How did you kick off summer last week?
We kicked it off by celebrating Surfrider Foundation’s 10-year anniversary of International Surfing Day on Friday and throughout the weekend with more than 150 events around the world—82 in the United States—with about 30,000 people in 23 countries participating in beach cleanups, environmental projects, paddle outs, surf contests, yoga sessions, and more.
Our 200-plus-chapter network, including high school clubs and affiliates around the world, generally host monthly beach cleanups. However, International Surfing Day was one of our largest events embodying our mission to not only protect, but to enjoy the world’s oceans, waves and beaches.
The beach is our playground and it’s our responsibility to take care of it. Plastic bottles and bags, fast food containers and cigarette butts, are the most common type of trash found on our beaches. Thanks to this year’s participants, more than 22,000 pounds of trash were removed from our coastal environments—totaling about 80 tons since its inception 10 years ago.
During the last 30 years, we’ve had countless coastal victories. Since 2006, we’ve counted more than 260, however the biggest are the unseen victories. At the end of the day, our success is because of the people—volunteers—who pitch in, roll up their sleeves and have the willingness to get dirty.
