Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #14

Yesterday was a busy and full day getting organized on the boat and helping out where I was able. I was sent on a mission with one of the crew members named Steve Amato to find propane to fill a couple of the tanks used on the Sea Dragon. We took the dingy out of the port across the harbor and around to the other side of the island looking for the St. Thomas Gas Company. It was strange being in such a small boat as we traversed across the harbor in the shadows of the massive cruise ships. Unfortunately we were given some wrong directions not once but twice and it ended up being a seek and find mission. The next thing I know Steve and I are walking down a busy street pushing a shopping cart we found loaded with the tanks. It all worked out in the end but not after quite an adventure. As soon as we got back to the Sea Dragon, Anna, Stiv and Ivan (http://www.blueturtle.com/) were loading the dingy to go for a swim and snorkeling at a little beach area Stiv had found earlier in the day. They asked if I wanted to join them and off we went. It was great to test out the new mask Body Glove gave me while we swam and looked at fish in the late afternoon. We we returned to the ship I headed out for a 3 mile sunset run. On a side note, I have been putting together a non profit program called Running For Mother Nature where I pick up plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles during my runs and donate the money to environmental organizations. The idea is, if there was a nickle or a dime on the street most people would pick it up but since people view bottles and cans as trash most individuals just leave it and walk past it. I think if we change the mindset of runners and walkers across the US to show them they can help by cleaning their neighborhood and raise money for organizations that actually are working for solutions it is a win-win for all especially Mother Earth. During my extensive traveling this year, I have tried it in Florida, Texas, Missouri, Northern California, Southern California, The High Desert of Joshua Tree, Hawaii's North Shore, Utah, and now St. Thomas. I picked up 8 bottles or cans on my run in St. Thomas which is considered a paradise in the world. No matter where I have run I usually find an average of 5 bottles which equates to about 20 cents. I run an average of 4 times a week so that is 80 cents a week. I know that isn't much but there are a lot of runners and walkers out there and if each one gave even $12 on a quarterly basis and there are 100,000 people participating, that works out to about a 4.8 million dollars a year that could be generated for organizations that really need funding. I hope to launch the program in the spring of 2010 and give to an organizations that study and try to solve our world pollution issues. Beyond all that the rest of the crew came in late last night and today we begin safety training and head out sailing for the afternoon to get a feel for working the sails and procedures. I can't wait...

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