Drew Mouacdie is a tireless defender of Florida's beaches. By engaging with the community and local students at beach cleanups, Drew is building a groundwsell of activism to fight plastic pollution and instill a sense of stewarship for place in Miami. Read below for more on his journey with the Surfrider Foundation!
Q: Why and when did you get involved with the Surfrider Foundation?
I first started volunteering with Surfrider during my sophomore year after a group of seniors who ran the club graduated and passed it down to me. The club at the University of Miami (UM) was founded in the late nineties!
Q: What are some local issues that are affecting your ocean, waves and beaches?
Water quality and plastic pollution are the two most prominent that we see locally.
Q: What Surfrider projects have you worked on?
As a club, we have worked to clean up the dunes and beaches of Miami. We had four clean-ups this semester with an average of 15 volunteers per cleanup. We removed 75 gallons of trash (15 buckets full) from Miami’s beaches including Hobie Beach on Virginia Key and South Pointe Park on Miami Beach. In addition, we taught club members to surf at South Beach, creating a fun service environment. Protect and enjoy!
Q: What has been the highlight of your Surfrider experience (i.e., campaign, program, victory)?
I am most stoked about a recent cleanup we had where over 30 students showed up to surf and serve the community!
Q: What is the most important thing you tell others about Surfrider?
You don't have to know how to surf to join!
Q: Why are you a Surfrider coastal defender (or why is being a Surfrider coastal defender important to you)?
Growing up in Southern California, I took for granted having clean beaches and it wasn't until I moved to Miami that I realized not every beach has a community dedicated to its preservation.
Q: Anything else?
Surfrider is such a rad organization to be a part of and I am thankful for the support of Ryan Cruse, the Student Club Manager, as well as the national organization for all the work that they do.
Find your nearest chapter or student club at surfrider.org/chapters or support Surfrider's coastal defenders at surfrider.org/support-surfrider!