Coastal Blog
September 2011
September 29 2011
A New Beach Bill in the Senate
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
The Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2011 has just been introduced into the U. S. Senate by Senators Frank Lautenberg, a democrat from NJ, and Mark Kirk, a republican from Illinois.
September 27 2011
Simon Cowell is a Plastic Litterbug
I am going to confess to a guilty pleasure here and admit that I like to watch some of the talent competition television shows. Last week I tuned into the season premiere of The X Factor and was impressed by the talent but bummed to learn that Simon is a…
September 22 2011
Surfrider Foundation Jointly Sues EPA for Lack of Study on Oil Dispersants
Today, Surfrider Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Environment jointly filed an official Notice of Intent to Sue against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allowing the use of toxic oil dispersants without ensuring that these chemicals would not harm our coastal environment and coastal users. The 60-day notice…
September 21 2011
Paddle for Clean Water
Both the San Diego and DC Chapters held their annual Paddles for Clean Water this past weekend, September 17th & 18th.
September 20 2011
Big Turnout in Santa Barbara, CA for Hands-On Workshop on Site Evaluation
Evaluating a landscape is the first step in creating an Ocean Friendly Garden. We check the existing irrigation, vegetation, soil health and degree of runoff, then calculate rainwater harvesting potential and and a landscape "water budget." This information gives us the data and ideas to build into the redesign of…
September 19 2011
Marin County Wins Over the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition in Court
On September 15, 2011, Marin County Superior Court issued its ruling upholding the Marin County plastic bag ban in the case entitled Save The Plastic Bag Coalition v. County of Marin. The Court ruled that Marin County acted properly in relying upon a “categorical exemption” from the California Environmental Quality…
September 19 2011
San Diego’s Water Purification Demonstration Project Wins Award
The WateReuse Association has recognized San Diego’s Water Purification Demonstration Project for the “2011 WateReuse Public Education Program of the Year Award." Along with examining the use of advanced water purification technology to potentially provide safe and reliable water for San Diego’s future (at less cost and with less environmental…
September 19 2011
Program Expansion in Puerto Rico
Blue Water Task Force Partnerships Youth
The Rincon Chapter's BWTF expands further into Isabella with the help of the their local partner Rescate Playas Isabela, the Ramey School in Aguadilla, and the Newport Beach Surfrider Chapter.
September 15 2011
Top Ten Ways to Rise Above Plastics!
Has the world gone plastic? It may seem that way sometimes but it's easy to reduce your impact. I'm typing on plastic keys right now and my fifteen year stereo has some plastic parts so I'm not going to say all plastics are evil. But some are. As the oceans…
September 15 2011
Sewage Disks Removed from New England Beaches
The New Hampshire Chapter was credited along with other NGOs for being instrumental in helping remove sewage disks from beaches after they were released from a NH wastewater treatment plant earlier this year.
September 15 2011
Chico Bag Fends Off Lawsuit from Single-Use Bag Industry
The ChicoBag Company, makers of reusable bags, has announced that the lawsuit filed against it by Hilex Poly Company, LLC, Superbag Operating, LTD., and Advance Polybag, Inc. – three of the largest domestic manufacturers of disposable single-use plastic bags – has ended. Chico was sued in January under the Lanham…
September 13 2011
Welcome Vancouver!
The Vancouver Surfrider Chapter is one of the most recent additions to the Blue Water Task Force.
September 12 2011
How much does it cost to clean up plastic bags?
Listed by Guinness World Records in 2010 as the 'Most Ubiquitous Consumer Item', many people view plastic carryout bags as free but there are hidden costs that can affect us all. First, it cost the stores money to purchase any type of bag they are giving you. Some stores view…
September 09 2011
California Foam Phase Out On Hold
California Senate Bill 568 has placed on the 'inactive file' and has been moved to a two-year bill as Senator Alan Lowenthal decided to hold off bringing SB 568 to a full Assembly vote. Now, it's a two-year bill and will be brought back during next year's legislative session. This…
September 08 2011
Going Green But Getting it Wrong
A response to EDF economist Gernot Wagner's NY Time Op-Ed, " Going Green but Getting Nowhere"
September 06 2011
Ocean Energy Interview with Kurt Grossman of Genergy
The Surfrider Foundation is striving to support clean, renewable, low-impact sources of energy. As part of that effort, we are sharing stories about members who are actively working to develop low impact renewable ocean energy projects. We kick of the series with an interview with Kurt Grossman, the CTO &…
September 04 2011
Making Beaches Smaller for Safety
Coastal Preservation Beach Dredge & Fill
Cape May, NJ is planning to have the Army Corps remove sand from one of their many replenished beaches. The volume of sand is causing a steep beach which in turn leads to increased number of shorebreak injuries; many of them c-spine injuries.
September 02 2011
2011 Enviro Intern Clara Cartwright works on Beach Ecology
Clara Cartwright is the 2011 Dillon Henry Memorial Intern in the Environmental Department of the Surfrider Foundation. Clara has been working on improving the Beach Ecology indicator for our State of the Beach report and is finalizing some case studies on best practices for considering beach ecology while managing beaches.…
