Guardians of the shoreline

Part of the South Bay Boardriders Club mission statement includes being “Guardians of the Shoreline.” In addition to fostering a positive, fun, and family-friendly environment for ocean based activities, it’s important that we are also doing our part to educate members and the public regarding best practices regarding sustainability and environmental awareness. Naturally this includes the beach clean-ups and fundraisers traditionally associated with ocean based non-profit groups, but at the South Bay Boardriders Club, we believe our responsibilities extend beyond entry level environmental actions. In addition to “telling” our members how to lessen their individual impact, we choose “show” by setting a positive example of contemporary sustainability.

During the 2018-2019 Season, we continued our partnership with Heal the Bay and again adopted Bruce’s Beach at 26th Street. We held our annual beach cleanup, as well as our annual “Pints Above Plastics” fundraiser which raised hundreds of dollars; the funds were donated to the Surfrider Foundation’s ocean plastics initiative.

We hosted a tour of the Los Angeles City Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant, which for the last hundred years has directly impacted the water quality of the Santa Monica Bay. Our surf contest series and other events no longer feature single use plastic water bottles, instead attendees are free to fill up re-usable bottles at our water refill station provided by local apparel brand HippyTree.

We partnered with Mizu to create a custom SBBC reusable water bottle. Recycle bins are also present at events so other single use beverage containers don’t end up in the landfill. Our surf contest series, previously powered by a noisy and foul smelling gasoline generator, is now fueled by clean electricity from the sun by way of a solar and battery energy system. As a club, we use our purchasing power to continue to reward companies that produce environmentally friendly versions of our favorite products.

In summary, it’s important that we as individuals continually analyze and assess our actions to ensure that we are conscious consumers and live in the most sustainable way possible. Thus, as a club, we continue to refine and improve our actions as we learn more and are exposed to new and innovative ideas and products.

Further suggestions around sustainability and environmental best practices can be submitted by emailing environment@southbayboardriders.com