ENVIROMENIALIST

2012

2011-12-27T19:42:00.001-03:00

What an amazing year it's been. Now, looking forward to 2012!

No Corporate Surf Porn

2011-11-23T20:25:00.003-03:00

Being a filmmaker, a habitual loud mouth dissenter, and a bit of a loose cannon, I am not a fan of what is known in the insular world of the surf-industry complex as “surf porn."

Certain corporations create and market surf porn films in order to promote their brand and their "athletes." As the colorful Glenn Hening has loudly complained, and I've quoted him here before: (Glenn is a fellow loose cannon)

"The surf industry is just the clothing industry with a good hook."

Corporate surf porn usually consists of perfect surfers in perfect, exotic locations surfing perfect waves. This is repeated for up to one hour (or longer in the worst versions of itself). Very little if any character development occurs in the film. We learn nothing about the "stars" in this wannabe sports documentary. We watch them surf perfect waves, perfectly, to the tune of loud and repetitive music, until the credits roll. No narrative. No plot. Just surfing with a decidedly pornographic nature.

Please join me in standing up to the soul-less surf corporations of the world: NO CORPORATE SURF PORN.

Hipsters and Latino Gangsters on a Friday Night

2011-11-20T21:16:00.007-03:00

"Brian Wilson" and Keith Malloy, two bearded warriors

Friday evening, November 4, 2011: the Victoria Theatre in the seamy Mission District of San Francisco is the scene of the third-ever Save The Waves Film Festival, a celebration and non-profit fundraiser featuring a collection of short local films and the San Francisco premiere of Come Hell or High Water. The stoked and loudly hooting crowd nearly drowns out the movie soundtracks as the packed theatre (a full, standing room only, sold out capacity house) rings out with deafening cries of joy for the films playing.

A collection of locally made short films launch the evening's film festival after a welcome set of surf-drenched reggae by My Peoples: Surf for Life explores the philanthropic possibilities of grassroots surf tourism with a rag tag and merry pack of local San Francisco surfers; Soundings celebrates the activist nature of surfers and ocean lovers; Great Highway features the historic first waveriders of San Francisco; and Save Sloat! recounts the problems and solutions at the southern edge of San Francisco's Ocean Beach where the road, parking lots and city infrastructure are falling into the ocean.

Other notable incidents during Save The Waves Film Festival include an exclusive, on-stage interview with pro surfer Dusty Payne -- unfortunately cut short by a shark sighting; the unveiling of a very special wooden bodysurfing wetsuit handmade by OB shaper Danny Hess; and a celebrity sighting of Giants relief pitcher Brian Wilson, who introduces his fellow bearded warrior, filmmaker Keith Malloy.

The night ends with legendary bodysurfers Mark Cunningham and Keith Malloy taking the stage to present their new film, Come Hell or High Water. The film is a resounding yet unlikely success with its non-comformist bodysurfing subject matter, and the crowd is elated. Thousand of dollars are raised for Save The Waves' campaign to Save Sloat and the World Surfing Reserves program, and many Patagonia fleece down jackets and vests are worn. A lot of flannel as well. And man hair. Too much man hair.

No Corporate Surf Porn

Happily, very little corporate surf porn is forced upon the audience. This "surf film festival" only features creative, independent and real films about real people. For this we rejoice and hope the world takes notice.

After every drop of beer is imbibed and the buoyant audience streams out of the theatre and onto the goo-stained sidewalks at 16th and Mission Street, a series of gunshots echoe down the block. Bright flannel, goose down and grimy hipster denim all hit the ground or scurry back into the theatre while two local gangs quarrel over turf and drugs a half block away. Three homeboys are injured but no one dies, and everyone treks home, thankful to be alive.

Read about the corporate sponsors, moneys raised, films screened, guests received and fun times had at:
www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

"Brian Wilson" and Dusty Payne unveil the new, custom wooden bodysurfing wetsuit by Danny Hess.

Holy Water Proof Camera, Brah!

