by The Editors on May 3, 2013
ASP World Champ Joel Parkinson is hitting up school kids with the Surfaid message as the organizations newest schools program ambassador.
Parkinson, 32, addressed an assembly of enthralled students [at Sydney’s Barrenjoey High] before joining a classroom group for a SurfAid lesson on geography. ‘Parko’ was the first at his table to find Bali on the map. “I used to love geography – it was my favorite subject,” he said. . . Parkinson said he was stoked when SurfAid asked him to be an ambassador. “It’s a huge honor, especially for something that does so much good. It was a no-brainer for me to jump on board. I want to raise awareness around the world as much as I can and show the world what SurfAid do.”
For the official word from Surfaid, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 22, 2013
It’s April 22nd and “everybody knows today is Earth Day, Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday to whoever’s being born,” and to celebrate the day, Burton Snowboards has announced that they have “stepped-up efforts” to support Protect Our Winters.
“Burton has a deep responsibility to the sport we helped pioneer and to the people and environment that sustain it,” said Burton President Donna Carpenter. “We are riders, and we take climate change personally because snowboarding is our life, our livelihood and our passion. By working more closely with POW, our hope is to encourage snowboarders to get involved with the very important work the organization is doing. Together, we can protect our winters.”
Burton is also working to “encourage more riders to join POW’s efforts.” Today they’re launching an “awareness campaign on Instagram. . . To get involved, riders simply upload a photo and caption that shows how they protect our winters to @burtonsnowboard on Instagram and tag #HowYouPOW.” For the official details, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on February 4, 2013
by The Editors on November 4, 2012
There are many ways to help those whose lives have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy and ERGO Clothing has chosen to channel their help through their own Restore The Shore Projects.
Restore The Shore Projects was started by ERGO intern, Derek Koch, who is a 2nd year graphic design student at Rowen University in Glassboro, NJ. Koch and friend, Travis LeBar, started a Facebook page with Koch’s design, and it went viral overnight. “Derek was an amazing intern for us this past summer,” stated ERGO Co-Founder, Pete DiSpirito. “When he came to me with the initial design, we hit the ground running.” Product will be shipping within 7-10 days and 100% of the profits will be donated to various charities and organizations.
ERGO plans to give “all profits from the sale of the shirts” to Waves For Water. For answers to more questions on Restore the Shore, please click here. For the official word from ERGO, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 3, 2012
Protect Our Winters Riders Alliance member Forrest Shearer has written an editorial appearing The Daily News regarding California’s shrinking snow pack. Here’s a little of what he has to say:
In my native state of California, boarders and skiers are bracing for the effects of a warmer world. Scientists are predicting the Sierra snowpack will decline by 25 percent by 2050. We caught a preview this past ski season, when Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley had to make their own snow well into February. It’s no wonder the California Ski Industry Association is a big supporter of AB 32, the state’s landmark clean energy and climate law.
Click the link for the rest. . .
[Link: The Daily News]
by The Editors on September 24, 2012
When Mick Fanning mentioned (on Twitter) that he thought a new cruise ship terminal on the Goldie would cause “mass impact to the marine life, waves and lifestyle on the Gold Coast” mayor Tom Tate said he would “listen to the people that matter,” according to a story on Goldcoast.com.au.
But obviously, Mayor Tom didn’t know he was messing with the whole tribe.
Gold Coast surfing champions Mark Richardson and Andrew McKinnon have lashed out. . . Mr Richardson, a former Australian champion, scoffed at Cr Tate’s claims that he would find other high-profile surfers to back plans for a Gold Coast terminal. . . “I don’t think you’ll find any surfers that will be on Tom Tate’s side about that,” he said. . . “Every surfer will be standing behind Mick Fanning, you can pretty much guarantee that. I can’t believe those comments. It’s absolutely ludicrous.” . . . Mr Richardson said his brother-in-law and fellow champion surfer Joel Parkinson would back Fanning. . . “We think it’s a joke. Mr Tate is underestimating surfers’ value.”
