Nissan volunteers its toughest pickup to help tackle plastic pollution on Europe’s most remote beaches
PARIS, France (June 6, 2018) – Nissan’s toughest pickup has turned volunteer in a new film to mark World Oceans Day 2018 (Friday June 8) and celebrate community heroes tackling beach plastic pollution.
The film sees the Navara OFF-ROADER AT32 join a campaigning dad and daughter team to help them take on their most challenging beach plastic clean-up. More than eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year with devastating consequences for marine wildlife,
fisheries and tourism. – Reference
IN BRIEF
Nissan Navara OFF-ROADER AT32 turns volunteerin new film released to mark World Oceans Day 2018 (Friday 8 June)
Community groups across Europe invited to nominate remote locations where a Navara could support beach clean-ups this summer
Plea for help on social media inspired Nissan’s campaign to support volunteers tackling plastic pollution
This summer Nissan is inviting community groups across Europe to nominate tough-to-reach locations, with Navara pickups ready to respond. And it is also encouraging its European employees to use its own volunteering program, Days for Change, to join local beach cleaning projects where appropriate.
The project was inspired by a social media plea for support from Beach Guardian, a community group founded by marine biology student Emily Stevenson and her father Rob.
They were clearing plastic from beaches close to their home, but struggling to reach remote locations or take on tough tasks with their family car.
Nissan offered the new Navara OFF-ROADER AT32, which can be fitted with a snorkel and is designed for the most extreme landscapes. It helped Beach Guardian reach over rocky terrain and remove debris like plastic nets deeply embedded in the sand.
Ken Ramirez, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Nissan Europe, said: “The Navara OFF-ROADER AT32 is the perfect partner for Beach Guardian. Designed to take on the most challenging conditions like wet sand and rocks, and with a snorkel that allows it to better drive through water, it’s ideal to support their work on remote beaches.”
He added: “Community heroes like Emily and Rob, who give their own time to try to make a difference, are an inspiration to us all.” Beach Guardian is the brainchild of Emily, 21, and Rob, 50. The pair have been collecting waste from beaches in Cornwall, UK for 10 years. They decided to set up the community group after realising the plastic problem was getting worse and could only be tackled by an army of local volunteers.
Rob said: “The beaches people visit – where they enjoy ice-creams and watch their kids build sandcastles – are just one view of the issue. There are many more remote and unseen parts of the coastline that volunteers either struggle to reach, or need something to move larger items.”
Rob added: “Normally we’re using just our own family cars or DIY tools. Without help from Nissan and the Navara OFF-ROADER AT32, we could never have released the old nets buried in the sand dunes for years.”