SURF’S UPLIFTING
Sunday (June 19), 8am-3pm, Kanaha Beach Park, Kahului; free
It will turn your stomach to see how much organ-pumiced plastic is cut from the guts of dead seabirds—animals who’ve starved to death, their entrails filled with our indigestible excess. Exhumed lighters, bottle caps and bits of other crap are turned into (rather beautiful) mosaics, and these startling images of our waste—and worse, what happens to it—are effective teaching tools for groups like the Surfrider Foundation. This international organization—“dedicated to the protection and enhancement of our local waves, water and beaches through CARE (Conservation, Activism, Research and Education)”—has been heavy on the radar of late. That’s because in January 2010 a new Maui Chapter executive committee was elected, including chairman Tim Lara, vice-chair Kimo Clark (yes, the bassist from The Throwdowns), volunteer coordinators Kyle Juk and Les Potts, treasurer Charlie Quesnel and board members Hannah Bernard and Lucienne de Naie. Lara explains that the new blood has been upping the ante with a slew of ongoing stewardship opportunities, and their “eye-opening” engagement with the other chapters has inspired new programs like Blue ‘Aina—where each month, volunteers venture aboard Triology (which donates the boat, captain and crew) to snorkel the sea in search of debris, cleaning the ocean from the inside out. You can find out more about this and other events at the group’s Web site (surfrider.org/maui), but here’s the big deal this weekend: Sunday (June 19) is International Surfing Day, which, Lara says, “is kind of like Surfrider’s national holiday.” The timing happens to align with their big monthly beach cleanup, and Father’s Day, too (hence the tag line: “bring your father out to care for Mother Earth”). The day begins with a free yoga session by Kahului Community Yoga (8am) to help limber you up for a day of cleaning at Kahului’s Kanaha Beach Park (9-11am). As if saving the planet isn’t incentive enough, there will be prizes for the most cigarette butts collected, the largest piece of trash, the most unique piece of trash and more. Further freebies abound, and volunteers will receive a limited edition International Surf Day T-shirt and surfboard wax, as well as a year’s subscription to Surfing Magazine. Then, relax and refuel with an ono lunch donated by local restaurants (12pm) followed by entertainment and beach games (until 3pm). A few things to know before you go: plastic trash bags have been nixed, and instead 100 reusable burlap bags (donated by Hawaii Coffee Co.) will be on hand. Speaking of on hand, latex gloves also defeat the purpose, so Lowe’s gave the group a discount on work gloves (or be super cool and bring your own). Also, no single-use cups are allowed, and volunteers should bring their own refillable bottles …
Comments
comments