California

Last Week Today! San Onofre Nuclear Waste, seafloor mining, Ocean Dunes and Plastic Pollution!

Written by msackett | Nov 23, 2020 10:31:47 PM

Hello and Happy Monday Coastal Defenders! We've got our weekly update here to keep you up to speed with all things coastal protection in California!

Surfrider Raising Funds to Study Water Quality at San Onofre Nuclear Facility

From our recent blog post and fundraising campaign, "To date, SONGS is the only nuclear plant in the United States to give batch release notifications, posting details on the volume, radiation dose and time of release 48-hours in advance. This gives community scientists and organizations like Surfrider the rare opportunity to actually test the waterways before, during, and after a release to measure how nuclear effluent alters the local water quality." If you are interested in learning more or donating to the cause so we can have the water at San Onofre State Beach analyzed, click here!

Help us Stop Seafloor Mining in California Waters!

Are you a business owner? If you are, we are asking for your help in stopping seabed mining, a new threat to our ocean and coast! Join our coalition by clicking the link below! Driven by an increasing demand for rare metals, companies around the globe are looking at California’s ocean as the “next frontier” to harvest these resources. Unfortunately, seabed mining is a destructive practice that damages the seafloor, pollutes the ocean, and harms marine life. Click here to participate in the survey!

Update on Oceano Dunes!

A recent CalMatters post reviews the latest in the controversy that is Ocean Dunes! Should offroad vehicles be allowed on the beach? Check out this analysis of the situation: A 40-year conflict over a state park: Has it finally reached a breaking point?

New Plastic Study Reveals Harsh Truth about Our Plastic Consumption!

A groundbreaking new study has exposed the United States as the top plastic polluter. In 2016, the U.S. generated 42 million metric tons of plastic waste, more than any other country in the world. Researchers found that in that single year, the amount of plastic waste generated in the U.S. estimated to enter the coastal environment was also among the highest in the world. This research flips on its head the plastics industry and the U.S. EPA’s talking points, which blame Asian countries for plastic pollution overall.The U.S. must be held accountable for our plastic problem, and for how our waste management systems take advantage of global disparities when we outsource plastic waste year after year. This is why our main focus at the Surfrider Foundation is on source reduction— the reduction of single-use plastic production— and second, effectively recycling all remaining plastics.Over the last decade, we have achieved 280 plastic pollution victories at the local, state, and local levels, but we have a long way to go and we need your help. Read our take, here!

Finally, don't miss our amazing weekly podcast - here's last week!

S2E19: King Tides! Radioactive Ocean! So Many Ways to Contribute!