The 2 Minute Foundation

Litter. We see it all the time. Overflowing from a garbage can in the park; left behind at a campsite; washed up on the beach. You might even say to yourself, “I take care to clean up after myself. What am I supposed to do about other peoples’ garbage?”. But the fact of the matter is, we all have a part to play in keeping litter out of nature. And the smallest acts can make a big difference. 

That is precisely what The 2 Minute Foundation believes. 

Formerly The Beach Clean Network Ltd., The 2 Minute Foundation is a registered UK charity devoted to cleaning up the planet two minutes at a time. It may be that you are more familiar with their successful social media campaigns than the charity itself. #2minutebeachclean, #2minutelitterpick and #2minutestreetclean all aim to empower, educate, inspire and enable people to make simple changes and take simple actions that contribute to the planet’s wellbeing. 

Founded in 2009 by Martin Dorey and Tab Parry, The 2 Minute Foundation was chosen by Fjällräven Facebook followers to be the first Arctic Fox Initiative recipient. The Fjällräven community was especially affected by the founders’ first-hand experience with marine waste and ocean plastics. As well as their mission to clean up the mess. However, as Chief Operating Officer Nicky Green explains, this is an issue that is not going away anytime soon.

“Marine litter is an enormous problem and sadly one that we can see worsening. The 2 Minute Foundation is dedicated to cleaning up plastics that wash up on our beaches every single day while also doing what we can to stop it at source. We aim to do this through our #2minutesolution campaign, which encourages simple, planet-positive acts that individuals can do to cut out single-use plastic, and also by educating and influencing people to refuse and reduce plastic consumption.”

After receiving 60.000€ from the Arctic Fox Initiative in 2019, The 2 Minute Foundation has established their Guardian Angel Network pilot project across Devon and Cornwall and set up the infrastructure for a regional rollout. The funding helped cover the costs of recruiting, equipping and training the first round of volunteers, as well as hiring a project coordinator. “We call them our ‘Fjällräven’Angels.”

With the 2021 funding, The 2 Minute Foundation plans to set up The 2 Minute Academy, which provides conservation education to both children and adults. According to Nicky, The Academy will be the overarching parent of The 2 Minute Beach School and education arm that includes online resources, expeditions and long-term volunteer training and environmental outreach weekends. We will aim to shape and inspire new eco-warriors that will go on to educate others . . .

The 2 Minute Foundation’s future vision is to have a network of Angels spread across the UK, creating a cohort of litter picking warriors and advocates. Considering that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish, the charity’s work is more important than ever. They are also raising awareness about companies contributing to single-use plastics:

“The greatest challenge to the environment is to stop plastics entering the ocean.

We see tonnes of plastics washing up on our beaches every day. Plastic can end up in the ocean by being blown from inland, lost overboard by ships, find its way to the sea down a storm drain or sewerage systems, lost from fishing boats, washed out of rubbish dumps and raw plastic escapes from plastic factories or treatment plants. Through education, we can teach people that connection and understanding the part that we all play.

But corporations and organisations contributing to these single-use products need to be held accountable and change their ways in order to achieve a cleaner, greener world”.

In the end however, The 2 Minute Foundation is committed to their core principle that little actions from each of us have a positive impact, and have provided day-to-day tips to help you reduce your consumption and carbon footprint. 

Tip 1: Use a refillable water bottle instead of buying single-use plastic bottles. Use a reusable coffee cup. If we all did, it would save 16-billion non-recyclable cups from being used each year.

Tip 2: Take your own bags when you go shopping instead of buying plastic bags.

Tip 3: Cut off plastic-packaging at the source and support your local economy. Shop at farmers’ markets, butchers, greengrocers and bakeries. Even better: visit a zero-waste store if you have one in your area. 

Tip 4: Refuse straws or use a reusable metal or bamboo one instead. Statistics show that 4.4 billion plastic straws are thrown away each year in the UK alone. Ending up in landfills, or worse, the ocean.

Tip 5: Minimise your plastic use in the bathroom. Choose shampoo, conditioner and soap bars. Try a bamboo toothbrush instead of a throwaway plastic one. 

Tip 6: Pick up litter around you. Not only is it good for the environment, it is good for your physical and mental wellbeing.

Interested in learning more about the other organisations and people that are protecting and improving nature? Meet The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics which is the other 2021 Arctic Fox Initiative recipient.

Working together against plastics.

The new Kånken art 21’ by Linn Fritz

By purchasing a Kånken Art product, you are supporting the Arctic Fox Initiative. 1 % of the sales of the Kånken Art ’21 products go directly to the Arctic Fox Initiative, this year focusing on Leave No Trace and The 2 Minute Foundation, two organisations that support the reduction of, and the cleaning up of plastic waste already out there.