Particularly involved in the defence of oceans and coastal areas, the SFE chapter from La Rochelle (France) through a partnership with the Community Transport Authority of La Rochelle (CTALR) and the local printing industry, they created a special edition eco-box. Meeting with Nicolas, co-director of the chapter who talks about this project and the investment throughout the year of the entire chapter.
This is during the “Magic green bike » operation, that the partnership was born leading to the creation of this special edition Eco-box. Can you tell us more about this project and explain the steps followed to initiate this partnership?
The CTALR put in its bike park four specific bikes: the « Magic green bike » painted in the colours of the environment: blue, white and green. The concept was that each user traveling with these bikes were not paying more fees, but they were doing a good deed in the matter of fact that a philanthropist was committed to donate money to a partner organisation. The CTALR inaugurated the concept with its first partner « Léa Nature » philanthropist donating to the local association « Echo-Mer. » Then it was our chapter that took over as an association with the local printing industry donating money: every time someone borrow a green bike, the company donated 1.50 euros, up to 3000 euros.
With the donations collected we chose to work directly with them to enhance their knowledge and use that money to create something that could last.. Almost all of the money has been dedicated to the manufacture of eco box and a small portion to print stickers and card from our Chapter. We tried to stay in line with our values by producing Eco Ethical box: meaning made in France and 100% recycled steel. We also had a challenge, to print different colours on a non-planar metal surface. After several tests, we finally succeed.
This « event » is part of the campaign against cigarette butts, so what were the main objectives?
The idea was to create an eco box enhancing the city of La Rochelle, its commitment to the environment and of course the use of bicycles as a mean of daily transport.
It was also to target the notion of urban pollution, showing that there are cigarette butts everywhere in the cities and not just on the coast and beaches, and even the smallest gesture can help against this issue. This is part of the campaign against cigarette butts, to make the public aware that a butt can pollute up to 500 liters of water, despite the small size of the waste.
You conducted other operations responding to this problem of cigarette butts can you tell us more about those actions?
Yes, throughout the year we tried to sensitise students on this the pollution problem caused by cigarette butts, with an educational project involving four students from the IUT of La Rochelle. Operations to raise awareness have been carried out within the IUT including a « Campus cleanup » in which we were able to pick up 10,600 cigarette butts in a few hours.
We also designed with the students a giant cigarette to make people understand that if cigarette butts were that big, people would not throw them as easily on the ground. They use to think that it is small and therefore it is not much, less harmful.
Why is it important for you to invest yourself? What message do you want to communicate?
The fact of creating Eco box has enabled us, beyond the simple message taught to the students and the general public, to bring maybe the beginning of a solution. If you can not put bins all over the world there are still other options including those Eco box.
We have a motto: « one action per month » which aims to focus on quality over quantity. It is important for us to get involved as citizens and activists, because somewhere ecology is something crossing social strata, regardless of nationality, pollution knows no borders.Meaning that every action counts, if each person does not throw away cigarette butts on the ground, there might be change. All our daily actions may seem trivial, but if we become aware of their impact on the environment and that we become a little more responsible, we can make a difference.
4000 eco box of this limited edition « rolling green, don’t throw your cigarette » could be produced thanks to this partnership. The La Rochelle chapter participates in August at the « Festival of Crazy Arts » held in Fouras and other surprises are planned for the coming fall!
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Emilie Chavaroche, Environment Editor
Thirty-six official Surfrider Foundation Europe chapters are present in a dozen of countries. Their different local network bring together over 600 volunteers and help spread the message of Surfrider while helping to save the oceans and coastal environment.