SurferMag Message Boards: SURFRIDER: Things You Can Do To Help Save Our Ocean 2007

Things You Can Do To Help Save Our Ocean

Happy New Year! The start of 2007 is a great time to think about how we all can make a more positive impact on the environment every day. Your interest in, and participation in Surfrider Foundation is great. Doing any or all of the things listed below will help even more.

Avoid using chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Even though they are used on your lawn or garden, they can be washed out by rain and end up at your local surf spot. Safer, natural alternatives are available online, at local nurseries and even at the big national chain home improvement stores.

Avoid chemical cleaners, soaps and detergents. Safer, non-toxic dish soap, hand and body soap, even laundry detergent and dishwasher soap are available. Such alternatives can be easily found at stores such as Ocean Beach People's Market, Henry's and Trader Joe's. Look for them and ask for them at your local stores.

Use alternative transportation. Options include bike, skateboard, trolley, train or bus. Or consider purchasing a clean, low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicle and make sure to carpool whenever possible.

Buy locally grown organic food whenever possible. Organic food crops are grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are currently more available than ever, and can even be found at the big supermarket chains. Best of all, organic food tastes better!

Buy environmentally-friendly clothing and surf products. Eco-friendly is a hip trend, so you have many choices. Look for organically-grown cotton shirts, vegetable-based dyes, surfboards made with less-toxic blanks and finishing materials, even non-petroleum based wetsuits and surfboard wax, magazines printed on post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable-based ink, the list goes on and on.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! Do this as much as possible throughout your daily life. It's really not that hard. Get your own refillable water bottle instead of cases of single use bottles, which litter the beach and clog landfills. Take advantage of curbside recycling, if offered by the city in which you live. And be particularly careful with electronic waste like old gadgets, computers and batteries. Channel 10 News is always looking for ways for San Diego to 'Come Clean' and is sponsoring an e-waste disposal drive with Goodwill through January 13th. Contact your local waste disposal agency for other recommendations.

Hold On To Your Butt! Always use an ashtray if you smoke. Non-biodegradable cigarette butts are the number one debris item found during beach clean-ups and are the number one piece of litter in the world.

Get your mind out of the gutter. Remember, everything that goes into the gutter flows straight into streams, rivers and eventually the ocean. That includes cigarette butts (dispose of properly!) fluids from leaky cars (get it fixed!), dirt and debris hosed into the gutter (use a broom!) and any toxic liquids (paint, radiator fluid, solvents) dumped into the gutter (contact your local government for proper disposal options).

Pick up your trash. Period. Take an easy extra step, too. Each time you leave the beach, pick up three pieces of trash you see instead of walking by them. Think of the marine life it may affect and the huge garbage patches' in the north Pacific. Check out the LA Times award winning online series Altered Oceans for more info, specifically part four.

Support campaigns to stop Global Warming. Check out Surfrider Foundation's page on Global Warming. Think globally and act locally.

Write a letter. Take a moment and write your councilmember, mayor, congressional representative, governor or the president. Let your love and concern for your coast be known!

Get more involved with Surfrider. If you are not a member, click here to become one or renew your membership. If you would like to volunteer your time click here to see some of the current volunteer options. If you would like to help from your computer, go to surfriderSD.org for an easy way to help Save Trestles and let Governor Schwarzenegger know that you oppose the proposed toll road extension.

Email your suggestions and we will include them in a future eblast.

Thank you for your continued support!

For our oceans, waves and beaches,
The Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter

bill@surfridersd.org • Surfrider Foundation - San Diego County Chapter