Q: How and when did your Student Club form?
Irvine, California's University High School Surfrider Foundation Club was formed in the winter of 2022 by some of my peers in my grade. They started the club because they were passionate about protecting our oceans and love to surf, go to the beach, scuba dive, and participate in many other ocean-related activities.
Q: Why did you want to join a Surfrider Student Club?
The ocean is one of my favorite places and I am passionate about protecting it so people like me can experience everything it has to offer. As someone who loves studying marine life, going to the beach, and scuba diving, I feel obligated to give back and protect something that brings me such much joy.
Q: What are some environmental issues that are affecting your local community?
I live in Southern California, only 20 minutes away from the ocean, and it’s evident that plastic pollution and littering in general is affecting our coastlines and local beaches. We also deal with occasional oil spills from large container ships and undersea pipelines north of here. Especially in the summer, there is ongoing risk of drought and air quality issues from nearby fires and vehicle emissions.
Q: What Surfrider projects has your club worked on?
We have participated in a number of local beach cleanups with the Surfrider North Orange County Chapter and won the Most Team Pounds Award (around 120 pounds) at the Spring Cleanup in 2023. As we moved forward post-pandemic, we were able to elevate the club’s involvement in projects outside of beach cleanups alone.
We have repeatedly advocated for a Plastic Reduction Ordinance in the City of Irvine through giving public comment at city council meetings. We worked to gather students from other schools in our district to have as many people as possible represent the Surfrider Foundation at these meetings and some other city council events. We also had our AP Environmental Science and Biology students, along with the club, send postcards to the White House in support of a Global Plastics Treaty.
Q: Are there any specific projects that your club has worked on that have benefited your community?
During my senior year of high school, I became heavily involved in the drafting and advocating for a Plastic Reduction Ordinance within the city of Irvine. In July 2023, the memo requesting for the drafting of a Plastic Reduction Ordinance passed unanimously, which was a huge win for our city. In November 2023, the ordinance made it onto the agenda but unfortunately did not pass.
Despite that, I still believe this entire experience has benefited our community in a variety of ways as we were able to connect with so many other people who share the same beliefs and passions. There were over 100 people present to give public comments in support of the ordinance, and many of them waited over six hours to speak. I think that being there to witness the amount of people that are willing to support a cause provides people with hope that they can be a part of influencing change for a better future.
Q: What has been the highlight of your club's experience?
Gathering individuals from our club, city, and beyond to speak at city council meetings in support of the Plastic Reduction Ordinance. Our team has worked together to form a small activist group known as Plastic Free Irvine where we spread awareness about the ordinance through social media, working closely with the North OC Surfrider chapter. We were able to have people from clubs around the Irvine Unified School District, various local Surfrider Foundation Chapters, members from the California Public Interest Research Group UCI, and other climate organizations attend several city council meetings.
It’s inspiring to see people from all ages, backgrounds, and regions show their support in their own unique ways, and it’s so powerful when everyone comes together to support a cause they are truly passionate about. Throughout this experience I have found a community of people that support one another and work hard for what they believe in.
Q: Do you have any personal experiences or campaigns/issues that your club is passionate about where the social justice and environmental movements have intersected?
Throughout the second half of my junior year of high school and entire senior year, I spent a significant amount of time working with city council members, Surfrider Foundation chairs and leaders from multiple chapters, and other members of environmental organizations to advocate for a Plastic Reduction Ordinance to be drafted. I attended an Environmental Roundtable Discussion hosted by a city council member, frequently communicated with their senior executive assistant, met with members from Surfrider Foundation, Sierra Club, OC Climate Coalition, and CALPIRG UCI to spread awareness and push for the Ordinance.
I created a social media account called Plastic Free Irvine with the help of my fellow Events Coordinator for the UHS Surfrider Foundation Club to help spread information about the upcoming city council meetings. We marketed the upcoming council meetings where the topic would be on the agenda to raise awareness and gather people to come to the meetings and provide public comment in support of the item. The North OC Surfrider Foundation also used a few of our posts on their own Instagram to do the same.
This entire experience showed me that it is very possible to incite change if you truly care about an issue, and to not be afraid to speak out on what you believe in. You’ll find people who will support you and learn so much about yourself and others all while working toward a common goal to improve the world around you.
Q: Why is being a part of the Surfrider ocean conservation community important to your club?
Our involvement allows us to connect with other people who care about the ocean in the same way as we do and provides a networking service for us to become more connected outside of our school.
Q: Any closing thoughts?
I am so grateful to be a part of the Surfrider Foundation’s Club Leadership Council and community. The experience offers so many different opportunities to meet new people and get involved, all while working to better the future of our oceans. I hope to continue working with Surfrider throughout my time at the University of Southern California, in the greater Los Angeles area, and even on a more national level. I also plan to use the experiences I am provided with at USC to aid with advocating for plastic reduction in Irvine, as well as staying in touch with those back home to continue what we have started.