2011-10-20T19:46:00.001-03:00

We're screening some awesome films at Save The Waves Film Festival on November 4th, including the world premiere of "Great Highway" - a new 5 minute short cut of this film about the history of surfing at Ocean Beach. We're also screening "Come Hell or High Water" which is an amazing new film by first-time director and lifelong bodysurfer Keith Malloy. Read about the full lineup of films at:

www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

Pretty stoked too on the art by Mike Houston. This is the 2nd year that Mike has made a custom woodcut letterpress print for the film festival poster art. Check out his wild world of art at www.cannonballpress.com

Come Hell or High Water

2011-09-13T20:54:00.000-03:00

Keith Malloy's new film about body surfing will premiere at Save The Waves Film Festival in San Francisco on Friday, November 4, 2011. Stoked!

www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

Barbarism and the Moral Code

2011-08-28T15:02:00.002-03:00

Long before I ever heard of religion, or saw a white man, I had learned from an untutored woman the essence of morality. With the help of dear Nature herself, she taught me things simple but of mighty import. I knew God.
I perceived what goodness is. I saw and loved what is really beautiful. Civilization has not taught me anything better!
As a child, I understood how to give; I have forgotten that grace since I became civilized. I lived the natural life, whereas I now live the artificial. Any pretty pebble was valuable to me then; every growing tree an object of reverence. Now I worship with the white man before a painted landscape whose value is estimated in dollars!
Thus we are reconstructed, as the natural rocks are ground to powder, and made into artificial blocks which may be built into the walls of modern society.
(Charles Alexander Eastman Ohiyesa, 1911)

Reach Out World Wide

2011-05-13T17:30:00.001-04:00

roww.org

Reach Out World Wide, a small relief organization (founded by actor Paul Walker) that I worked with in Chile last year, continues to do great disaster relief work. This all-volunteer organization is now in America's South helping victims of the recent tornados and floods. Check out there website here or visit their facebook page for frequent updates from the field.

Post Tsunami Stress Disorder (REPRINT)

2011-03-17T16:42:00.010-03:00

The tsunami disasters unfolding in Japan are forcing me to revisit my experience with tsunami relief work in Chile last year. Below is a "web reprint" of an article I wrote for The Surfer's Path magazine. (Issue #79, August-September 2010) I can barely fathom what's going on in Japan because I know it's thousands of times worse than what we had in Chile, and Chile was difficult enough! All my love and prayers for the people in Japan.

Post Tsunami Stress Disorder: finding oneself amidst fear and hope in Chile’s coastal devastation.

By Josh Berry

Rushing to Chile immediately after the 8.8 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country’s coastline on February 27, 2010, on a mission to distribute water filters and medical attention for survivors at the epicenter’s most devastated coastline, Save The Waves Coalition’s environmental director Josh Berry recounts his surreal, traumatic and profoundly moving experience on the still-trembling shores of coastal Chile.

I haven’t even gotten to the earthquake zone and I’m already freaking out. Fresh off the airplane I shaved my head after being stuck in traffic hell in the brutal Santiago sun – golden surfer locks ruthlessly transformed into militaristic brownish stubble by my firefighter friend El Diplomatico and his trusty, rusty hair clippers. It’s fitting for our emergency mission bringing water filters and medical aid to the most stricken survivors in post-tsunami Chile. For now it’s merely too hot in Santiago as the murderous sun burns stark through an ozone-depleted sky. I miss the ocean already, but this time the ocean bit back hard with a tsunami of biblical proportions. Bienvenido a Santiago, gringo.

The anonymous generosity of countless individuals, foundations, and surf industry companies has brought us back to Chile. Less than 3 days after the earthquake we rallied hundreds of donations, formed an informal partnership with Waves for Water to distribute clean water filters to tsunami survivors, and established another partnership to bring medical professionals from REACT Worldwide and Operation Rainbow directly to the disaster area. Tons of supplies are being donated and shipped to Chile on behalf of Save The Waves to distribute and help wherever it’s needed. And the need is deep - my shock at the magnitude of the problem, and the meaning of everyone’s incredibly humane response, is giving me deep wells of inspiration and energy to get things done, quickly and without complaint, for the courageous people of coastal Chile who desperately need help.

Before moving back closer to home in California last year, I spent over 7 years in Chile working as an advocate for water quality issues around surf spots. As fate would have it, exactly one year after I left Chile, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the same area that I had spent years working and surfing, precisely where Save The Waves Coalition has invested so much time and resources fighting development, sewage, forestry and coal pollution.

