Coastal Blog
January 27 2012
Leatherback Sea Turtles Get Protection Along West Coast
Coastal Preservation Know Your H20 Desalination Ocean Ecosystems Rise Above Plastics
Regulators designated nearly 42,000 square miles of ocean on the West Coast as critical habitat for endangered leatherback sea turtles, protecting them from ocean-related development projects and pollution.
January 27 2012
Surfing Access in Chicago
By now much of the surfing world has heard the story about Rex Flodstrom getting arresting for surfing in Lake Michigan at Oak Beach in Chicago. The story of his arrest and the outrage that surfing is illegal that ensued, including the likes of Kelly Slater, was heavily covered in…
January 26 2012
OFG Taking Root in Pacific Northwest With Soil & Water Conservation Districts
Ocean Friendly Gardens Basic Class GAP HOW
Surfrider chapters in Oregon and Washington are working with watershed restoration agencies, expanding on the traditional "rain garden" design model and putting on hands-on trainings.
January 24 2012
New Rise Above Plastics Print PSA’s from Pollinate
Check out these great new print PSA's that Pollinate Agency in Portland, OR created for Surfrider's Rise Above Plastics program!
January 24 2012
Sewer Mining - Weird Term but an Idea That Makes Sense
Know Your H20 Wastewater Water Recycling
In the area around Sydney, Australia, several private organizations have found a new dependable source of water for irrigation and other non-potable uses - the sewer. The idea is to tap into sewer lines, treat the water to make it suitable for irrigation, and thereby save drinking water for -…
January 23 2012
Stiv on Bag Ban Campaign Planning
I recently caught up with 5 Gyres Communications and Policy Director / Surfrider activist Stiv Wilson to get some of his insight on planning for a successful plastic reduction campaign. Stiv has a wealth of knowledge from sailing in three of the five gyres to being one of the many…
January 20 2012
White House Releases Draft Ocean Plan - Time to Speak Out!
The Obama Administration has released its draft National Ocean Policy action plan, outlining more than 50 actions the U.S. will take to protect our nation’s oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.
January 18 2012
New Beach Water Quality Standards?
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Illness
As surfers, swimmers and beach goers we rely on water quality monitoring to know if it is safe to go into the ocean. That monitoring relies on water quality standards to determine your risk of getting sick. EPA has reassessed those standards, and Surfrider is weighing in on them.
January 12 2012
Surfrider Comments on 5 Year Offshore Drilling Plan
Surfrider recently submitted comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on the Draft 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Programmatic EIS
January 12 2012
Don’t Waste Water: Recycle Wastewater
Know Your H20 Wastewater Water Recycling
The National Research Council has just released a report that clarifies what we already knew, using marginally more energy in the treatment process can purify our wastewater so that it’s safe to drink, and do it at a fraction of the cost of ocean desalination or importing freshwater long distances.
January 11 2012
Another One Bites The Dust - SLO Bag Ban Passes!
San Luis Obispo County County Integrated Waste Management Authority had a 'super vote' for the first time in their history and a super majority of board members passed one of the first countywide plastic bag bans in the U.S. This one covers both the unincorporated areas and all incorporated cities…
January 09 2012
Ban The Bag on Portlandia
Cheers to the Surfrider Foundation Portland Chapter for making such an impact with their successful Ban The Bag campaign that it landed on the Independent Film Channel's hit series Portlandia! It's a funny show and this is a great parody on petitioning. New episodes Fridays at 10, check your cable…
January 06 2012
Florida’s Coastal and Ocean Future: An Updated Blueprint for Economic and Environmental Leadership
Beachapedia Coastal Preservation Ocean Ecosystems Water Quality
This updated report is the latest from the Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition, which Surfrider Foundation is a member, and addresses Florida's most challenging coastal and marine topics and recommends actions for protecting and preserving the future of Florida's coasts and oceans.
January 05 2012
Public Meetings on San Onofre Ocean Energy Project: Jan 24 in Dana Point
Public meetings on the San Onofre Ocean Energy Project are scheduled for January 24 in Dana Point. The proposed project would utilize Ocean Wave Electricity Generation (OWEG) units to convert the energy from ocean waves into electrical power.
January 04 2012
South Coast Region Marine Protected Areas
Ocean Ecosystems Marine Protected Areas
After a multi-year process with dozens of hearings and meetings to establish the boundaries and rules for a new network of marine protected areas (MPAs), the South Coast Region MLPA went into effect on January 1, 2012. The law created MPAs along about 10% of the Southern California coast. Read…
January 01 2012
What was the first plastic item that you touched this year?
Maybe it was a cheap champagne glass at midnight or the tv remote control after watching some of the celebrations. Maybe you slept through the turn of the calendar and it was your alarm clock or toilet seat first thing in the morning. For me, it was the case on…
December 23 2011
Surfrider Foundation Briefs the Appellate Court for Marine Life Protection
Know Your H20 Desalination Legal
On December 28, 2011, Surfrider Foundation filed an appellate brief articulating our opposition to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board’s approval of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant without proper analyses of the appropriate site, design, and technology that would minimize harm to coastal resources. Additionally, the project approval allowed…
December 21 2011
Rincón Chapter Marine Debris Removal & Education Program
Ocean Ecosystems Marine Protected Areas
With funding provided by NOAA, the Surfrider Foundation Rincón chapter is working on their third marine debris removal and prevention project along the west coast of Puerto Rico. Check out this video update on the project.
December 20 2011
Flotsam Clusters - Nothing New
Check out this rad artwork! I'm usually hesitant to glorify trash and marine debris but I love this work from Lowell Nickel and wanted to pass it along. Plastic trash and litter is easily ignored by most people but these works highlight how durable and everlasting it can be. Next…
December 19 2011
What does a 3% increase in violent crimes have to do with a plastic bag ban?
Nothing, it's just a scare tactic. In advance of the Seattle City Council vote on a plastic bag ban for the city that passed 9-0(!), a major plastic bag manufacturer started running an opposition ad in Seattle newspapers that could be described as scare tactics. Why else would they include…
