Action Optimist People
Action Optimist began as a family adventure holiday project. We had some resources, outdoor skills, time. As we talked about our plans, friends stepped up to join us.
Calum, Amy and I would especially like to thank Anika, Adam, Toby, Angie, Matt, Mike, Lacey, Paul, Graham, Emma, Hazel, Donald, Jackie, Lachlan, Laura, Jess, Colin, Mags, John and Bumble. We could not have succeeded last summer without you and it certainly would not have been as fun! Also thanks to our friends at Nairn Sailing Club, who trialled the project with us on the first day, and loaned us the club's training Optimist dinghies. Over the following two weeks, we surveyed and removed well over a ton of manmade waste from inaccessible coastlines around Scotland. And we had the best time!
We'd also like to thank Brooke, Garphie, Pippa and Rebecca for their enthusiastic input; and of course all our beach cleaners and SAS Plastic Free Lymington friends and supporters.
We have come to realise that Action Optimist people are everywhere. It's all of us who care enough to do something to help the environment. It's all of us who are absolutely determined to write a happier future for our planet. We are here to do all we can to drag this stuff out of the sea, but also to swap ideas with fellow adventure environmentalists around the world and strengthen our community through creative positive action.
Christine Spreiter
Christine has always been happiest in and around the ocean, surfing, diving, paddling or exploring. Raised in California, she moved to the UK at 15 and studied Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at Edinburgh University. As British wave sailing champion, windsurfing took her to beaches around the world on the Professional Boardsailors Association World Cup Tour. Commercial scallop diving provided the opportunity to continue an adventurous life, which lead to 15 years as a marine photographer and writer, based on the west coast of Scotland. Christine has sailed extensively and helped establish a junior sailing program at Nairn Sailing Club, becoming a race coach and later supporting her own children's sailing. She currently tutors in maths and sciences and is an environmental campaigner in her community in Lymington, volunteering as a regional rep for Surfers Against Sewage, their Plastic Free Communities initiative and Ocean School program and also for the Marine Conservation Society Beach Watch program. Action Optimist has grown from a lifetime spent enjoying the ocean and a longstanding concern for the sustainability of earth systems. She loves working with young people, encouraging their interest in nature and science and helping them to discover their power to effect positive change.
Calum Spreiter Cook
An experienced competitive sailor on the British Youth Sailing Squad, Calum, 18, has competed internationally in the Optimist, 420 and Waszp Classes. Calum is a dinghy instructor and coach and enjoys helping the younger sailors. He is looking forward to a gap year as a windsurf sail design intern before taking up a place to study Oceanography with French at Southampton University. He is keen to develop the environmental ethos and survey work of Action Optimist. He loves exploring cool places, and making videos of the world he sees.
Amy Spreiter Cook
Amy, 15, is an accomplished sailor who is inspired by being out in the environment with her friends and having fun. Amy likes to communicate, as a writer and an artist. She loves exploring the remote landscapes and is keen to do her part to restore the balance of nature. She is a fundraising event organiser for @SAS Plastic Free Lymington and is engaged with the youth climate strikes and wider environmental movement. She has a special interest in seaweed!