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02.03.25

Activist Spotlight: Zach Watkin with the Charleston Chapter

What is your current role with the Surfrider Foundation and when did you get involved?

I am the Charleston Chapter Chair and I joined Surfrider in the summer of 2021. I had wanted to get involved with my community and give back to the Lowcountry since I moved down here in 2018. I hoped to make a contribution to the place I love, the home that has given so much to me. I was also seeking some personal growth so I decide to put myself out there and try something new.

Since joining, what are some local environmental issues that you have witnessed?

Plastics, plastics, plastics. It appears in many forms, including single-use items from restaurants, plastic pellets, or the plastic 'reusable' bags that a lot of stores started using in Charleston since we implemented the plastic ban. Our chapter continues to work tirelessly to fight the plastic pollution problem.

Zach poses with Charleston volunteers and CEO Chad Nelson at 40th anniversary summit. They are standing in front of a blue backdrop with Surfrider logosZach poses with Surfrider volunteers, CEO Chad Nelsen (second from left), and Southeast Regional Manager Kayla Huff (far right).

What Surfrider projects have you been involved with? How have these projects impacted your community?

Right off the bat, we were involved with updating the Plastic Ban in Charleston to include verbiage to ban thicker plastic bags that a lot of stores were using. Despite them being reusable, we would find them in our marshes and creek ways.

I jumped into maintaining and revamping our Hold On To Your Butt campaign and working with Folly Beach City Council to streamline that process. Recently, our Policy Coordinator Katie Abare and I have been getting heavily involved with addressing the nurdles issue in Charleston.

Do you have any personal experiences or campaigns where the social justice and environmental movements have intersected?

I currently work as a project manager in renewable energy right now. However, when I first started my engineering career out of college, my first job was in oil, gas, and chemical. I immediately saw the damages it was causing to the environment and negative impacts it was having on our earth. I quit within two months of being there and then dedicated my passion and energy to leaving everything better than I found it.

Aside from volunteering with Surfrider, I now work with construction teams while building solar farms to produce clean, renewable energy for the Southeast. Hopefully, our work will ultimately take away the need to rely on fossil fuels.

Zach laughing, leaning with his elbows on a low brick wall with a street in the background.

What can Surfrider do to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment? 

Be open to different ideas and get creative. That is what I encourage the board members for the Charleston Chapter to do and it has led to some great community development outside of the typical grassroots organizations.

We had our Outreach Coordinator (shout out Izzy Burroughs!) partner with Creative Current in Charleston where we painted a surfboard and then used non-toxic paints to legally paint notices around town advertising our events!

Our Social Media Coordinator (shout out Olivia McCoy!) partnered with a women's surf club here in Charleston, shes on edge, that has been an amazing partnership with promoting community empowerment and doing events outside of our typical cleanups.

We’ve even tapped into the wellness community and partnered with organizations such as The Flow Co, Shred the Gnarmaste, and Let’s Run CHS in Charleston to do events that mix in a cleanup to reach new audiences and grow our missions.

What is the most important thing you tell others about Surfrider?

To us, this is more than just activism for environmental issues. It's a community where people care about something more than themselves. It's filled with the most selfless, friendly people that either want to give back, make an impact, or find a group of people to feel safe in.

Each person that I talk to during a cleanup has a unique story they are willing to share. It's especially interesting to hear about how they came to finding us and learning about what they are passionate about.

 

What has been the highlight of your Surfrider experience?

Definitely the growth of all of the board members of the Charleston Chapter. When I was originally elected Chair, it was just myself and two other people that had previously been on the board. Between the three of us, we have brought on 11 new team members of varying backgrounds and skill sets. At the start, there was a lot of shyness, unfamiliarity with each other, and questions of, "What the heck are we doing?!"

Now, two years later, most of those same board members are running their own programs with their own volunteers, publicly speaking in front of media teams, growing in their personal lives outside of work, and developing into one of the best teams I have ever worked with.

Thanks so much for sharing Zach! Is there anything else you would like to add?

If you’re debating about getting involved with Surfrider, whether it be a leadership position, simply volunteering, or donating, I would 100% promise you that you won’t regret it. When I first got involved, I was the walking definition of socially anxious. Not saying I’m not anymore, but I have seen so much growth in myself and this has been one of the best experiences of my life. I know my passions, community, and relationships that I am building are going to stick around for life.

Zach taking a break while hiking. The photo is shot from behind; he is looking off into the distance where there are some hilly peaks and lots of greenery.