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Surfrider Member,
I love San Francisco. I know I know, the waves have
been sub-par all year and the fog seemed
relentless this summer, but overall we
have it good. Even if you're one of those people who
spends the summer threatening to move south for
the "good life" of warm water and fun little south
swells, it doesn't take but a few days in So Cal before I
realize that we're a lucky bunch in SF.
One thing that I've never taken for granted is the
camaraderie and friendliness of surfers here.
Having grown up surfing the crowded and competitive
superbank in Australia, I
know first-hand that the good nature of Bay Area
surfers is not found everywhere. A friend recently
pointed out the irony: the colder the water gets,
the warmer the surfers seem to get. Maybe there's
something in that. Or maybe there's just something
great about San Franciscans.
Part of our mission at Surfrider is to ensure
accessibility to our local oceans and
beaches. One of the best ways I can think to do this is
to continue that spirit of surfing and watersports in the
Bay Area that has made it grow in popularity so much
in the past few years. Almost everyone I meet out in
the water
embodies that sense of stoke and helpfulness that
continues to make ocean sports so satisfying.
The ocean becomes an irreplaceable part of our lives,
and that means that when the big issues arise, more
people are prone to get involved with keeping their
oceans
safe, clean, and healthy.
So if you won't get involved with any other
Surfrider projects in the coming months, at very least
keep the friendly, approachable nature alive at the
beach. It may not be directly affecting the environment,
but showing a beginner a trick or two, bringing a friend
out to OB to watch the sunset, or just saying hi to a
neighboring surfer will indirectly affect community
involvement and love of the oceans in ways you may
never see.
Anyway, enough rambling. Stay stoked, stay
warm, and pray for a killer fall!
- Wes
| Fire Ring Cleanups - We Need Help! |
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As most of you have heard by now, we are
integral in
the cleaning and maintenance of the fire rings area of
Ocean Beach. Not only is this maintenance necessary
to preserve the beaches and coastal life at OB, but
we're in an agreement with the National Parks Service
to clean them every Sunday.
We've had a small and
dedicated group of volunteers out there every Sunday
who are doing a great thing for this service. Special
thanks to Eric Phillips and Evan Goldsen for the
monumental task of organizing these all summer. But
we need more volunteers! If you are around this
Sunday morning, or any Sunday morning for that
matter, come down to Stairway 17 in front of the Beach
Chalet at 10am. You don't need to bring anything -
we'll have all the tools - just show up ready to help
Surfrider keep the fire rings project alive and keep our
beaches clean.
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| Tell Us What You Think - Get a FREE Chico Bag |
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We at Surfrider SF recently ordered a handful of
stylish, useful and waste-reducing Chico Bags to be
used instead of plastic bags at the grocery store. They
are made of durable nylon and have our extremely
cool logo printed right on them.
Want one? Do us a tiny favor and its
all yours: write an email to general@sfsurfri
der.org telling us what matters most to you in the
Bay Area regarding the beaches, oceans, or
environment. Want cleaner beaches? No more sewer
overflows? Worried about shark breeding or loss of a
certain species
in the bay? As your representatives in the San Fran
chapter, we want to keep in touch with you and what
you care/worry about.
Send your responses to general@sfsurfri
der.org, along with your name and address and
we'll send you a Chico Bag!
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| Upcoming Events |
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Surfrider would like to have a presence at the
following upcoming events, but we could use some
volunteers to join us in setting up a table and greeting
passers-by.
Don't worry, we'll train you on everything
you need to know. This is a great way to meet new
people and find out what Surfrider is really all about.
Events in the next few months include:
- Oceanfest in Crissy Field, October 6
- Power
to the Peaceful - Golden Gate Park, 9/8/07
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| Project - 3 Easy Steps to Kill Junkmail |
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This month: remove yourself from junk
mail lists in less than 30 minutes.
Why?
- 5.6 million tons of catalog and direct mail
ends up in U.S. landfills and waterways
annually.
- 100 million trees are used on unsolicited
mail in the US annually. That equals 1.5 trees per
person.
- 44 percent of junk mail is thrown away
unopened. Only 22 percent of junk mail is recycled.
We're all on one mailing list or another, but how much
junk mail you receive every day is entirely up to
you. In
less
than 30 minutes you can reduce your junk mail to near
zero with three simple steps:
1. Call all your credit card companies, banks,
mortgage companies, and consumer/catalogue
companies that have your address. Request to be
removed from their mailing
lists. When I called Chase about my credit card, the
lady informed me that calling was the only way to opt
out of these "offers", and that I was never given the
option when signing up.
2. Go to
https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing
and fill out the form to be removed from future lists.
This costs $1 but is well worth the money and time.
The DMA are
the biggest purveyor of mailing lists and junk mail in
the US, so telling them to stop sending you crap is
going straight for the junk mail jugular.
3. Buy and install a "No Junk Mail" sign for
your
mailbox.
With these 3 steps you'll be doing your part for
reducing the above (frightening) statistics!
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This Sunday: Cleanup and Togos Surf Art Tour at OB |
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Come out to the cleanup this Sunday morning at
10am in front of Beach Chalet... Togos will have some
art surfboards being
auctioned off as a Surfrider benefit.
Togos Surf Art Tour
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