Since I was very young, I have been fascinated by the natural environment and adored all living things. I have set my path towards becoming a marine conservationist and recently completed my degree in Marine Biology at the University of Exeter.
After influencing my family to go plastic-free and to live more sustainably, I want to share our discoveries and the motivation to do this with the wider public. We have to act now!
Early in 2018, an accumulation of ideas led me to start a marine conservation campaign, Devotion to Ocean. My aim: to give people the motivation to change their lives to make a difference. I want to unite people in contributing to the solution, not the destruction of our earth. It started with a conversation on a sofa and has now directly educated over 7,000 people about marine pollution and sustainability.
I believe that education is a force to be reckoned with. I believe the power of people can change the world, especially if we listen to the youth. Teaching people that being environmentally friendly can be fun, adventurous, healthy and achievable is key to seeing change. Everyone in our fast-moving society seems to think that the problem should be solved by other people. It doesn’t matter who, as long as it’s not them. Countless times I have heard; “but the government needs to change first” or something similar. The world’s alarm bell is ringing. We have no time to wait for anyone else to change. The time is now, and it starts with every single one of us. People need, first to care and then to know how to act on that. I want to empower everyone to make a difference. Each one of us has the power within us to speak out.
My aim is to give people the reason. To give people the faith that voicing their opinions will make a difference. It is the public who drive the consumerism of the world, and so it is us who make the decisions of which products are successful. It is us who hold the power to phase out harmful items- those containing palm oil or covered in plastic packaging.
From humble origins in my secondary school, giving talks about plastic pollution and running an eco-shop, Devotion to Ocean became massively popular across Cumbria and I was giving three talks a week throughout my A levels. In January 2019, I registered Another Way with the charity commission. From tree planting events, to our famous Another Waynwright Day which brought together 600 people and 50 organisations in a celebratory day for conservation, Another Way has inspired thousands to take our future into our own hands. Now, our team continues to grow and we are delighted to have appeared on CountryFile, BBC radio 4, 5 Live and Good Morning Britain, given international talks and are developing exciting new projects to help people overcome barriers to climate solutions.
We can’t wait to see where the journey takes us next!
In addition to my involvement in these projects I have also:
And more generally:
Through Another Weigh, zero waste shops in Cumbria, I have established a physical base for my conservation charity, Another Way. This is an education centre, giving local people the opportunity to learn, to engage and to act on their desire to help the environment. Through this and active educational talks and courses we hope to unite people and organisations in striving to change the wasteful and harmful way in which society functions. To do this, we are creating a network of volunteers to run my education programmes and to inspire people to behavioural change.
I recall that at the end of one of my awareness sessions, I asked a group of explorer scouts who would be prepared to make changes in their everyday lives to help our wonderful environment. Every single person raised their hand. I was genuinely stunned. Personal engagement and education is truly the key to behavioural change.
Founder, Another Way