In 2018, the Better Beach Alliance was founded by the Surfrider Foundation and REEF to help grow the impacts of Surfrider’s Beach Cleanup program through education and by inspiring new volunteers to take part in the program. Each year, the Better Beach Alliance seeks to bring together and empower businesses, communities and individuals to each play an important role in enacting meaningful change for our planet.
In this series of short films REEF ambassadors and Surfrider activists cover a wide range of topics related to our beach cleanup program and what Surfrider x REEF is doing to clean up our beaches, educate the public and stop plastics from entering our environment by passing laws and policies that are essential to keeping our beaches and coastlines protected.
Surfrider’s Plastic Pollution Initiative uses a multi-pronged approach and the Beach Cleanup program is the first step in reducing the amount of plastic ending up in our waterways, on our beaches and ultimately in the ocean. Beach cleanups play a critical role in addressing the plastic pollution crisis. They allow us to learn about the types of plastic that are found on our beaches and provide an entry point for people to learn more about the impacts of single-use plastics on our environment. Our volunteer chapter network conducts local beach cleanups across the nation and removes hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables each year. By collecting data during cleanups, we can get detailed information about top littered items and use this data to influence policies at local, state and national levels.
BETTER BEACH ALLIANCE IMPACT TO DATE:
Global Impact Totals and counting
- +2000 registered cleanups
- +100,000 volunteers engaged
- +850,000 pounds of trash and recycling removed from beaches and waterways
Surfrider Foundation (U.S.)
Beach Cleanup program impacts to date:
447 registered cleanups
3,400 volunteers engaged
59,498 pounds of trash and recycling removed from beaches and waterways.
Surfrider Foundation Europe
Ocean Initiatives program impacts to date:
1,184 registered cleanups
48,886 volunteers engaged
Approximately 74,000 pounds of trash and recycling removed from beaches and waterways.
Surfrider Europe has also recently updated their Ocean Initiatives database, here. So far this year, Surfrider Europe volunteers have cleaned 42,286 km of coastlines and waterways, with 235,843 pieces of litter removed. These metrics can be viewed on Surfrider Europe's new OI site (linked above).
Surfrider Foundation Australia
Surfrider Australia continues to rally major support from coastal communities and surfing enthusiasts around the country. Priorities include stopping plans for expanded oil and gas exploration and drilling to protect coastal and marine habitats, as well as iconic surfing and tourism destinations around Australia, such as the ongoing #StopPep11 Campaign and developing campaign to protect the Twelve Apostles.
To get involved, learn more and support the Better Beach Alliance and your local Surfrider Chapter go to: Surfrider.