WATCH: "It's time to protect the home that we love"

Saturday 03 November 2018

Surfers, paddlers, fishermen and families have come together to urge islanders to bin their "addiction to plastic" to preserve their special relationship with the sea.

The rallying call comes in a new video by Plastic Free Jersey, a campaign encouraging individuals and businesses to reduce their consumption of the single-use substance they say is having a "devastating" impact on the sea.

Released yesterday, the video features islanders from all walks of life - including musicians, lifeguards, fisherman and children - enjoying the sea in their own special way.

The footage, which was created by local videographers, also includes the island's unique sunsets and aerial images of Jersey's coast. The images serve as the backdrop against a spoken narrative that celebrates the sea as both a "playground" and "somewhere to go to feel alive", explaining how a "friendship" with it can "span a lifetime."

Video: Plastic Free Jersey's latest campaign highlights islanders' unique relationship with the sea, encouraging them to protect and preserve it.

However, it goes on to explain that this relationship is threatened because the island's "addiction" to single-use plastic is having a "devastating" impact, leaving the ocean "in serious trouble."

Plastic Free Jersey say that it aims to show the ‘why’ behind the work that they have been doing since their launch in May. So far, their campaign has been well-received by the island community. It is hoped that the video will convince even more islanders to join the campaign and "protect the home we love."

Linzi Hawkin, co-founder of Plastic Free Jersey, said: “We were so fortunate to work alongside many islanders to shoot the film - from local surfers and fisherman to families and adventurous kids and many more. We’re very proud that every single shot has been filmed on island - no stock footage, and all shot by local videographers.”

Pictured: It is hoped that the video will encourage more people to ditch single-use plastic.

Sheena Brockie, another founder, added that the focus of this latest campaign was intentionally positive rather than negative.

"The ocean plastics issue has reached the forefront of mainstream media within the last 12 months, which is phenomenal. But often the messages we see can make us feel overwhelmed with the problem.

"At Plastic Free Jersey, we made a decision early on that our strategy would be optimistic, solutions based and inclusive. We live on a beautiful island with an incredible coastline, and we want to keep it that way. We know that islanders are proud of our natural environment and so that sits at the core of our work."

Islanders who want to get involved in the initiative can visit the website to download toolkits for home, business, schools, as well as their community and events. These toolkits offer practical advice towards reducing single use plastics at home and share the steps required to become part of the Plastic Free Jersey movement.