Looks like this discussion is going to be rolling on for a while.
[Link: Goldcoast.com.au]
by The Editors on September 6, 2012
In a story titled Shoes with soul: How, where are they made? written by a member of The Bee’s Teens in the Newsroom Program high schooler Zachary Senn grades some shoe companies by their social and environmental responsibilities. Not surprisingly Nike and Vans made the list.
Here’s what Master Senn had to say about Vans:
Owned by VF Corporation, Vans shoes contracts with factories that use sweatshop-style labor but show signs of improvement. A study done by corporate responsibility group As You Sow said that VF’s transparency is bad, but it is working toward bettering the lives of its factory workers. Social Grade: C.
Although it still uses dangerous chemicals in the manufacturing of its shoes, Vans is starting to move in the direction of becoming an eco-friendly company, by participating in events with the organization Beach Clean Up, as well as hosting e-waste disposal. Environmental Grade: C.
Nike did even worse, of course:
Nike, the world’s largest sporting-goods maker, has had a long and troubled history of sweatshop conditions and employee abuse at factories that make its products. . . . There are several third-party reports that corporal punishment is used in some factories that make Nike products and that in the primarily female work force, workers who become pregnant are fired. . . Social Grade: F.
Nike does, however, have several environmental programs, which include the use of organic cotton and recycling used rubber. Environmental Grade: B.
Nice to know that even the high schoolers know what’s up when it comes to footwear.
[Link: The Modesto Bee]
by The Editors on April 19, 2012
Rodale, the publisher of fitness porn mags like Men’s Health, Bicycling and Runner’s World, made a their list of the Top 50 Sexiest Environmentalist and at the top of their list? That’s right, Gretchen Bleiler. Here’s what they say:
This Olympic snowboarder doesn’t just spend time on snow-capped mountains; she crusades to save them. A key board member of Protect Our Winters, or POW, Bleiler engages the winter sports community and Congress to help combat climate change by advocating for regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. After all, if there’s no snow, there’s no snowboarding.
Because nothing is sexier than a easy to clean, BPA free, toxin free Alex water bottle.
[Link: Rodale via Alex_Bottle]
by The Editors on April 19, 2012
Sustainable Surf’s Michael Stewart and Kevin Whilden get profiled in Forbes Magazine for their work is attempting to green up the toxic surf industry.
The San Francisco social entrepreneurs aim to create an industry certification standard for environmentally friendly surfboards to give surfers, from pros to weekend wave warriors, a scientifically sound green choice. Surfboards are just a $150 million business in the U.S., but for Stewart and his San Clemente-based cofounder, Kevin Whilden, the iconic symbol of the sport is a Trojan horse to make the $7 billion surf industry and the lifestyles of millions of surfers more sustainable. “If we can green up the surfboard then we can green up surfers,” says Stewart, 42, a lifelong surfer who has spent his recent career evaluating the carbon footprint of everything from Motorola cellphones to Volkswagens.
Click the link to read the rest.
[Link: Forbes]
by The Editors on April 16, 2012
A large sewage spill in San Diego County reportedly flowed right down the Tijuana River and into Imperial Beach on April 4, 2012 and no on notified anyone of the spill, according to a story on NBC San Deigo.
The spill was caused by a software malfunction in the treatment plant, an engineer for International Boundary and Water Commission told NBC San Diego. . . Raw sewage and runoff water spilled in the plant for three hours before any of the workers realized, the plant’s engineer said. . . The spill flooded parts of the plant’s system, which filters about 25 million gallons of Tijuana sewage. As a result of the sewage spill, the filtration system shut down, allowing that water to flow unfiltered into the Tijuana River.
Officials said they didn’t report the spill because the water that got out was “actually cleaner than the water that’s in the river,” county spokesman Gig Conaughton. No so said surfer and sewage taste tester Anthony Marsh. “It’s like a really raspy taste, and you could see the foam and the brown in the water.”
And that’s how hard IB surfers are. . .
[Link: NBC San Diego]
