Lizzie Carr

Meet Lizzie Carr

After a cancer diagnosis at 26, Lizzie took up paddle boarding to aid recovery, eventually leaving her job and dedicating her time to campaigning. In just three years Lizzie completed three world firsts on a paddle board, catapulting her one-woman environmental crusade against plastic pollution, into her globally recognised non-profit Planet Patrol.

Lizzie is the first person in history to paddle board the length of England’s waterways, solo and unsupported. She completed the 400-mile journey in 22 days, plotting more than 20,000 examples of plastic waste. She is the first female in history to solo paddle board across the English Channel. This record breaking seven-hour crossing was more than a feat of endurance, Lizzie used this expedition to gather data and highlight the impact of micro plastic contamination in our oceans. She then conquered New York’s tidal Hudson River – all 170 miles – in just eight days.

Lizzie’s best-selling book Paddling Britain was released in 2018. She has also penned articles for a number of magazines, national and broadsheet newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Mail, Metro, The London Economic, Vice, UniLAD, The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, and The Times.

Named in the ‘Top 10 Female Climate Activists’ by Stylist, MarieClaire and Glamour magazines, she was also named Stylist’s ‘Inspiration Of The Year’ at the Remarkable Women Awards in 2020. She has also been listed as a ‘LinkedIn Changemaker’, received the Prime Minister’s ‘Points Of Light’ award, and in 2021 received an MBE for her outstanding contribution to environmental work and activism.

Lizzie is also Founder and CEO of Planet Patrol, a non-profit movement and crowd sourcing app combining community action and disruptive technology to tackle wider issues affecting freshwater environments. To date, almost half a million pieces of litter have been recorded in the app across 113 countries.

A regular contributor on Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4) and Sky News. Lizzie is also the host of the hit podcast Earth Shakers, which recently finished its successful second series.

Media highlights also include: The One Show (BBC One), BBC, ITV and Channel 5 News, The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), The Daily Climate Show (Sky), Politics Live (BBC Two), Chris Evan’s Breakfast Show (Virgin Radio).

She has also shared her story in front of live audiences at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place, Latitude and Wilderness Festivals.

Her story is about endurance, inspiration, survival and determination to make a difference both in her own life and for the planet. She challenges policy and disrupts the government agenda through scientific insight and campaigns. Most recently, Lizzie is calling for an outright ban on plastic bags in the UK, and launched her campaign with an open letter to the Environment Minister, co-signed by cross party MP support, public figures, celebrities and scientists.