A curation of recent stories, moments and happenings from the Rapanui world, featuring adventures, feel-good vibes and some recommendations from the team.
In this edition we look at a proposed pipeline through the Isle of Wight, we check in with the campaign to save Lake Windermere from pollution, along with a podcast recommendation from the team.
1. Our team goes balsam bashing
Earlier this month, our team helped local organisation Island Rivers to remove Himalayan balsam. It’s an invasive plant that outcompetes native species, harming ecosystems. We were responsibly balsam bashing to restore native plants and protect wildlife habitats.
Thank you to Island Rivers for showing us the ropes and sharing this beautifully tranquil location.
If you’d like to take part in some balsam bashing (we thoroughly recommend it) you should contact you local Wildlife Trust, or Rivers Trust who often organise sessions. Please don’t go bashing without first seeking expert advice, or you may cause environmental damage.
2. Daughters of the Sea Podcast
Laura Truelove is the founder of Daughters of the Sea, a print magazine and online community that offers a fresh perspective on women cold water surfers, showing a side of surfing away from the tired bikini-clad image of women in surfing.
In the podcast, Laura chats with women who share what it’s like to be part of surf culture.
In this episode, she chats with Melanie White, founder of Rebelle Surf, a women’s surf school in Sligo. They explore topics like fear, energy reading, and surfing while on your period.
3. The campaign to save Lake Windermere heats up
Matt Staniek is an environmental activist calling for action on water companies polluting one of the UK’s most famous natural landmarks.
This summer Matt and his team commissioned the testing of Windemere’s water quality in areas of large Algae blooms. They discovered that the samples exceeded WHO limits for the recreational use of Windermere, a place famed as a place to swim, sail, and enjoy the water.
In a recent video, water quality campaigner, and all-round legend, Fergal Sharkey joins Matt campaigning. Watching these two powerhouses of water quality activism is motivational and powerful. It’s well worth a watch.
4. Perseid meteor shower lights up skies
The Perseid meteor shower is an amazing celestial event, giving a chance to see meteors - debris left by a comet - streak across the sky.
This year, it will be active from July 17 to August 24, with the best viewing between midnight and 5:30 a.m. To get the best view, find a dark location away from city lights, let your eyes adjust for 15 minutes, and look toward a clear horizon.
Local photographer Sienna Anderson captured an incredible shot of the Northern Lights, the Milky Way, meteors, and Starlink satellites over Rapanui HQ, sharing the beauty of exploring dark skies.
5. Your summer escapes
Our community has been embracing the warmer weather heading to mountains, beaches, and lakes. Sam tagged us in this photo, featuring the Scottish landscape perfectly reflected on the loch's surface. He took the reliable Shorebreak Changing Robe to keep in warm. Tag @rapauiclothing in your photos for a chance to be featured.
6. Fawley oil refinery pipeline proposals
There are proposals for a huge pipeline from the Fawley oil refinery to a CO2 storage site under the English Channel. Three routes for this pipeline have been proposed by oil company ExxonMobil, two of which pass through the Isle of Wight’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The other option goes through the New Forest National Park.
We believe energy companies should leave fossil fuels in the ground and invest in genuinely clean alternatives, rather than digging through Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to bury their pollution. This online petition calls to stop the pipeline and protect areas of ecological importance.
If you’d like to share your opinion on the proposals, you can attend the consultations at the following locations:
- Shalfleet Village Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight: 22 August
- Phoenix Knights Centre, Cowes, Isle of Wight: 23 August and 3 September
- Niton Village Hall, Ventnor, Isle of Wight: 24 August
- The Bridge Community Centre, Milford on Sea, Hampshire: 30 August
- Calshot Activity Centre, Calshot, Hampshire: 4 September
