ePaint Supports The Educational Voyage of Kiri to Teach Climate Science to Pacific Coast Teens

ePaint Supports The Educational Voyage of Kiri to Teach Climate Science to Pacific Coast Teens

Fulfilling a longtime dream, Kristian Beadle is sailing 3000 miles early next year - from Santa Barbara to Oaxaca, Mexico, stopping at schools along the route to teach how climate change is affecting coastal communities.

Beadle, 28 years old, recently graduated with a masters in environmental management from UC Santa Barbara, and received the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to carry out sustainable development work in southern Mexico. That is when the idea of a climate education voyage emerged.

The Kiri Team will be teaching climate science and its effect on coastlines - such as impacts on fresh water, fish stocks, and soil; however, the crew will also be learning from the kids. Students will contribute their own personal message of sustainability to a flying banner, displaying locally-appropriate solutions, that will be transported down the coast. This will connect them with their neighbors on the Pacific coastline, and start a cross-cultural dialogue on what we need to do during this next generation.

Why via sailboat? Beadle explains, "The sailboat itself is a great education model - it is like a microcosm of a community, with its own power plant, water supply, and waste to deal with. In a limited space, one becomes quite efficient with limited resources. We want to convey how exciting and rewarding being ecological can be - with the sailing adventure as 'the hook'."

When it came time to outfit the sailboat, Beadle wanted to have the most environmentally sound and healthy options - which is why he chose ePaint ECOMINDER bottom paint for the trimaran's three hulls. "There is no reason to use toxic metals when a biodegradable alternative like ECOMINDER exists," Beadle asserts, "We are thrilled that ePaint is supportive of our mission."  The team plans to depart in January, and will keep a blog through their website at www.VoyageofKiri.com.