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In celebration of Earth Day today [April 22, ed.], global adventurer and open water swimmer Ben Lecomte called on Canadians from coast to coast to join the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a conservation initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF, and presented by Loblaw Companies Limited.
Lecomte did a free dive in Vancouver Aquarium’s Strait of Georgia habitat and spoke underwater about the impact of litter on ecosystems such as the one represented by the exhibit, as well as the need for all Canadians to take action to ensure the health of our waterways.
Later this year, Lecomte is swimming 8,850 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo to San Francisco. The Longest Swim, a five month journey, will take him through the Pacific trash vortex of chemicals, pelagic plastics and other debris trapped by currents in the North Pacific. Lecomte is swimming the pollution-packed route in order to raise awareness about the importance of making a personal connection with our rivers, lakes, streams and oceans and the shared responsibility of keeping our waters healthy.
