Former Swimmer Of Charles, Hudson & Columbia Rivers Set To Launch TOXTOUR

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 25, 2008 – On Wed., July 9th,  Christopher Swain will fill up his backpack with used electronics and begin a 775 mile hike from Burlington, Vermont, to Washington, DC.  The primary purpose of Swain's effort, known as the TOXTOUR, is to launch a nationwide campaign to ethically recycle one billion pounds of used electronics (the discarded and toxic-laden TVs, PCs, cell phones and other devices commonly known as "e-waste").

Christopher will carry a 60 pound pack of e-waste on his back, and will hike an average of ten miles per day. He will log approximately seventy-five walking days, taking breaks from his journey to spend time with his family, meet with schoolchildren, and lobby government officials for e-waste legislation that meets the highest international and ethical standards.

Swain and his crew plan to collect used electronics from people they meet on their journey, and to work with teachers to create cross-curricular teaching tools designed to help schoolchildren find solutions to the problems posed by man-made toxics.

"I am already part of the e-waste problem.  I want to be part of the solution,” said Swain, whose route will take him through Montpelier,VT, Concord, NH, Boston, MA, Hartford, CT, New York, NY, Trenton, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Dover, DE, and Annapolis, MD on his way to the nation's capital.

Swain previously swam the entire lengths of the Charles, Hudson, and Columbia Rivers as well as Lake Champlain, to highlight the need for universal access to clean water.  In those waterways, he stroked through a troubling cocktail of man-made toxics.  Through his new campaign, the TOXTOUR, Swain hopes to protect ecosystems and people--including his two young daughters--from many of the same toxic chemicals and heavy metals that he encountered on his swims.

Christopher will take periodic breaks from his hike to deliver the e-waste he collects to WeRecycle's ethical electronics recycling facilities in Mount Vernon, NY and Meriden CT, where it will be dismantled, reused, and recycled in accordance with the highest international and ethical standards--not a single pound will be dumped in a solid waste landfill, incinerated, or exported to a developing country.

To help launch the TOXTOUR, Christopher sold his S.U.V. and used the proceeds to purchase a diesel pickup truck and convert it to run on waste vegetable oil--a carbon-neutral transportation solution. The vegetable oil-powered truck, driven by a crew member, will follow Swain as he walks, pulling a trailer they will fill with e-waste.

Swain and his crew also plan to run an environmentally-sustainable expedition. In addition to the vegetable oil-powered truck, Swain will be transparent about his key operational and personal choices. For example, he will disclose the food he eats, the clothes and shoes he wears, the energy he uses, and the transportation choices he makes, as well as the thinking behind those choices, on his web site: www.toxtour.org.

Christopher and his crew will depend on the generosity of the folks they meet as they travel. They hope to find lodging with friends they make along the way, and to stage educational events with schools, churches, camps and other organizations along their route.  Swain plans to arrive in Washington, DC in late fall.

Media: For interviews, photos, and information, please contact Christopher Swain at 617 233-4120 or christopher@toxtour.org, or call Sue McGovern at 781 648 7157 or sue@mcgov.com.