A Turkish-American adventurer who became the first person in history to complete a solo human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth and a 17-time Guinness World record holder has urged local residents to stop polluting rivers and control plastic consumption to save the environment.

While in Ilocos Norte province on Monday to talk about his epic solo rowing adventure across the Pacific, Erden Eruç, 61, also took the opportunity to meet with local officials and the people around to share his advocacy, particularly on plastic pollution.

“Plastic materials should be collected and disposed of properly. It should absolutely stay out of streams, creeks, and rivers and also the ocean because that is where it ends up eventually,” he said advising locals to reduce their plastic consumption.

Timed with the seasons, Eruç arrived in Currimao town, Ilocos Norte on Jan. 29, 2023, with his titanium bike and he is expected to leave the port of Currimao on Feb. 17 with his rowboat bound for Vietnam as part of his round-the-world adventure.

He uses a rowboat to cross the oceans, a sea kayak for shorelines, a bicycle on the roads, and hiking on trails, along with canoes for crossing rivers.

Showing raw photos of plastic debris he took along the way as well as bird carcasses with plastic materials found inside them, he said there is no such thing as planet B, hence, the need to protect the only one we live on.

As the population grows every year, he said people should rethink plastic use, reiterating all plastic wastes in seas and oceans come from land, whether it is dumped by people or carried away by trade winds and currents.

Fortunately in Ilocos Norte, the global adventurer and environmentalist said there is not much plastic garbage scattered in its coastal waters.

He thanked local leaders and the community for their warm welcome and hospitality as he urged them to do their share in beating plastic pollution.

For his part, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc thank Eruç for inspiring the people of the province, as reducing plastic pollution has been one of his top agendas when he earlier approved the purchase of garbage compactors and distributed them to the different local government units.

In compliance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, or Republic Act 9003, the local chief executives of Ilocos Norte also vowed to have their own operational sanitary landfills to ensure that plastic wastes are disposed of properly. (PNA)