Blog

theGREENERsurfer

09/09/2012

thegreenersurfer.com

Introduction

We all know that the ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. As surfers we’re constantly engaging in and interacting with the largest wilderness mass on our plant. Daily we move backwards and forwards between these aquatic and land based worlds. Over the years we’ve developed a sensitivity towards and appreciation of the ocean, which provides us with so much joy as well as an insight into how our behaviour effects the environment.

Looking into the future, could it be possible that surfers en mass become the de-facto environmental custodians of our global marine and coastal resources? Could we re-define the concept of what surfing localism means? Could we take our love and appreciation of the sea back onto the land and share that consciousness with our fellow land dwelling humans, could we be the agents of change? If we could, could we change the way people lead their lives so that our children and their children can enjoy the same resources we do?

Shew, that is a big ask but we have to start somewhere.

Thegreenersurfer is an experiment in attempting to grow and share an awareness and appreciation for our environment.

We're just a small bunch of surfers but we're passionate and it is a start.

Objectives

There is only one objective and that is to challenge our beliefs about how we choose to live as surfers and how by making small incremental changes to our lifestyles we can minimise and ultimately neutralise the negative impact that we as humans have on the health of our planet.

Mission

To share best practice, to positively inspire each other to make sensible and healthy changes to our lifestyles, to make informed decisions and choices and above all to motivate each other to change for the better.

How?

A blog based website where we get to follow the journey of 3 normal but different surfers who embark on a month long quest to become more aware of and sensitive of the impact our lifestyles have on our environment. The bloggers will attempt to increase their consciousness while decreasing their negative impact on the environment over the course of 30 days. They will share their learning’s with the rest of us. The public is invited to get involved either in the comments section of the individual blogs or as a blog post in the public blog section.

When?

The website is under construction and the selection process for the 3 chosen bloggers is underway. Dry launch is scheduled for 22^nd of September. Public launch is scheduled for 1 October 2012. Thegreenersurfer will run for the month of October. Upon completion of the month we may decide to extend the program or wrap it up depending on public interest and the effectiveness in achieving it’s objectives.

Tone

Thegreenersurfer is a positive orientation, which recognises that change is not a light-switch solution, but rather a process of education, awareness and application of knowledge. Though we worry about the incumbent greed in humanity we have faith in its intelligence and resourcefulness to solve the problems we have created for our environment and ourselves. We recognise that small steps are better than no steps and that as long as we’re trying we have a chance. We are not militant, aggressive or patronising. We seek to create change by taking the stoke and love of the ocean and using that to positively inspire those around us to take stock and start protecting what they value and love by expanding their awareness and adjusting their lifestyles.

Involvement:

1. Everyone is invited as a viewer and to post comments in the comments section.

2. The 3 main bloggers. This is a non-paying gig. You do need to be passionate about surfing and the environment. You need to be capable of documenting your lifestyle with both video and stills and you need to be able to articulate your thoughts, ideas and actions. You also need to be diligent about checking in daily and honest about sharing your life for one month. If you are interested in being one of the 3 please send a profile and motivation to john@thebombsurf.com before 10/09/2012.

3. Sponsorship. Our needs are modest and really only need to cover the development costs and maintenance of the site, total should amount about to R30K. If you would like to be a sponsor please contact john@thebombsurf.com.

4. Advertising. There are 3 advertising opportunities ONLY, available at a cost of R10 000 incl Vat each for the month. These include representation on every page of the website. If you are interested in one of these highly visible and very exclusive positions please contact john@thebombsurf.com.

5. If you have a business, service or function that legitimately creates awareness, provides practical useful information or in some other way could contribute to the greater good of this initiative we will provide a FREE listing in our contacts/links section.

thegreenersurfer.com is a Big Ocean Media Bros initiative.

Any other queries can be addressed to john@thebombsurf.com

Big Ocean Media Bros CC

81 Monmouth Road

Durban

South Africa

4001

+27 82 8863424

+27 31 2072281

skype: jmcsurf

Got something to say? Then leave a comment!

Posted by Chris Chapman on the 10/09/2012 10:48

This is a great initiative, John. But what it is going to do is hold up a mirror to the surf industry, and the reflection isn't going to be pretty. My view is that surfers are among the worst polluters on the planet. If you took all the surfboards, leashes and wetsuits used by the world's top competitive surfers over their lifetime, dumped them in a landfill, and added the greenhouse gas emissions accumulated from their travels to 'exotic' surf destinations, we would all be horrified at the size of the garbage pile generated by a few individuals. That stuff is derived mainly from non-renewable fossil fuels, it doesn't bio-degrade very well, and it doesn't recycle too well either. Basically, it is not sustainable!! And remember, what you dump on the land eventually and inevitably has an impact on the ocean. If you expand that sample group to include all avid surfers, you'll find the garbage pile is a lot smaller per individual, but still the impact is considerable. The question is, how is the surf industry striving to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of its products? How much research is going into the manufacture of biodegradable, recyclable, renewal surf equipment. What I see is that manufacturers are tweaking their templates as often as possible so they can sell their latest models, thus encouraging their customers to chuck away their 'old' stuff in favour of the new. It makes business sense, but unless the materials used are seriously enviro-friendly, the consequences are very nasty for the whole planet in the long term. We should be riding surfboards made from wood or bamboo and our wetsuits should be made from wood pulp. That'd be fun. Sorry for the ous in the Cape! And the average surfer should stick to breaks he/she can reach by foot, bicycle, train or sail boat. No seriously, if this initiative makes us surfers think about our own lifestyles and encourages us to 'walk the talk' and demand enviro-friendly materials from our equipment suppliers, then we'll really start to make a difference. In the meantime, hang onto your old board and wettie for as long as possible, surf local and reduce your environmental footprint.

