Coastal Blog
March 15 2012
Rise Above Plastics this St. Patricks Day!
St. Patrick's Day is a festive time for many people and a perfect day to truly be green. Leave the dye out of the river, but bring out the green clothes for sure. On the plastics front, leave the disposable items at home when you go to the local parade.…
March 14 2012
Help Celebrate the Clean Water Act’s 40th Anniversary
The Clean Water Act was signed into law 40 years ago. Here are 5 things you can do to help celebrate the CWA's 40th anniversary.
March 14 2012
Clean Water Act 40th Anniversary
The Clean Water Act was signed into law 40 years ago in response to massive water pollution problems in this country. We rely on the Clean Water Act to make sure that our waters remain clean for drinking, swimming, fishing and of course, surfing.
March 12 2012
Tsunami Debris – Coming to a beach near you?
Rise Above Plastics Tsunami Debris
This past Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan with devastating force and sadly took thousands of lives. As Japan continues to rebuild the most impacted areas, much of the international chatter over the past few months has been about a field of…
March 06 2012
The Clean Water Program
Blue Water Task Force Know Your H20 Ocean Friendly Gardens Water Quality
The Clean Water Program has grown into a suite of complementary programs, campaigns and tools that Chapters and activists can use to help solve water pollution problems and to educate communities about the many benefits of responsible land and water management.
March 03 2012
Surfrider Hits the Nation’s Capital
Legal Rise Above Plastics Water Quality Oil Spill
This past week Surfrider Foundation staff visited Washington DC to promote our federal priorities on Capitol Hill. As a grassroots organization, our federal priorities stem from the work of the over 80 local Chapters in the United States. The common issues that have risen to the top of our local…
March 02 2012
The Plastic Bag Dominos Continue To Fall
It's been a good week for the environment as more cities embrace meaningful plastic bag reductions. (For a list of ineffective plastic bag reductions, see yesterday's blog post) In Southern California, Laguna Beach finalized their plastic carryout bag ban while Carpinteria and Ojai passed first readings of their own bag…
March 01 2012
No Surprise - San Diego’s Recycled Water is Better Than Imported Water
The City of San Diego’s Water Purification Demonstration Project has been on-line since last summer, and based on a report issued February 1, the purified water met all drinking water standards, which included testing for more than 300 compounds. In fact, it did even better than that. The City also…
March 01 2012
Voluntary Plastic Bag Reductions Don’t Work
As carryout plastic bag usage in the United States soars over 100 billion (115 billion now by one estimate), more cities and states are looking at ways to reduce litter and the impacts of plastic bags. Bag recycling programs have been set up across the country but as bag recycling…
February 27 2012
Hold On To Your Butt!
Hold On To Your Butt is a Surfrider Foundation campaign aimed at eliminating cigarette butt litter and pollution because of the impact on beaches and the ocean. Cigarette butt litter is a big issue because butts are the most littered item in the world and most butts are made of…
February 22 2012
Plastic Videos
One of the coolest parts of the Rise Above Plastics program is sharing some of the video projects that activists work on. Check out these great efforts from Marty Benson in San Diego County and Joanna Priestley/Create Plenty in Portland, OR.
February 16 2012
OFG Launch in Florida and North Carolina
Florida's First Coast Chapter and North Carolina's Cape Fear Chapter launch their Ocean Friendly Gardens Programs. They have quickly found common ground with local design professionals, government agencies, non-profits and universities.
February 15 2012
Obama to end beach water quality monitoring?
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Illness
By defunding the Beach Grant Program, the Obama Administration is about to put you and your kids at risk next time you swim in the ocean.
February 10 2012
Surf ‘n ORGANIC Turf
The author of the book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual, gives a thumbs-up for Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens Program and sign criteria.
February 10 2012
California Coast Protected by Largest No-Discharge Zone in the Nation!
The federal Environmental Protection Agency approved a California Sewage Ban and Created the Largest Coastal No-Discharge Zone in the Nation on February 9, 2012.
February 08 2012
Do you need a bulldozer to cleanup your beach?
I sure hope not. I have seen photos of large equipment scooping litter out of Ballona Creek in LA, insane plastic pollution in the Tijuana River Valley near the Mexican border at the Pacific Ocean and large beach raking machines are common in many tourist areas but these photos from…
February 06 2012
Safer to Play in the Sand? Maybe Not
Some parents concerned about exposing their children to polluted water at the beach may advise their kids to stay on the beach and play in the sand. According to a new EPA study, that may not always protect them from getting sick. Testing at beaches in Alabama and Rhode Island,…
February 02 2012
Beachapedia Named ‘Wiki of the Month’
We are pleased to announce that our Beachapedia website has been named 'Wiki of the Month' by the folks at Semantic MediaWiki. From their announcement: "Beachapedia is a wiki that captures decades of experience and knowledge gained by Surfrider Foundation activists, scientists and staff through hundreds of environmental and educational…
January 31 2012
Plastic In The Food Chain
Remember the plastic bag sushi ad we posted last week? While it's a bit extreme, it does show the underlying truth that the ocean is turning into a plastic soup and plastic is entering the food chain through the fish we eat. While most people are concerned with larger types…
January 28 2012
Being an Effective Voice for the Environment
On January 26, 2012, the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of California presented a public workshop entitled “Your Voice: The Public’s Role in Environmental Decision-Making.” This blog outlines some of the take-home messages from that workshop.
