Emily Penn

Emily Penn is a skipper and ocean-advocate. She is known for the founding of eXXpedition, a not-for-profit organization which hosts research expeditions at sea with all-women crews to investigate ocean pollution.

Early life

Penn graduated from University of Cambridge in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture.[1] In 2008, Penn joined the speedboat Earthrace for an extended voyage from the United Kingdom to Australia,[2] where she planned to work as an architect.[3]

Career

In 2010, Penn co-founded Pangaea Explorations which used a 72-foot yacht to bring scientists, researchers, and filmmakers to remote areas.[3] In 2014, Penn co-founded eXXpedition with Lucy Gilliam. The organization hosts research expeditions at sea with all-women crews,[4] with the intention of advancing the general understanding of microplastics in the ocean.[5][6] In 2014, Penn tested her own blood for 35 toxic chemicals that have been banned by the United Nations, and found 29 of them in her blood,[7] a topic that Penn spoke with on the TED Radio Hour.[7]

Penn led the 2019-2020 'Round the World' expedition that had to end early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] That same year, she established the digital SHiFT platform in 2020 to provide people with ideas on ways to reduce ocean pollution.[5]

Honors and awards

Penn was named Yachtmaster of the Year in at the London International Boat Show in 2010, an award presented by HRH The Princess Royal.[9][10] She received the Fitzroy Award at the 2016 Ocean Awards, an award given to "the adventurer or explorer who achieved the most to further ocean conservation in the past 12 months".[11] In 2021, she was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Year's Honours "for [her] services to conservation and charity".[12] In 2022, Penn was named one of PEOPLE's Women Changing the World in 2022 for her work in ocean advocacy.[13] She also received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Exeter in 2022.[3]

References

  1. ^ Penn, Emily. "About". Emily Penn. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ Miloudi, Sarah (5 September 2008). "Emily gets ready to power through the waves all the way to Australia: Penarth student hitches a lift on the world's fastest speedboat". Western Mail; Cardiff (UK). p. 16 – via Proquest.
  3. ^ a b c "Honorary Graduates 2022". University of Exeter. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. ^ Ayyar, Kamakshi (2019-06-07). "All-Women Sailing Crew Raises Awareness of Plastic Pollution". TIME. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  5. ^ a b Kelati, Haben (August 17, 2022). "Science and sisterhood: Creating a network to tackle plastics problem". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. ^ Lewis, Anna (2017-08-14). "The Welsh sailor exposing devastating levels of plastic in the sea". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  7. ^ a b "Toxic: Emily Penn: How Do Toxins From Plastics Find Their Way Into Our Food?". TED Radio Hour (Podcast)NPR. October 21, 2016 – via Proquest.
  8. ^ Strick, Katie (2021-03-08). "Taking the helm - it was powerful". Evening Standard. pp. [1], [2]. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  9. ^ "Woman Wins Yachtmaster of Year Award". BoatTest. January 19, 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. ^ "HRH The Princess Royal awards Emily Penn with the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  11. ^ "BLUE REVEALS THE WINNERS OF ITS INAUGURAL OCEAN AWARDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOAT INTERNATIONAL". Blue Marine Foundation. Retrieved 5 December 2022..
  12. ^ Pasquini, Maria (November 22, 2021). "This Ocean Activist Says Plastic Pollution Is a 'Women-Centered Issue' — and Is Empowering Women to Tackle It". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  13. ^ "Meet PEOPLE's Women Changing the World in 2022". People. People. March 2, 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.