Posted by John McCarthy on the 12/09/2012 09:15

Chris thank you for your comment. The inspiration for this greener surfer idea came from reading Yvon Chouinard's book 'Let my people go surfing'. He is also the founder of Patagonia clothing and has used the success of his business to help with environmental issues on a fairly large scale (restoring river systems etc). He refuses to sell out and become beholden to profit driven share holders and does not pursue growth at all costs. He'd rather you buy a second hand pair of his product on ebay than selling you a new set just to increase sales. His whole philosophy is ahead of his time but he is a great example of how any business can behave. Ironically consumers are starting to buy into his thinking and his business is successful and profitable at a certain size. Herein lies the rub we have to take responsibility for our actions both as individuals and as business owners. For example when I look in the mirror as a business owner and ask myself do we really need printed magazines in this digital age or are they an indulgence? The answer is one I'm not sure I want to accept, at least not initially, but once I have maybe I start evolving in a more sensible direction. As an individual I know my Alaia has a smaller footprint than my polyeurothane thruster. I ride it quite often, but I still ride my thruster because frankly you can't get barreled on an Alaia like you can on a thruster. My point is this is not a light switch solution, it is a process. The whole point of the greener surfer is that we share best practice, that we START to move in the right direction and that we inspire each other to try. I look forward to you contributing in the blog section when we're up and running on October 1.

Posted by sele on the 12/09/2012 20:15

Great idea John......but,if you have a serious look at the progress of the brand patagonia since the publication of "let my people go surfing" you will clearly see the flaws.The fact is,most brands have some form of "environmental" product on offer,from Puma advertising "african grown cotton" to woolies fair trade everything!it has become the standard for advertising product,but unfortunately has made little or no change on the environment,as chris has so clearly explained.Dont believe me? the Patagonia team are in remote russia as we speak,flying helicopters and driving massive camper trucks through prestine wilderness looking for waves for the malloys next movie.......Patagonia concept stores are popping up all over the world as smaller owner run stores close down(you showed so much concern when the last cape town store closed its doors remember?) and the last time i walked into a Patagonia store(Prague) it looked just like any other high fashion store and i certainly did not see any second hand items! i think its a great initiative but dont be fooled by the marketing!

Posted by Sam on the 13/09/2012 12:18

Yo, this is a great idea, can't wait to see what we can learn from it

Posted by John McCarthy on the 14/09/2012 14:18

Sele, I think the most dangerous thing for us to become is cynical of attempts that are not 100% solutions in themselves and then give up the task as hopeless. Any attempt, to improve our attitudes and approach towards how we live and impact the planet through our behaviour should be celebrated and shared. Who knows who it will inspire next or where the next really BIG idea will come from? Sure there is lip service and marketing hype, but even that adds to the groundswell of popular consciousness which is heading in the right direction. I doubt we'll find all the answers but we might be able to create an environment conducive to our children figuring it out. In the short while since introducing the idea of thegreenersurfer which isn't even live yet, I've learned so much and been exposed to so much good that people are doing on so many levels. This has really motivated me and made me feel more optimistic than I did even a month ago.

Posted by Lucas on the 21/09/2012 21:22

Have fun going down there anytime soon . The unrdewater power cable was recently cut ? And its not expected to be back for a few months, hence you will only have what power the generators are able to supply. I hope you don't mind living without power (I didn't for the week I was there), just letting people know :). BUT! I can also say, this resort rocked, I ate at their restaurant, and their service was amazing.

Posted by jamii on the 04/10/2012 12:49

The worst thing we as surfers can do is be cynical about whats brands or individuals have done to become commercially successful. Being environmentally sustainable or eco-friendly are two different idealogies- the sooner we learn to distiguish and balance between the two the better. Being 'green 'should not mean that everthing you do is 100% without impact, but needs to be rationalized is that the way we use or comuse goods be done in a way can be sustained.

Posted by Erich on the 04/10/2012 14:19

for your surfing eaudrnnce, strength, paddling abilities, and shoulder health.a0 Incorporate some thoracic mobility work as well and really reinforce proper thoracic spine postures.a0 Standard back squats, coupled

Posted by Shad on the 06/10/2012 03:31

I didn't want to start making corny jokes about sex on trnias, but I had to ask. I suppose it makes sense since in 1961 trnias were a more common way to travel long distances than they are today so train magazines were probably designed for a broader demographic.

Posted by Eduardo on the 09/10/2012 15:21

those were the days my friend. liiveng in colo. changed from water to snow. thinking about comeing back to so. cal. been a long time. i can hear the waves calling. hope the youngsters don't mind shareing. got to try again. chuck it has been a long time. forgot dust off the hanson 50/50

Posted by George on the 29/10/2012 10:53

Chris Chapman's comment got me thinking. Is there any way to start a surfing competition based on greener surfing principles? You could require that the boards are less toxically manufactured for a start, also apply other principles, too. While it may be that conventional foam boards are still better for outstanding performance if you are a top competitior, I believe that this could change by raising awareness with initiatives like this. Anyway, if we're honest, 99% of us wouldn't really know the difference between a top performance board and today's green board, would we? A Patagonia sponsored event? Maybe just...