Coastal Blog
October 29 2012
Surfrider Dives into Ocean Planning on the East Coast
Ocean Ecosystems Marine Spatial Planning
The Surfrider Foundation is hiring staff in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to support our participation in regional ocean planning. Surfrider's goal in ocean planning is to protect special places and ensure that future development minimizes impacts to the environment and recreational uses.
October 26 2012
The surfonomics of Trestles
Surf Protection Surf Economics
We use Trestles, a famous suite of waves found in Southern California, as a case study to describe the basic the economics of a surf spot. Two important measures known as economic impact and economic value are described.
October 26 2012
One Foot At A Time - LAST CALL for Plastic Litter Mosaic Photos
As part of RAPtober, the Surfrider Foundation is proud to present the 2nd Annual ONE FOOT AT A TIME plastic clean-up event! This fun and exciting event, will bring together volunteers from across the country to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution by removing pieces of plastic trash…
October 25 2012
Plastic on Mars and the Arctic Seafloor
Rise Above Plastics Bag Bans Expanded Polystyrene Foam
Why are we taking plastic pollution to the ends of the earth and beyond? David Bowie famously asked whether there is Life on Mars but before we can confirm that either way we have managed to litter plastic on the red planet. Meanwhile, a study was recently released showing an…
October 22 2012
Campaign Planning Video
Plan before you ban. When considering plastic bag legislation - or any other campaign with a beginning, middle, and end - we can't underscore enough the importance of campaign planning. Surfrider's Northeast Regional Manager John Weber has seen the good, bad and ugly sides of campaigns over his tenure as…
October 21 2012
Another Victory for Beach Access in Maine!
Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine will be kept open to the public per a ruling by the State of Maine Superior Court on October 16, 2012.
October 19 2012
Beach Fill Comes to San Diego
Beachapedia Coastal Preservation Beach Dredge & Fill Surf Protection
San Diego County is currently pumping sand onto 8 beaches in the area. Surfrider's chapter is monitoring for impacts to surf spots.
October 19 2012
BWTF session at West Coast Summit
Leaders from more than a dozen chapters met during Surfrider's West Coast Summit in Ventura, California to learn more about each others' water testing programs and discuss common challenges and best practices.
October 17 2012
Happy Birthday Clean Water Act
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. It is a good time to celebrate its successes and to support a strong Clean Water Act to address water quality challenges in the years and decades to come.
October 17 2012
RAPTOBER - A Month Long Challenge to Rise Above Plastics
For the entire month of October the Surfrider Foundation is celebrating Raptober. We’re sharing plastic related facts, as well as tips on how to reduce your individual plastic footprint in an effort to raise awareness about the need to Rise Above Plastics to help protect the marine environment. RIGHT NOW…
October 12 2012
Funding News for Beach Water Testing Programs
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
While Congress has yet to pass a federal budget for next year, they did manage to agree on a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government in operation until March 31, 2013. This CR includes level funding to keep the EPA BEACH Grants program in operation.
October 12 2012
OFG Branching Out Through Teacher Training
Ocean Friendly Gardens Basic Class
The San Diego Surfrider Chapter utilized their current OFG Series (Class, Workshop, Workday) to train new teachers. More trained teachers mean being able to scale up the Program to educate and transform more gardens. Good timing: the Chapter is a partner on a large grant-funded program with the City, County…
October 11 2012
Taking OFG To The Streets: Parkway Curb Cut & Bio-Swale
After creating an Ocean Friendly Garden on this property, the owner went after street runoff. In water quality circles, it's referred to as LID, or Low Impact Development. But for the most part, it's removing asphalt and concrete barriers to landscape-based solutions.
September 28 2012
See You At The Summits
This weekend and next the Surfrider Foundation is hosting West Coast and East Coast Summits to help our activists be better chapter leaders through shared experiences, peer interactions, tangible tools and training. It's semi invite-only as you need to be involved with one of the local chapters and there are…
September 28 2012
Portland, OR Chapter Installs Their First Ocean Friendly Garden
After holding a class then conducting a planning workshop in the landscape to be retrofitted, volunteers came ready to build the garden - and celebrate afterwards with a BBQ!
September 26 2012
Skin Care In The Ocean
If you live near the coast it’s quite likely that your skin care products end up in the ocean. It’s generally not a big issue as most ingredients are made from sources that biodegrade but that appears to be changing. Recently scientists have been documenting microplastics on beaches and in…
September 25 2012
Haiti Bans Plastic Bags and Foam Foodware!
Rise Above Plastics Bag Bans Expanded Polystyrene Foam
News stories are circulating stating that Haiti’s government has announced a ban on plastic checkout bags and plastic foam foodware. “This is a logical decision and makes sense,” Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said. “Importing, manufacturing bio-degradable items will benefit Haiti’s short, mid- and long-term environmental interest.”
September 24 2012
Lawn Gone Without Chemicals
When the City Parks Department expressed uncertainty about killing turf grass without chemicals, the Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Surfrider Chapters brought out their (pitch)forks and got cooking in the garden with the lasagna method.
September 20 2012
Bag-Related Legislation Comes out of Sacramento
Legal Rise Above Plastics Bag Bans
This week California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1219 (Wolk) into law, extending the in-store recycling program for single-use plastic bags. Unlike the former version of this bill AB 2449 (2006), there is no local preemption for municipalities in California that want to require a charge for plastic bags.
September 20 2012
China Gets Tough on Plastic Recycling
Rise Above Plastics Bag Bans Expanded Polystyrene Foam
The mantra that big business seems to push is ‘Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!’, but at what cost? Many of the shipping containers that bring us goods from Asia don’t want to head back empty and in 2010 the #1 export from the U.S. to China was ‘Waste and Scrap.’ China recently…
