Let’s Go Green

Surfing continues to lead charge in environmental consciousness and action

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

As we hurtle toward Earth Day on April 22, we surfers have a lot to be proud of—and a lot of work to do.

An environmentally conscious group, largely out of sheer necessity, surfers are on the front lines of some of today’s most serious ecological dilemmas, and they’re not just standing idly by. Heck, Trestles would have a toll road running through it if we didn’t occasionally rise up and make some noise.

In a world that seems to constantly bombard us with end-of-day bad news, this week we’re taking a hot minute to celebrate the progress we’ve made and the important wins we’ve put on the board when it comes to surfing and the environment.

It was just a couple weeks ago that we reported on the Surfrider Foundation’s successful trip to Washington, D.C., where they met with lawmakers to discuss everything from clean beaches to climate change. With more than 100 Surfrider representatives from around the country in attendance, their collective voice comes through large and powerful.

Along with Surfrider, organizations such as Save Our Waves, Parley, Wildcoast and Sea Trees are also fighting the good fight. As we speak, Save Our Waves is looking to select the next World Surfing Reserve.

Why couldn’t the Trestles and San Onofre area qualify? After all, the San Mateo Creek remains a vital natural watershed, while the myriad of surf breaks in the area are enjoyed by thousands of surfers from around the world every year.

Meanwhile, Parley is taking on plastic pollution and Wildcoast continues to harness the power of community to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife, most notably in Baja California.

Then there’s Sea Tree, which is combating climate change and coastal erosion by planting mangrove trees, kelp, coral and more. There are too many other effective surf-inspired environmental groups to keep listing here, but if you’re looking to get involved, there’s no shortage of good people doing good things out there.

It’s not just the NGOs that are initiating change; the surf industry has