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Dhruv Boruah

Former Corporate Guy, Ocean Racer, Rally Driver, Biker, Maker & Trainee Arctic Explorer

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Archives for January 2018

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Cycling ON the Regents Canal

Yes, this trip was to Cycle ON the Regents Canal from Paddington Basin to Camden Market raising awareness about plastic pollution on the Regents Canal and in general. It was a short cycle and I arrived in Paddington Basin to set my Water Bike up. I forgot the kit of the day, which was my litter picker to pick up plastic and thankfully the cleaning team at Merchant Square lent me one. After all checks, I started off at 13:00

Almost immediately, just outside Paddington Station & Little Venice area, I was hit by our very own “Regents Canal Plastic Gyre”. I spent ages collecting plastic litter and boy oh boy, they were of all types; came in all shapes and sizes and I even founds a few unidentified items. Others were usual suspects like single-use plastic items, bottles, straws, cups, glasses, milk bottles, beverage bottles, styrofoam, takeaway packets, baby pacifier, balloons etc. Disgusting ;( check the pictures below.

Once I was out of this area, it was just amazing. I was in my element and could even do a little Facebook Live. It was a great day to be on the water, on the Canal. What a beauty, with the boats on either side. I had to cross the Maida Hill Tunnel and the Eyre’s Tunnel. I saw places which I never thought existed and when you walk on the road, you tend to ignore the tunnel to be disused but wow, just wow. Rules of the road have to be followed and I kept a sharp lookout on the water, not just while entering or in the tunnels. Crossing the London Zoo was amazing with the best seat to check out the Zoo. If you are in London, I highly recommend you to explore the Regents canal, else you are missing out!

The highest concentration zones of plastic litter were  a) Paddington Station/ Little Venice Area b) Camden Market Area

Obviously, the waterbike was a great conversation starter and I could speak to a lot of people sharing what I was doing. Questions were – Are you employed to do this? Do you work for a charity? Are you volunteering? Well, guys, I am doing this since I am a curious citizen trying doing my bit to tackle and raise awareness about plastic pollution; and you can help me too. Come and join me in the next tide.

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Before you start your campaign?

Besides our day job, we all have a passion, a purpose, a cause that we want to champion and make an real impact, impact on the planet we live in. This cause is very personal, usually, something that really connects you, comes from your heart; makes you who you are and you are itching to do something. You want to do something more than just donating money, lead a movement and make a direct impact.

If you want to make change happen, here are the three things I have learnt from my campaigns.

– Be Passionate: You need to be passionate about the cause you are campaigning for and the results you want to achieve. Do your research, do your homework before you jump into execution. Do find all the existing players and see what they are doing, talk to them to see if there is any collaboration opportunity. Remember, you will not be fighting against other players since you all are walking together towards the same goal. It is called minimal gains and the ripple effect will make massive changes.

– Be Different/ Innovative: Out attention span has reduced drastically and we are bombarded with digital media, causes, donations etc. If you want to stand out, you need to do something different, something innovative, something radical, something mad. Your friends will say, this is mental, why are you doing this? Keep away from them, believe in yourself and go for it! If you need motivation send me a note and I will kick your a**e.

– Right Team: This is the key to success. You need a team since planning a campaign involves a lot of things and it is the power of the network, besides you have just two hands and 24 hrs a day. With your day job, this is reduced as well. So, build a team who share the same passion and want to make a change. But, do not rush! There are many dreamers out there with all promises but almost always fail to deliver when it is time to “do it“. Often life comes in the way and you can not blame them, but your cause is important and you need to move on. I have learnt this the hard way. So, work with someone on a trial basis at the start and see how it goes 😉

Once you have these sorted, set a date for your first campaign; work backwards and make change happen!

By the way, if you want to brainstorm, let me know and I am more than happy to share my experiences and give you that kick!