World Paddle for the Planet Day

Bob Purdy is continuing his mission of paddling every day in 2011 and 2012 with World Paddle for the Planet Day, which will be held on June 16, 2012! The general goal of the day is to gather as many people as possible around the World, and get them all out paddling to help raise awareness for the protection of our planet.

World Paddle for the Planet Day is rapidly approaching! Saturday, June 16^th, I will paddle the length of Okanagan Lake to send a SUP Wave of Change around the World (info attached)! Standup Paddlers around the World have also organized paddles for Change on the 16th!

Here is the itinerary for World Paddle for the Planet Day!

Friday, June 15^th at 1pm– Aloha Conference to announce the direction the paddle will take, Vernon to Penticton or Penticton to Vernon. This announcement will take place at Rayburns Marine, 2330 Enterprise Road in Kelowna.
Saturday, June 16^th– The paddle will begin at 4 a.m. from the location announced at the Aloha Conference. Rayburns Marine are providing support boats, and it will be possible to interview Bob on the water! For info and to make arrangements contact Bob at bobpurdy@silk.net before 6p.m. Wednesday, June 13^th.
The paddle is forecast to finish sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight, and we would love to see you at the finish line! You can follow progress on facebook at Bob Purdy or twitter @paddlesurfer365, there will be regular postings throughout the day.
Sunday, June 17^th– Paddle for the Planet will continue on Day 534 with a celebration World Paddle for the Planet Day paddle at 2 p.m. from Rotary Beach in Kelowna! Come down and meet Leslie Kolovich and Joan Vienot from the SupRadio Show and Standup Journal Magazine who will be there all the way from Florida to cover World Paddle for the Planet Day June 16^th, and the Kal Classic on June 23 and 24^th! There will also be a few extra boards available if you would like to join Bob on the water for a paddle!

Thanks for all you have done to help make Paddle for the Planet a success so far, we are slowly Changing the Way we live on the Planet!

And here are Bob’s remarks on the importance of the day, and how you too can help to make a difference:

Sending a “SUPWave of Change” around the World
My name is Bob Purdy, I am the Standup Paddle Surfing, Elder in Training, Outstanding Somewhere, from “Paddle for the Planet”… In 2011 I paddled my Standup Paddle Surfer every day to raise funds for the “David Suzuki Foundation” and “Change the way we live on the Planet”.
I discovered that we are facing many of the same challenges in 2012 that we did last year. And the year before that. And the year before that. Etc. Etc. Etc. I find it very difficult to stand by and watch the same challenges surface year after year which is why I will “Paddle for the Planet” again every day in 2012. The call to action is urgent, the Planet is crying out for help! The challenges we face environmentally, socially and economically in today’s World are staggering, and just like all life on the Planet, intricately connected! Have we forgotten that all life is precious? Have we become disconnected from the Natural World that is our home? Have we affected the planet’s ability to sustain life? Could we do better for the planet, and for each other? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then action is required! It is time to “Change the way we live on the Planet!”
I have also discovered that as a group, Standup Paddle Surfers tend to be a proactive group of people! What better way to “Change the way we live on the Planet” than to create an opportunity for paddlers around the World to paddle for the change they would like to see? “World Paddle for the Planet Day” is June 16, 2012 and has been created to give Standup Paddle Surfers everywhere an opportunity to paddle for change by sending a “SUPWave of Change” around the Globe! Here is the plan! One, choose a change you would like to see happen in the World. Two, paddle for that change on June 16^th. Three, commit to that change until it becomes reality! It could be something as simple as spending the day cleaning up your local beach, or as ambitious as joining a movement working to “Change the way we live on the Planet”. Paddle by yourself, or organize a group to send out a stronger “SUPWave of Change!” It’s simple, more paddlers, in more places around the World equals bigger change! For my part I will paddle the length of Okanagan Lake in B.C. Canada where I live, a distance of about 80 miles. The change I want to see in the world is a reduction in consumption! We need to rethink the way we consume and reduce what we buy, the Planet needs a break from our constant need to indulge! Join me on June 16th!
The “David Suzuki Foundation” has done a lot to “Change the way we live on the Planet” and I will once again fundraise to support their amazing body of work! The Foundation could really use our help in the World and I invite all paddlers to join me in collecting pledges/donations to help Dr. Suzuki achieve his goals for change. Donations are gratefully accepted on our “PFTP” web site www.paddlefortheplanet.ca or on the “DSF” website www.davidsuzuki.org just follow the links. Every penny donated will go directly to the “David Suzuki Foundation!” Please join me on June 16^th to make “World Paddle for the Planet Day” an outstanding event for change in 2012! Organize a happening, go for a quiet paddle, join your friends or paddle solo, whatever you do let us know! Contact us on facebook at Bob Purdy with details of your paddle on our event page! Aloha!…
One Person is the Difference, Stand up and be that Person!