Plenty of businesses have suffered during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but business for Laura Stone is booming.
Laura is the founder of Sydney by Kayak, a company that offers guided kayak tours of Sydney Harbor in Australia. Not only did their business not decrease during the pandemic, but one of their tours is actually more popular than ever.
A few years ago, Laura was paddling in the harbor when she noticed trash floating in the water. For reference, the United Nations Environment Program estimates that about 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, causing big problems for wildlife and local flora.
Laura was so appalled by the garbage in the water that she decided to dedicate a few paddles each week to trash cleanup. Incredibly, her clients were immediately on board with the idea, so Sydney by Kayak now leads four to five garbage-collecting tours every week!
At the start of the pandemic, Laura assumed her business would drop off as many others had. Instead, desperate for purpose and a way to get outdoors, people flocked to her “Clean Up Kayak” tours. They now routinely take about 441 pounds of garbage out of the harbor each week!
“We’ve been quite surprised, even through the pandemic, we’ve been very busy,” Laura said. “Because they can’t travel, people are looking for something to do, that is not just good for them, but also good for the environment.”
Each tour begins with participants gearing up with a paddle, bucket, picker stick, and sieve. Some people come back multiple times for the satisfaction of collecting trash from the harbor. Julie Greening, for example, has done about 10 tours so far and says “every little bit is worth it.”
“We’re 7 billion people on this planet, so everyone does a little, but of course it’s going to help,” she told Reuters. “It’s got to.”
Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, good company, and a great cause: What else do you need? Laura has stumbled on an incredible, pandemic-proof business idea that helps the earth as much as it helps participants. We hope it catches on all over the world!
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