Since 2017, Sanuk has supported the Surfrider Foundation's work along the stretch of California coastline that they call home— an area we have deemed “2 Miles of Smiles”— to protect clean water and healthy beaches alongside the Santa Barbara and Isla Vista chapters. Last week, our friends at Sanuk came out to provide some hands-on support for the Isla Vista Chapter's awesome work with an early morning beach cleanup and informational lab tour, where the chapter shared insight on their local water quality testing efforts and results.
Founded in California in 1997, Sanuk is a surf lifestyle brand and takes its name from the Thai word for “fun,” and like Surfrider, the Sanuk team understands the importance of protecting the places we play— a philosophy we collectively call “Protecting Your Happy Place.” For Sanuk, this means protecting their backyard in Goleta, California, and the surrounding area for this and future generations to enjoy. “Sanuk takes pride in championing the causes that protect the happy places that are incredibly special to us, including our coastal communities, beaches and ocean,” said Magnus Wedhammar, Sanuk GM.
Beyond their contributions to Surfrider's programs, Sanuk continues to encourage and emphasize the important of activism, positive personal habit shifts, and volunteering throughout their entire team, from athletes and ambassadors, to employees, to fans and customers. Last year, our collaborative Instagram-based ULearn series helped Surfrider raise greater awareness about plastic pollution by exploring the various layers of Surfrider's work to prevent and reduce the problem, and provided ways to join the movement right from your screen.
With a deep focus on protecting a specific region, Sanuk's support has helped empower the students at UC Santa Barbara to grow and improve their programs over the past two years, and the chapter's Blue Water Task Force is thriving. Pictured below, Isla Vista Chapter BWTF Coordinator, Shawn Mallen, walks us through the water testing process, from which the IV Chapter helps to inform the community about local water quality.
Thanks to the Sanuk team's awesome dedication to Surfrider's mission, we've collected upwards of 100 pounds of trash together, with about 100 people, on two beaches in 2019. Learn more about our partnership with Sanuk here.