Stoked to protect Washington's ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people!
So Long, 2023!
What a whirlwind of a year! It feels like our network is finally recovered from the impacts of COVID, with recent chapter elections and new leaders joining ECs, the most highly attended Cascadia Chapter Leadership Conference yet, an expanding Ocean Friendly Restaurant Program, a brand new Ocean Friendly Hotel Program, a successful Blue Water Task Force season, and tens of thousands of pounds of trash removed from beaches throughout Western Washington. It's hard to imagine that we hired our new Policy Manager, Pete Steelquist, way back in January, which was closely followed by a trifecta of coastal victories, including two huge wins for coastal resiliency as well as continued progress in our fight against plastic pollution. (Coincidence? I think not). Chapters are in full celebration mode, throwing volunteer appreciation and holiday parties to celebrate their incredible work and hard-won successes, and are gearing up for their annual strategic planning retreats and preparing for state and federal legislative advocacy efforts kicking off early next year. So enjoy this holiday season, and stay tuned for sending it in 2024!
~ Liz Schotman, Washington Regional Manager
Pete Steelquist, Washington Policy Manager
As the sun sets on another remarkable year, we at Surfrider Washington can't help but reflect on the incredible journey we've shared with our amazing community of ocean advocates and water recreation enthusiasts. This year has felt like a steadily building swell, full of new faces, fresh energy, epic cleanups, hard-earned victories, frustrating setbacks, and an overall sense of urgency to act balanced by the hope our activist network inspires. So let's take a moment to celebrate everything our volunteers' collective commitment to protecting our coastlines has accomplished this year!
Some highlights of 2023:
Chapters removed over 25,000 lbs of debris (over 135,000 lbs if you include all the cleanup efforts of our partners at Coastsavers!)
Double campaign victories for the Coast & Climate
Passage of the Trifecta Plastics Bill addressing three common sources of pollution
Successful Coastal Recreation Hill Days advocating for federal policies
Highest attended Cascadia Chapter Leadership Conference in PNW history
In late October, volunteers from across the PNW, including Chapter and Club leaders from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, representing 14 chapters and clubs, convened at the Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, WA to connect, collaborate, learn, and share. While there is never enough time to cover all the important topics or highlight all the amazing work of our network, I can’t express just how incredible it was to spend a weekend on Washington’s beautiful coast with the amazing volunteers and staff that make our organization what it is. Never is the power of our grassroots network more apparent than at these events - the collective energy, dedication, knowledge, and passion are what makes Surfrider such a powerful force for good. Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, planned, and otherwise contributed to making this year’s Cascadia Chapter Leadership Conference one for the record books!
Our conference just happened to coincide with the soft launch of our brand new Ocean Friendly Hotels Program! The OFH Program won't be fully operational until sometime in 2024, but it will function similarly to our nationally recognized and successful Ocean Friendly Restaurants Program. Hotels must follow a set of mandatory and optional criteria that focus on single-use plastic reduction, energy and water conservation, and more. Our volunteers and staff were stoked to spend a weekend at the Adrift, which offers easy beach access, incredible views from their 4th-floor OFR, the Pickled Fish, and plastic-free sustainable options at every turn. It was such an incredible opportunity to host our conference at a place that shares Surfrider’s stewardship values and vision for a healthy, resilient future for Washington’s coastal communities.
Last year the WRAP Act failed to pass the House of Representatives, but next year we're continuing the fight to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Washington. An EPR policy would make producers of packaging financially responsible for the pollution they create, thus incentivizing them to produce more sustainable (reusable, compostable, or truly recyclable) products. Our partners on the Plastic Free WA Coalition will be working to pass a similar bill during the upcoming legislative session, called the Re-WRAP Act, which will go a long way in reducing litter and improving recycling across the state. For more information on EPR and the Re-WRAP Act, check out our latest blog post below.
Everyone loves a good origin story. The history of Surfrider Foundation is a great example of local activists working to protect the places they love, as well as the power of grassroots to tackle important issues and grow into large movements with big impacts. We're in the process of documenting the history of Surfrider here in Washington and we need your help. If you've got some anecdotes, tall tales, myths, or legends, please send them to us! To share your stories about our early days, chapter formation, rad retro photos, and more, please fill out this short survey. Shout out to everyone who's already shared some choice anecdotes and incredible grainy photos!
We are coming to the end of our annual Membership Drive! Each year, chapters compete against each other for cash prizes based on who signs up/renews the most members, so don't wait! Any donation will make you a member, and proceeds go directly to supporting your chapter's local efforts to protect Washington's ocean, waves, and beaches. To ensure that your donations go to your local chapter, make sure you visit the chapter's website (links can be found using the button below) and click the 'Donate' button on the top right.
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