The kinds of movements that effect real change usually start small, from a simple idea to a first step that eventually builds like a flame until it makes a big difference.
For Mercury Pro Team member Carter Andrews, host of the TV show “The Obsession of Carter Andrews,” the idea that started a major movement was sparked by a simple social media post where he encouraged people to pick up one piece of trash each day. A few similar posts followed, and his message gained momentum. Soon Andrews was being tagged in daily Instagram posts by people following his lead.
“I figured if everybody picked up one piece of trash a day, think of the difference we’d make. I posted that a few times on Instagram,” Andrews said. “Then all of a sudden I started getting tagged in stories on Instagram of people doing the same thing. People were coming out of the woodwork, jumping on board doing ‘one piece a day’ and tagging me in their videos. It’s gotten a massive following from across the world.”
Thousands of shared posts later, Andrews is ready to organize a major grassroots effort to clean up our woods and waters – one piece of trash at a time. He’s partnering with Mercury to help get the word out during September to coincide with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, an annual event where volunteers form groups to collect trash along coastal beaches and record what they find on the CleanSwell app. The reports generated by the app help frame better ideas about how to clean up the oceans.
Andrews is known for his jet-setting approach to guiding and TV production, which has taken him to angling destinations around the world. As someone who’s intimately familiar with humans’ impact on our global waters, he hopes that his efforts motivate more boaters to help clean up our planet. Whether people participate in the International Coastal Cleanup or pick up at least one piece of trash per day on their own, taking that critical first step together can result in a collective giant leap in the right direction.
“I’m using social media as a platform to send a positive message,” Andrews said. “We all have a responsibility to keep our planet clean. There has never been more people on this planet, and there has never been more trash in our waters and woods. If 10,000 people pick up one piece a day for a year, that’s 3.6 million pieces of trash that get picked up. That’s making an impact. Just imagine what 1 million people could do.
“I just want to bring awareness to this movement. It can make a big difference.”
If you’re interested in helping with Andrews’ effort, follow him on Instagram via @CarterAndrewsFishing. Then tag him in your own #OnePieceADay videos as you help to clean up the planet one piece of trash at a time.
You can also learn more about participating in the International Coastal Cleanup by visiting OceanConservancy.org
