163 Pounds Closer To A Cleaner Ocean
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When people picture Bali, they often imagine turquoise water, perfect waves, and lush jungle. And yes, those things exist — they’re real, breathtaking, and unforgettable. But there’s another side to paradise, one that most travelers don’t expect to confront: plastic pollution.
On one of my first mornings in Bali, I walked along the beach just after sunrise. The light was golden, the surf was clean… and the shore was littered with waste. Straws, wrappers, bottles — everywhere. What should’ve been a picture-perfect moment hit me hard with something else: reality.
From Inspiration to Action
That day, I made a decision. I wasn’t just going to observe — I was going to act. Over the next few weeks, I took part in multiple beach cleanups, organizing some, joining others. I tracked every bag I filled, every bottle I picked up, every handful of plastic I pulled from between the rocks.
By the end of my time there, I had removed 163 pounds of plastic waste from Bali’s shores and coastlines.
It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t always fun. But it was necessary — and it changed me.
A Global Problem, A Personal Response
Plastic pollution isn’t just a Bali issue. It’s global. But seeing it firsthand, feeling it under your feet on a “pristine” beach — that makes it personal. It made me rethink my own consumption. It made me look at packaging, at convenience, at what I support with my wallet.
This wasn’t about guilt. It was about responsibility.
Because once you’ve seen the impact, it’s hard to unsee it.
Why It Matters
The ocean has given me so much: peace, freedom, adventure. This was a way to give something back. The 163 pounds I collected won’t fix the whole system — but it’s 163 pounds that won’t enter the stomach of a turtle or wash back into the tide.
It’s easy to think small actions don’t matter. But they do. Because action is contagious. People on the beach started asking questions, picking up trash alongside me. Some joined the next cleanup. That’s how movements start — not from perfection, but from momentum.
From Bali, Back to Purpose
This experience is part of why Longitude Equipment exists — not just to make gear, but to make an impact. Adventure and responsibility aren’t separate ideas. They’re partners.
So here’s my challenge to you: next time you’re in nature, bring a bag. Leave the place better than you found it. Whether it’s 5 pounds or 163, it all adds up.
Because the planet doesn’t need a few people doing things perfectly. It needs millions doing their part.
Explore Without Limit. Leave No Trace.
At Longitude, we don’t just believe in adventure — we believe in action. And that starts with each of us, one piece of plastic at a time.