She Rows, Rows, Rows her Boat for the Environment

A British consultant-turned-rower embarks on her second of three environmentally motivated solo rows across the Pacific Ocean.


Copyright Roz Savage

On Sunday, British management consultant-turned-rower Roz Savage started the second of three solo trips across the Pacific Ocean, as part of her attempt at becoming the first woman to traverse those waters alone. But her goal isn’t to gain pseudo-celeb status. Rather, she says, she rows for the environment.

“The climate change crisis we face requires immediate action from every level of our global society, but the problem is so grave that many people are overwhelmed and simply don’t know what they can do to help,” Savage said. So she couples each of her rows with an eco-theme and offers some simple solutions.

Savage’s current row, themed “Pull Together,” challenges people to match her 10,000 oar strokes per day with 10,000 daily steps—about five miles total and the American Heart Association’s recommendation for the number of steps a person should walk each day. With any luck, this action will reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Then, in October, following the row and as part of a climate change global day of action, Savage plans to start the 600-mile walk from London to Copenhagen. In Denmark, she hopes to present to attendees of the United Nations Climate Change Conference her “Pull Together” results.

Her 2005 row, which went through the North Pacific Garbage Patch—one of the ocean’s largest landfills—encouraged the use of fewer disposable plastic bottles, cups and bags. The ultimate goal: to decrease the amount of plastic in the ocean. The third and final row will happen next year in Australia.

You can watch Savage’s progress on her blog or track your steps at the Pull Together Web site.