All through the summer, the Surfrider Foundation Europe Event team alerts the general public to the protection of oceans and coastlines. This task is incorporated within the Surfrider education hub which, through its playful activities, permits a new appropriation of the environment in order to improve its protection. The team was there during the Roxy Pro, running a stand and organising many activities. If the waves were unfortunately not there for the surfers, a lot of people were lazing around the Roxy Village and enjoying our « happenings ». I followed the team all day long to understand their action and observe the reaction of the public.
A team and educational tools
When we arrived there around 9.30, there already was a friendly atmosphere. We installed the Surfrider stand ; various instructive documents were made available to the public and also the famous postcards « Let’s reduce our plastic mark », 250 of these postcards aiming to forbid the distribution of plastic bags in Europe will be signed during the event !
Very quickly, the first « happening » is in place, it is question of « Surprises of the Tide », an unavoidable Surfrider educational tool. Many children come to see us and participate in the game : they dive their hands in different boxes and try to guess what is inside. It can be naturel elements or aquatic waste that we can find in the foreshore. The Event team members take advantage of the opportunity to alert adults and children to the problems of the coastline pollution. The Surfrider educational service enables a diffusion of the environmental hub work to all kind of public ; it’s in this sense that different plans and eductional tools are constantly created.
Bastien tells us about it :
« There were lots of families, we try to convey the message to the largest number possible, without forcing people. We bring them to think by themselves and then we give them responses. We talk about the problem, we explain that we all are a little responsible of the pollution and that if we could all be a little responsible of reducing it, it would be for the best ! »
Once the tide was low, we installed the second « happening » of the day directly on the beach. This visual message of awareness had a lot of success, we even heard some passers-by talking about it : « It’s really great, and in english everyone understands, and it’s not just a sign, it’s nice, it’s esthetic ! »
Suddenly the name of Surfrider breaks through the speakers, the Roxy Pro organisers are talking about our activity « Respect Your Beach » and commenting « don’t throw your cigarette butts, make a few steps and find a bin ! » Indeed cigarette butts are a real scourge, mostly during summertime when crush your cigarette in the sand became a harmless act. The Surfrider members that were there during the events can explain to the holiday-makers the consequence of such an act : a cigarette butt is likely to pollute by itself 500 litres of water !
A message that affects all ages
The activities clearly gives pause for thought to the participants, a child came to see us afterwards and told us his surf experience in Morocco, there was waste in the water and he could touch it when paddling, he tells us that he found this horrible.
Adults are also concerned by our activities, a friend of the professional surfers tells us her feelings about the game Surprises of the Tide : « It’s smart because you take time to think of what it is, when you see a picture, you don’t commit, by the way, we are saturated with photos, signs, we don’t event see them anymore. There, we take a part, we are committed because we have to find what it is, and the message conveys so much better.
It’s very interesting to participate in such meetings. Assure an events attendance in summertime enables us to be close to the public and to the environment that we defend. The atmosphere is friendly, many persons that we met revealed themselves enthusiastic to the idea of understanding better the environment and adopt a more environmentally friendly behavior.
The team stayed there several days and will be there all along the summer for various events, to discover the other happenings suggested, it’s over there ! In 2012, Surfrider was there for 138 events totaling up to 325 days of awareness.
Anna Frémont, environment writer
For children and young persons from 4 years old, the educational program of Surfrider Foundation Europe started in 1995 and has not stopped developing. Environmental mediation occurs through many ways in the service of three ideas : teach, alert, form. More than 10 000 persons visit our campus each year of which 80% of schools. We give them the opportunity to get involved in various programs weather artistic, educational or sporty.