October was Ocean Friendly Business month for Surfrider nationwide and we were happy to celebrate in California! The Los Angeles Chapter hosted a plastics-focused Chapter Meeting that included a panel discussion about reducing plastic at the source through policy and programs like Ocean Friendly Restaurants. The San Luis Obispo Chapter hosted a fun lunch chapter meeting at Blue Moon Over Avila, an Ocean Friendly Restaurant that has a Surfrider Spritz drink with partial proceeds going to Surfrider SLO. The Monterey Chapter welcomed their first Ocean Friendly Hotel in October, Portola Hotel and Spa.
In partnership with Visit Laguna and The Ranch — a certified Platinum Ocean Friendly Hotel — the South OC Chapter joined an event aimed at energizing the City of Laguna Beach to become the nation’s first Ocean Friendly City. Hosted at the Rivian South Coast Theater, the evening featured a screening of Dana Frankoff’s “Voice Above Water” and a panel discussion with local city and NGO leaders, sparking hope and action toward ending the plastic pollution crisis.
There were lots more events, activities, and campaign activations and here are some of the highlights: The Santa Cruz Chapter stands up to oppose offshore oil drilling! In anticipation of a new federal five-year oil lease plan targeting California, Santa Cruz area legislators and environmental groups hosted a press event to let everyone know new offshore oil drilling is not welcome in the Monterey Bay or anywhere in California! Urge Congress to Protect our Coasts.
The Humboldt Chapter brought together their community to enjoy and protect our coast through their Pints for Non-Profits event with live music and good company as well as their first Ocean Night of the season, an event that celebrated surf culture with three films that captured the spirit of surfing in different ways.
The Sonoma Coast Chapter held their annual Blue Water Paddle Race and had a gorgeous day and fierce (but fun!) competition from paddlers of all ages.
Surfrider Marin teamed up with Outerknown for a beach cleanup at Stinson Beach and collected more than 70lbs of trash with the help of 56 volunteers. They enjoyed a fun celebration afterward at Proof Lab Beer Garden with Hook Fish Co. bites, brews from Best Day Brewing, and amazing live-printed tees from Santa Cruz artist Ethan Estees.
Surfrider San Francisco supported Drag Me 2 the Beach, a fundraiser for Queer Surf featuring Pattie Gonia along with an amazing cast of Drag Queens and Kings.
The Surfrider San Mateo County Chapter hosted more than 115 people at Sharktacular, an evening of shark science and education with scientists Scot Anderson and Paul Kanive from the California White Shark Project. Food for the event came from Ocean Friendly Restaurant, San Benito House.
South Bay Chapter teamed up with Costa Sunglasses to host a beach cleanup at Hermosa Beach. Volunteers who came back with the most trash by weight or found the strangest item walked away with a pair of sunglasses made from recycled fishnets!
The Long Beach Chapter hosted an Ocean Friendly Gardens workday where they installed 95 native plants at their Shoreline Village site. Their monthly beach cleanup also had an impressive impact, with volunteers removing over 400 pounds of trash from Belmont Pier.
The North OC Chapter hosted its annual Halloween costume beach cleanup and cleaned a frightening amount of trash. Thanks to 100 volunteers, over 1,800 pounds of debris were removed from Seal Beach. This site is the drainage point of the San Gabriel River, and the chapter is a member of a coalition working to install a trash interceptor to mitigate the amount of trash that flows into the ocean.
The San Diego Chapter was honored to host San Diego’s Surfrider Student Clubs for a Leadership Reception! Students had the opportunity to connect, learn from our volunteer leaders, and explore new ways to take action for our ocean and communities. Our Student Club Network empowers young people to lead environmental change through service, advocacy, and stewardship. Also this month, the San Diego Chapter hosted the inaugural Sirens of the Sea Drag Show and Costume Contest, a fundraiser for our ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people.
The Ventura Chapter hosted an informative chapter meeting discussing harmful algal blooms:
The Monterey Chapter wrapped up the month with a fun Halloween Blu Beers mixer!
Bill is excited to help chapters in the Central Coast region tackle pollution issues that are affecting the marine environment. I grew up on the East Coast and was fortunate to have grandparents who lived near the beach in Delaware. At the age of six, I wanted to be like my big brother so I ‘borrowed’ his surfboard at every chance and caught the surfing bug early on. All my early memories are of clean beaches but later in high school and through college I started to see and feel the impact of litter and pollution. When I moved to California after college, I wanted to volunteer for an environmental organization and Surfrider was a perfect fit. After years of volunteering, I applied for a job with the San Diego Chapter, where I worked for over five years, followed by a couple of years as the Rise Above Plastics program coordinator. Now, I am stoked to be helping Surfrider chapters in Southern California fulfill the mission. Surfrider is an easy place to get involved and make a positive impact to protect our coasts, so I encourage you to help out with your local chapter and make a difference!