring the alternative options being developed so we can better arm our partners and suppliers, we will be booked fairly solid for Q1 of 2018.
However, none of the training or meetings or research will matter if we can’t achieve one goal outside our control.
Get to the start line
The team from day one have been putting monthly contributions towards the row. Every spare penny we have goes towards the entry fee, course costs and various other expenses. However, we’re just three ordinary girls with everyday jobs and if we’re being real with ourselves, our monthly contributions and life savings still won’t be enough to get us to the Canary Islands, let alone Antigua.
We need to buy a boat. Sooner rather than later so we can train for the required amount of time in it before we start the race (also because, you know, safety and preparation). Even second-hand boats come in at an eye-watering £40K - not exactly the kind of loose change any of us have lying around
So we’re asking you; our friends, family and colleagues. Can you help us get to the start line? Do you know a company that might be interested in supporting our mission and gaining international exposure? Are you able to introduce us? Or could you share our story with your network?
We’re looking to build partnerships with like-minded brands, give them global visibility through our own channels as well as the race platform. When we sell the boat after the race, we plan to recoup a grand majority of the investment which will go into our charity pot. The boat is a short term commercial purchase with a much longer, important life beyond.
Every connection and introduction is greatly appreciated, no matter how small you think the amount may be. Every little bit helps. If you don’t have the business links but want to support the team personally, we have individual donation options available as well.
The sooner we reach our £100k goal, the sooner we can focus on educating the next generation about the impact of plastic & working with suppliers to provide better alternatives to their current packaging options, and the sooner we can make some real headway in supporting the Marine Conservation Society.
Help us be the change we want to see in 2018
You can download our sponsorship documents here, or pop us a note at hello@statusrow.com.
Help us spread the message even further - follow us on Twitter, like us on Instagram and share our story on Facebook.
First step boat, next step world domination (over plastic pollution).