Cal Major, environmentalist, stand-up paddle boarder, campaigner, adventurer and vet. If that’s not enough, in 2019 she set a new World Record whilst paddling solo from Land’s End to John O’Groats! In 2016, whilst working as a vet, she was unable to watch the amount of plastic washing up on her favourite surfing beaches any more without doing something about it. So, she founded Paddle Against Plastic, an organisation that uses epic stand up paddle boarding adventures to capture peoples’ imagination. The campaign highlights the issue of plastic pollution so close to home, and promotes positive change by proposing simple solutions.
Cal’s first solo paddle board trip was around the coastline of Cornwall in 2016. Then, in 2017, she circumnavigated the Isle of Skye. The subsequent film of her trip, ‘Skye’s The Limit’ won numerous awards at film festivals. The film has been screened around the world including in China, Canada and several African countries.
Cal’s World Record journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats by stand up paddle board was an epic journey of over 1000 miles. She travelled by sea, canal and river, encountering huge swells off the Cornish coast, dangerous tides round Scotland, fog and hypothermia en route. She completed the challenge in just 59 days, collecting plastic rubbish and documenting her trip with both film and photographs. Read her blog about the trip here.
Cal is a modest, humble, kind person, whose passion for reducing plastic waste is infectious. We can all help in our own way – have a look at her website for simple, constructive ideas. This podcast covers everything from childhood dreams of being a vet, through to starting a global campaign. Plus, the planning, fitness training, personal coaching and risk taking to achieve such ambition and adventure.
Find out more here:
Paddle Against Plastic – http://paddleagainstplastic.com
Cal is on Twitter @PaddleVsPlastic, Instagram @cal_major and Facebook @Cal Major – Paddle Against Plastic