Hello Friends, this week’s organization is Surfrider, an organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches from plastic pollution. 

The Surfrider Foundation believes that getting outside and engaging with the “world is inspiring, supports healthier lifestyles, improves productivity, and ultimately creates a better natural environment.” Surfrider is working to protect the worlds shores, by working to reduce the use of single use plastics, which often end up in the world’s oceans.

“Our oceans, waves, and beaches are everything. Let’s protect them,” says Surfrider.

Plastic is the world’s leading contributor to climate change and the most common marine litter in the world. From plastic packaging to plastic containers, plastic is a part of almost all the products we buy on a regular basis.

When plastic is littered and improperly disposed of, the plastic makes its way into creeks, streams, and rivers, which lead directly to the world’s oceans. The organization explains how plastics often start out in landfills, or as litter on beaches, streets, and sidewalks.

However, rain often sends the plastics towards ocean environments.

After plastics enter the environment, due to sunlight, they slowly photo grade into smaller fragments and pieces known as microplastics, which fish and aquatic life often can mistake for food instead of plastic. Plastics have harmful effects on aquatic life.

Microplastics polluting ocean water in the artic circle. 

                         Image from CBS News. 

Unlike paper, plastics are not biodegradable.

The qualities that make plastics sturdy, durable, adaptable, prevent it from being biodegradable, causing negative impacts to develop on the environment.

Many people believe that plastics serve no purpose whatsoever. However, in one of my previous blog posts about Starbucks, I discussed how Starbucks is struggling to create a fully biodegradable paper cup because plastic serves a vital function in paper cups.

Plastic lining is needed in paper cups, preventing the cups from being fully biodegradable. The plastic lining in the paper cups is needed for the cup to maintain its structure, showing how the plastic serves a vital purpose.

According to Surfrider, “Roughly two-thirds of all plastics ever produced remain in the environment today as either pollution in oceans and other landscapes, microparticles in air, soil, and rain, or as microparticles in air and soul.”

Surfrider is working to prevent plastic pollution, and to promote ocean protection, coastal prevention, clean water, and the preservation of resources.

Surfrider is working to raise awareness to plastic pollution by advocating for the reduction of single use plastics and through recycling initiatives such as beach clean-ups and awareness initiatives.

You can visit Surfrider’s website to learn more about their initiatives.  (Home – Surfrider Foundation) and about the ways to get involved in your own community.

You can purchase a Surfrider T-Shirt from American Eagle Outfitters to help support the Surfrider Foundation. American Eagle has partnered with Surfrider for its Summer 2022 Campaign.

Images from American Eagle Outfitters 

American explains how the shirts were “inspired by the oceans and made with the planet in mind.” The T-shirts are made out of sustainable materials such as algae ink, natural dyes, and cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative.

The Better Cotton Initiative is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton. The initiative works to help communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the natural environment. The organization advocates for better soil and water management, less use of pesticides, and greater resilience to climate change in the cotton production process.

You can purchase a Surfrider T-shirt from American Eagle.