Nashua man running from Bello to Bruns to raise awareness about plastic in our oceans

Dr Michael Douglas’ prescription for solving plastic pollution involves running a marathon a day to raise awareness of the importance of rivers and beaches.

MARATHON MAN: Dr Michael Douglas is running more than 310km from Bellingen to Brunswick Heads to raise awareness about the importance of rivers and beaches.

Running from Bellingen to Brunswick Heads to raise awareness about the importance of rivers and beaches is how one man wants to raise awareness about the issues of plastic pollution.

Dr Michael Douglas, who hails from Nashua on the Northern Rivers, has committed to running an ultra-marathon every day for a week on a route which will seem him clock up more than 310km from Bellingen to Brunswick Heads.

After meeting with elders from the traditional owners of Gumbaynggirr land on Tuesday, Dr Douglas started his coastal run at Bellingen and plans to finish this Saturday.

“I journey on foot, running 60 to 80 km each day to encompass the 320 km from Bellingen to Brunswick Heads,” Dr Douglassai.

“Why on foot? To be present, to feel the salt spray, to wash in the freshness of the estuaries, to have ear to the bird calls.”

On Wednesday Dr Douglas will be covering Woolgoolga Creek, Darkum Creek, Arrawarra Creek, Corindi River, Station Creek, Wooli Wooli Creek and Sandon River.

Thursday will take him over Cakora Lagoon, Clarence River, Jerusalem Creek and Evans River while Friday involves Richmond River, Broken Head Creek and Tallow Creek.

Dr Douglas will undertake the final stage on Saturday May 8, across Belongil Creek and the

Brunswick River.

He said this will allow him to see and experience some of the beauty and challenges that face our coastal ecosystems every day.

Dr Douglas said he admires what Positive Change for Marine Life aims to achieve.

“The way we deal with the waterways and beaches have direct consequence – positive and negative – for birds and fishes, has direct consequence on the profound beauty that surrounds us,” he said.

“This journey, this pilgrimage, is an exploration of connectedness, a study of my own connection to country, and the collective responsibilities that we each bear, an honouring of our indigenous peoples, and an encouragement for those that demonstrate this care – individuals, communities and organisations.”

As a community-focused charitable organisation that develops practical solutions to help protect and strengthen local ecosystems, locally based Positive Change for Marine Life (PCFML) said they are proud to be associated with Dr Douglas’ herculean effort.

Most of his route will be on beaches and coastal tracks and Dr Douglas will be passing by more than 30 rivers, creeks, and lakes.

BELLINGEN TO BRUNSWICK HEADS: Dr Michael Douglas is running more than 310km from Bellingen to Brunswick Heads to raise awareness about the importance of rivers and beaches.

PCFML said recent studies have suggested that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 – and it is estimated that we already ingest about a credit cards worth of microplastic every week through our food.

Shockingly, more than 90 per cent of seabird species have been found to ingest plastic.

Our River Warriors program carried out by PCFML on four waterways in Northern NSW helps to build community custodianship of our rivers, creeks and waterways and reduce the flow of pollution into the ocean.

Through its campaigns in coastal communities, PCFML has already removed more than 550,000 pieces of marine debris and rubbish and the River Warriors Campaign alone has removed more than 50,000 pieces of rubbish and debris from waterways – weighing more than 4 tonnes.

For the next phase of River Warriors, PCFML is focusing on the Brunswick River, and a wider range of other ecosystem impacts including water quality, run-off, land management practices, and riverbank vegetation.