A South American Catch-22

After supposedly closing its pulp mill factory on the Mataquito River, a large watershed which drains into the ocean 50 km south of Pichilemu (Chile's Surf City), on June 18 the Chilean forestry company Celco protagonized another catastrophic spill of liquid waste ("black liquor") into the river. 50,000 liters of toxic liquids used in the bleaching process to produce paper pulp. Still enjoying that glossy magazine you read every day? What about that bright white office paper in your printer?

I've just come out of a two-hour meeting representing Save the Waves alongside Oceana, Greenpeace, FIMA (Fiscalia del Medioambiente) and Salvemos Cobquecura. Our mission is to accuse Celco and the government and have the courts find them responsible for their latest environmental crimes. But these crimes still happened, and we cannot take back the death of thousands of fish and the loss of local fishermens' livelihood. You see, Chile has its own patent brand of self-contradictory circular logic in which things happen v e r y s l o w l y . . .

In order to prove the existence of toxic dioxins and furans in a certain river and ocean, we must send the water samples outside of Chile (because there are no labs in Chile which test for dioxins). In order to send water containing possibly toxic chemicals outside of the country in an international shipment, the shipment must be certified by the Government of Chile. But the Government of Chile won't voluntarily collaborate on a study which it knows will ultimately will find it negligent in environmental crimes.

Why not just send the samples anyway, without official approval? For the scientific findings to be used as evidence in a court of law, they must be certified by the government. Hmmmm... This is what's known as a double bind, no-win situation. At least I have the dubious honor of sharing this blog posting with Jeb Bush AND Celco:


Want solutions? We must demand 100% bleach-free, post-consumer waste recycled paper for EVERYTHING: magazines, packaging, toilet paper, office paper, boxes, shoe lining, photography. And if it isn't, just don't buy it. If it means a less-glossy final product, it just might be better for the earth and for us. To paraphrase a quote from my sometimes-over-quoted friend Yvon Chouinard and his book, Let My People Go Surfing:

"if you want to change government, change corporations; and if you want to change corporations, you must change the consumer. Wait a minute, did you say consumer? That's me! Are you saying that it's me who has to change?"

Pulp, Poo & Perfection: Premier in San Sebastian

Click here to go to movie website
I was told not to call this region Spain - it's the Basque Country to many; and it's the ideal location for a great film festival. Angel Marin and I launched our documentary Pulp, Poo and Perfection this week at the San Sebastián Surfilm Festibal to a crowd of environmentalists, surf industry executives and curious tourists. "PP&P" was shown along with Christopher Cutri's reflective meditation on the surf industry, "Riding the Wave", at the San Sebastián Aquarium on the opening day of the festival.
Note: this film will be a free download online in August 2007.

Tapas with a shallow glass of vino tinto two finger-widths deep; muggy hot mornings and pouring rain in the afternoon; European sunset at 10pm; cobblestone and car-free streets packed with Basque political rallies below thunderous lightning striking the offshore ocean waters and church bells ringing in the background; proudly stoic Basque separatists and their prominent chins mostly hidden under dark beards... these are a few of my favorite San Sebastián things.



At the movie premier I also spoke at a roundtable discussion entitled, "Sustainability and the Surf Industry," along with 5 other environmental and industry representatives. Our general conclusion?

The surf industry and environmental groups must overcome their differences and work together to fight larger corporate polluters and lead the way in sustainably produced, environmentally friendly products. Unity and positive action must result NOW! C'mon, let's put aside our egotistical differences and slaughter this fat ugly cow called "industry & sustainability."

In August 2007 this entire 15-minute documentary will be available on youtube.com and as a free online download.

Watch the NEW TRAILER to Pulp, Poo & Perfection:

Celco Kills, Again: How much more will we take?

June 8: "Accidental" release of pulp by-product known as "black tar liquor" kills thousands of fish in Chile:


The Chilean corporation Celco, Chile's largest forestry company and a major environmental polluter, is again responsible for an aquatic environmental disaster in central Chile. On June 8 we found that in the Mataquito River, in Chile's 7th Region, thousands of fish and other water species have died after an "operations anamoly" in the Licancel Forestry Plant. Celco's response? They fired three executives from the plant who "failed to notify the corporation in a timely manner."

BUT WHY DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE? Why does the company have a pipe outlet that drains black tar liquor (a known toxic pollutant) directly into a river watershed? It cannot be a blame game when the victims are thousands of fish, fishermen, and riparian river habitat.

Fernando Leniz, president of Chile's forestry trade association, Corporación de la Madera (COREMA) comments: "the company has reacted very rationally to this disaster, responsibly, taking careful measures in the case, punishing and firing the responible people... this should not have consequences for the industry."

Why shouldn't it have extremely grave consequences for the industry, Mr. President? This is obviously not the first time that Celco has killed massive amounts of aquatic flora and fauna in Chile. It is obvious that the governmental and corporate safety measures being used are not sufficient to protect lives and livelihoods in Chile.

IT'S OVERDUE TIME FOR THESE DISASTERS TO HAVE VERY GRAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CHILEAN FORESTRY INDUSTRY.

Major changes are afoot: and you, dear reader, yes YOU can start by demanding CHLORINE-FREE, RECYCLED PAPER that is not produced by mega-corporations and their monoculture mega-forests. Insist on magazines printed on sustainably produced and 100% recycled paper, such as the UK's Surfer's Path magazine. Demand products packaged without excessive paper and plastic, and with 100% unbleached recycled content. Wipe your ass with your hand and a bar of soap - it's actually more hygienic than toilet paper and it's better for Chile's rivers and beaches, too! Check out Reach for Unbleached at www.rfu.org for more information.

If we don't demand these simple yet powerful consumer products, the destruction of wildlife and water is our own fault as consumers.

Save the Waves is now aggressively researching legal options with FIMA, Oceana and other local organizations in response to Celco's latest criminal behavior.

For more information on Celco's latest disaster, in a Spanish language TV news broadcast, click on "Reportajes" at the following link: Chilevision at www.chilevision.cl