On February 27, 2010, this area was clobbered by the earth’s most violent force: an earthquake and tsunami one-two wallop. Information is sparse but reports slowly filter in, of three tsunami waves of 10, 15 and 30 feet tall hitting several hundred miles of coastline. As soon as I learned of the catastrophe I booked a flight from the USA with El Diplomatico who also loves Chile, and somehow we made it into the country. In spite of 90% of flights being cancelled due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure, we managed to sweet-talk our way into beloved Chile and landed in Santiago 5 days after the disaster struck.

So we’ve made it back to Chile and here we are, tripping out in Santiago where life seems to be going on as if nothing has happened. We cross a few cracked highways and the airport is mostly closed, but the incessant city life is business as usual. What the fuck do we do now?! A huge natural disaster has devastated hundreds of miles of coastline and after a day of purchasing truckloads of supplies in the city we need to get to the coastal epicenter. We have a plan to distribute water filters, supplies and medical aid in refugee camps. But first we must survive the mean streets and insane traffic of Santiago. The doctors we’ve agreed to guide into the epicenter aren’t in the country yet and who knows when they’ll arrive.

We’ve also joined forces with big wave surfers Ramón Navarro, Greg Long and Kohl Christensen, who were all surfing the Todos Santos big wave contest when the earthquake hit Chile and who also heeded the overwhelming urge to get to Chile, pronto, and do whatever it takes to help. They arrive two days after and hit the ground running – with El Diplomatico I head further south to the epicenter, while the big wave team sprints to Pichilemu and Ramón’s hometown. Our plan is to meet halfway after distributing help in our respective coastal zones.

Waves for Water got us a “bro-deal” on 1,000 simple yet highly effective water filters for emergency use in disaster areas. The filters are already proving their worth in Haiti where “W4W” distributed thousands of them to the millions of homeless. After a massive natural disaster, water and shelter are two very limited and valuable resources. We know what we have to do, and although the mission is simple we know it’s not going to be easy.

This is crazy. The only reason I’m here is because of love. I love this country and I know the epicenter zone as well as anyone. And others’ love for Chile has helped us get here, too, and it’s supremely humbling to read the long list of anonymous strangers who only want to help. In this type of hugely devastating natural disaster, that’s enough for a place that needs all the support it can get. By the time we leave Santiago we’ve already managed to get several truckloads of supplies out ahead of us, on their way to numerous coastal surf towns that took the brunt of the tsunami hit. I fear what lies ahead, but I know it’s nothing compared to what my Chilean friends are already facing at the epicenter – it’s survival and recovery at our most basic level. It’s a Herculean effort that easily brings out the best of humanity: help your neighbor.

My face starts breaking out in the worst acne I’ve had since I was 14 and blind with hormones. It’s a combination of work stress - it took us days of non-stop travel to reach post-tsunami Chile in spite of the officially closed international airport and that’s just the beginning of the logistics nightmares – plus the pressure of the searing late summer heat, and the dreadful anticipation of our impending immersion in complete, heart-breaking destruction at a beloved stretch of coastal Chile.

The drive towards the epicenter is uneventful and underwhelming – a few collapsed bridges, damaged rooftops and cracks in the road. This is all very photogenic and newsworthy but it’s not why we’re here. The worst is yet to come. Our first real taste of the harsh tsunami-induced reality is at the coast near our destination: in Pelluhue, a fishing village and summer tourist town, we drive through 2 kilometers suffering from a direct tsunami hit. The equivalent of over 50 square blocks is completely erased – nothing is left but piles of broken beams, crumpled tin roofs, crushed cars, and chunks of cement foundations scattered where entire neighborhoods once stood. The cars are unrecognizable except for a tire or exhaust pipe poking out of a crumpled mass of steel. Entire homes are gone, sometimes leaving nothing but the portion of a broken brick wall and a bathtub standing oddly alone amidst sand and torn-up trees. Everything swept away by the mammoth forces of enraged water. Nature’s destructive force is unbelievable even when facing it as a direct witness.

At the coast the devastation is crushing – literally, emotionally and physically. My friends and I are speechless – there’s nothing to do but put our heads down, get to work, and quietly ponder a strange mantra: oh my god… oh my god… oh my god. What happened?

