“Constant Pressure, Endlessly Applied”
That’s the calling card for the Surfrider Foundation, celebrating their 30th anniversary as a major voice to protect and conserve our oceans and everything in it. Since 1984 the efforts of over 250,000 supporters, volunteers, add activists have made a real difference, and we thank them. Surfrider Communications Manager Katie Ferguson put it this way. “We operate the opposite of traditional organizations in that our approach is bottoms up and very grass-roots. When issues arise they are escalated from the local scene, up to one of our 84 chapters and then to headquarters and then we pull in partners from our vast resources to support the local effort, whether the issue is science, government policy, environmental, or education related. We develop a campaign with the goal of winning.”
More locally, Holly Parker serves as a staff member and focuses her efforts on Florida. “Currently our focus is on 2 campaigns, our “Rise Above Plastics” effort and Seismic testing in Atlantic waters. Most people don’t’ know that local governments, by law cannot ban plastic bags and we have legislation being prepared for the upcoming legislative session that if passed would allow local governments to opt in and ban plastic bags, which are a huge negative impact to our ocean environment. California has already banned plastic bags, and Hawaii is in the process of doing so. Second is the seismic testing issue which we are very concerned about as this is a precursor to offshore oil and gas exploration. We urge everyone to visit our website to educate themselves on these issues and contact their legislators and local city and county commission members to weigh in.”
To support the Surfrider Foundation and their efforts, visit surfrider.org and locate your local chapter, sign up for their newsletter, email at [email protected], and connect via social media @Surfrider and @Surfriderpbc.
