Travel bloggers organise effort to save eclipse glasses from landfill by transporting to US for next eclipse

Two American travel influencers are organising an effort to get as many eclipse glasses as possible from the Gascoyne to Texas, to save them from landfill and help disadvantaged students.

Brie and Gary Dexter, known as the Average Nomads, have been travelling through Australia and were in Exmouth for the total solar eclipse on April 20.

After seeing thousands of people in Exmouth and the Gascoyne grabbing their solar eclipse glasses, a question came about: what comes next?

“We just thought, are all these really going to go in landfill?” Ms Dexter said.

Formerly a science teacher before packing her bags, Ms Dexter saw an excellent opportunity to provide the glasses to her former class in the low-income school district of Hutto in Austin, Texas.

Texas will be blessed with two eclipses over the next year, with an annular eclipse on October 14, and then a total solar eclipse on April 8 next year, and the Average Nomads hope to help students see the events without their schools having to spend a fortune.

It started with the two asking eclipse chasers in Exmouth for glasses, but soon local shires and environmental groups got involved, and in a few days the bloggers had 4000 glasses, enough glasses for the entire Hutto Middle School.

“The support from local people has been amazing,” Ms Dexter said.

Now the couple are working with local groups to set up donation points where people can drop off their glasses, where they will be shipped to Texas, in the hope the entire school district will be able to receive glasses.

Ms Dexter said she hoped the generous local effort in the Gascoyne would help inspire students in the US.

“Who knows? One of these kids who goes outside and sees the eclipse could be making rockets in the future,” Ms Dexter.

These collection points can be found at Coral Bay Discovery, Ningaloo Bulk Foods, Ningaloo and Exmouth IGAs, the Shire of Exmouth, Shire of Coral Bay and Shire of Shark Bay, or they can be sent directly to Jason McAuliffe, 200 College Street, Hutto, TX 78634.