When a person begins to surf closely, he soon begins to notice that in addition to surfers, plastic bags are also floating on the lineup, and plastic bottles are rolling on the waves, or that beaches in popular tourist areas are buried in garbage. In this regard, every surfer sooner or later begins to think about the problems of protecting the environment.
It is in our interests that the water and the surrounding coastal area at the spots where we surf are not polluted. Therefore, each of us surfers has a responsibility to do something to help save our beautiful planet from being buried in garbage. And here are a few ways you can do it.
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Participate in cleaning the beaches
I think each of us, warming up before surfing on the beach, paid attention to the garbage lying here and there in the sand.
One of the most obvious ways for a surfer to go green is to clean up the beach regularly and organize those cleanups themselves.
At a minimum, every time you leave the beach, you can take a couple of plastic bottles or other types of garbage with you.
Choose the right board
Most surfboards surfers ride today are made from polyurethane foam/polystyrene and fiberglass impregnated with polyester or epoxy resin. Each of us understands, even just from the name, that these materials are far from environmentally friendly.
Waste from the production of these materials has an extremely negative impact on the environment. In addition, they do not decompose in nature and cannot be processed.
The good news is that today more and more manufacturers are starting to make sustainable boards made from alternative materials such as bamboo, cork or wood. Such surfboards are not only more pleasant for Mother Earth, but they can also last much longer.
Another way to reduce the harm to nature is to buy boards from your hands. Also, you can not throw out old surfboards that have served their purpose, but give them a new life. For example, a board can decorate an interior or make something useful out of it.
Buy an eco wetsuit
Classic wetsuits are made of neoprene, a completely non-environmental material that does not decompose in nature.
Companies are emerging these days that are making “green” wetsuits out of organic rubber materials such as NaturalPrene or Yulex. Other manufacturers make wetsuits from recycled plastic bottles.
Such options are high quality and will last longer, however, like many other eco-products, they are very expensive.
Use alternative wax
Traditional wax is made from hazardous petroleum products. Small parts of toxic wax somehow end up in the water and negatively affect marine ecosystems and harm coral reefs.
There are alternatives to standard wax that every surfer should try. You can buy an eco-friendly wax, or you can make it yourself, since it’s easy to find recipes on the Internet that you can use to make your own wax.
Use eco-friendly sunscreen
Like it or not, sunscreen from the skin will sooner or later get into the water, even if it is well absorbed. And this means that the chemicals that are contained in it will get into the ocean.
It’s pretty easy to find companies that make marine- and ecosystem-friendly creams these days. Such creams are more expensive than harmful chemicals, but remember that by investing in additional funds, you are making your small contribution to saving our planet!
Naturally, these ways do not exhaust the options for how a surfer can help the planet. But at least you can start with this!
