Ian Kiernan

Ian Kiernan: As an avid sailor and an ‘average Australian bloke’, Ian Kiernan had always dreamt about sailing around the world. In 1987 his dream came true when he sailed through the oceans of the world in his yacht. He was shocked and disgusted by the pollution and rubbish that he continually encountered in areas such as the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean. Once back in Sydney Ian enlisted the help of his friends and cleaned up Sydney Harbour. More than 40,000 Sydneysiders donated their time and energy to clean up the harbour. After gaining the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Clean Up the World was launched in 1993. In its inaugural year, Clean Up the World involved approximately 30 million people from 80 countries.