One man committed to clean world major rivers around
December 21st , 2019 | Lochie Burke
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Committed to environment conservation and restoration
My name is Lochie Burke, I am an Australian entrepreneur who studied Economics in Sydney. After finishing University I co-founded a Drone Technology & Unmanned Systems company JAR Aerospace where we designed and built Drones for the Australian Defence Force and other bespoke clients with complex requirements. I then co-founded JAR Education, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training and education company that provided students from as young as 10 years old and as old as final year university with engaging and modern learning modules and experiences linked to modern technology.
Following success with JAR, I decided to leave the company and chase what I believe is my purpose in playing a significant role in environmental conservation and restoration. I set up the company Bouddi Solutions with my business partner Olly Kamp, and we committed 50% of our profits to cleaning the worlds major waste Rivers, starting with the Ganges in India.
We are funding 100% of operations ourselves and believe in the comprehensive surface cleaning, public awareness and education plan we have created to ensure impactful success.
Ocean are under threat with waste around
I came to India and Kolkata for the first time in 2017 to meet with a then prospective business partner (and now very good friend and business partner) Meghdut Chowdhury, Director of Techno India Group to explore the opportunities in the emerging Drone market in India and the trade potential between India and Australia. The city, country and people got me hooked and as a result I have now been back 7 times including one extended stay where I lived in Kolkata during 2019.
The worlds Oceans are under serious threat and it is really now or never to save them. Considering 90% of the worlds Ocean Pollution comes from just 10 rivers (one of which is the Ganges) I didn't really need a trigger I just knew I needed to get started. The Ghats are a micro example of the impact we plan to have along the whole river, multiplied from Kolkata.
I have been fortunate to receive a lot of support which has been great, but I think it also reinforces peoples recognition of the problem. A lot of people potentially thought I was crazy leaving a successful and thriving Drone company in Australia to try and tackle such an issue (not to mention the personal money I spent to do so) but at the end of the day, Olly and I believe it is the right thing to do and that is what matters.
Will and people to make a real difference
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The first Clean Up Drive was on Sunday the 1st of September and it was absolutely amazing! The turn out of passionate people was so inspiring for everyone involved and showed the community that we have the will and the people to make a real difference, to make a mark.
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I travel back and forth when necessary for Bouddi's business in Australia (which funds the project). In Kolkata, we have hired an amazing Project Manager Enakshi Majumder who is in charge of the Clean Up and its operations along with our key partner Y-East/Techno India Group and the incredible Pauline Laravoire and Meghdut Chowdhury.
Clean up Drive - Plan to grow it bigger
Pauline and Meghdut are truly amazing people with fantastic organizations, Olly and I could not do it without their support, hard work and dedication to the cause. Pauline and Meghdut were some of the first people Olly and I spoke to about our plans and were there every step of the way from then. They have been instrumental in fleshing out the idea, providing local contextual knowledge and helping with execution. They are both incredible examples of champions for the city of Kolkata.
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I plan to grow the Ganges River Clean Up 100x its current size and restore the Ganga's condition. Once we are successful on the Ganga we will focus on the Indus River, and then onto the next 8 rivers in the worlds top 10 polluters. I am fortunate to be working with incredible people every day in an area we all care about. It leaves me very excited for 2020 and what is ahead of us all
The author of the story is Lochie Burke, Founder of ‘Bouddi Solutions' and you can reach out to him at lochie.burke@bouddi.org
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