This all-women sailing crew is working to eliminate plastic in the ocean

Emily Penn and her eXXpedition crew are fighting for cleaner oceans, free of plastic and other debris.

Penn is the co-founder of eXXpedition, an all-woman sailing crew that researches the effects of plastic in the oceans and how this harms all life. Penn calls herself an "ocean advocate," and strives to change the way people use plastic. She founded eXXpedition after seeing how much trash was in the world's water, and aims to get more women to study toxic pollution. The United Nations estimates 13 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year, and "we need a multi-disciplinary and multicultural approach to solving this problem," Penn told Time.

So far, Penn has led 11 scientific sailing expeditions, and in October, the eXXpedition crew will set sail for two years, studying plastic and micro-plastic in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, South Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. They not only conduct research, but also participate in community outreach programs. "We all share one ocean regardless of where we come from, so this is an issue that transcends all political boundaries and borders," Penn said. Catherine Garcia

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