So this is the aftermath of a tsunami. Up until now I’ve only been able to wonder and scratch my head about the unbelievable wrath it entails. Words cannot do it justice. My stomach churns from what I see, but we’re also strangely energized to get things done and help as much as possible. Sleep is secondary. This is a unique and meaningful opportunity to truly help other humans in the time of their direst need. Shell-shocked people wander about in a daze. Everything helps, and everywhere I look there’s something positive to be done: sweep up debris, hug a stranger, make someone smile, give away something useful to someone who has lost everything.

Training locals in how to build and use the water filter is incredibly simple yet very helpful: most people who’ve fled the tsunami zone don’t have a reliable source of clean water. They are empowered and energized to assemble something that guarantees them a level of health that is at times unobtainable in the difficult conditions of a natural disaster. My fear and anxiety lessens with every filter we build, and my peace grows with every person we train to build their own community’s filters. We’re also healing ourselves as we complete our mission to help the local community.

Entire towns have fled the shoreline, terrified by what the tsunami did to their tranquil lives. Dozens of refugee camps have sprung up in the hills above the coast here. We travel slowly but surely to many of these camps, with filters, doctors, and supplies. But we’re learning that much of what we have to give is immaterial: just showing up is a form of granting hope and inspiration for people to stand up, get well and dust themselves off.

The earthquake and tsunami double-whammy is nature’s ultimate knockout punch. Oddly enough, the tsunami news has barely reached international media networks. But Chilean news is all over it, and during our first weekend at the epicenter there are hundreds of Chilean volunteers pouring in to offer help at cleaning up, rebuilding, and restoring energies for the coastal communities. We meet dozens of professionals coming from the city to offer their services. The destruction is so vast that it will take many months of concerted volunteer effort to rebuild the hundreds of miles of coastline that are reeling from the blow.

The Chilean military is the only organization that is prepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Even so, during the first few days after the earthquake the military was barely able to deploy because they, too, had to dig themselves out and recover before they could help their country. At first they had the unsavory and well-publicized job of restoring order, arresting looters, and enforcing a curfew. But it’s a week after the earthquake and the military is doing an incredible job of rebuilding, cleaning up, and giving people hope. Unarmed platoons of young soldiers march down the streets singing songs as they escort trucks full of tsunami debris. Military brass bands roam the larger towns playing live renditions of their unique blend of inspirational tunes. And hundreds of energetic young soldiers swarm over the landscape with wheelbarrows, tractors, shovels and dump trucks. Everyone that isn’t shell-shocked is working and it’s inspiring.

But it’s only a week after and the shell shock continues to be as devastating as the tsunami was. First, an earthquake of massive shaking forces total system collapse. Then, a giant ocean wave of steamrolling destruction sweeps the debris into chaotic mountains of junk. And finally, endless set waves of emotional trauma sweep the land. Every day we feel huge aftershocks registering up to 7.5 on the richter scale, sending everyone into a panic.

Our doctors finally arrive, and they’re going full-time from awakening in the pre-dawn until falling into bed at midnight. Burn victims. Shell-shocked kids. Freaked-out parents. Fishermen wandering the streets, crying, who have lost everything: the wave took the boat, nets, wetsuits, truck, knives, bait and more. Working class people have lost their jobs along with all their belongings, because industry and economy have slowed to a crawl. But everyone has time to rebuild and recover.

One day my doctor friends from Santiago who specialize in healing emotional trauma take an ambulance into the remotest hills of the epicenter. A middle-aged woman has been sitting in a chair, trapped for two weeks inside her head in her own home. She is unable to move – she is completely terrified from the 2-minute-long earthquake and the numerous aftershocks. She won’t get up and she won’t leave the house due to the emotional trauma that’s taken over her body and mind. Her family, friends and neighbors don’t know what to do.

So the doctors speak with the paralyzed woman for over an hour, coaxing her to open up about the experience. She weeps and cries and thumps her chest. It’s cathartic and healing. The doctors massage her legs and encourage her to stand up. She stands, and step-by-step with the coaxing of the doctors, she slowly makes it to the front door of her home to survey her street. Then, with friends and family surrounding her she tearfully steps out the door to walk down her street for the first time in weeks. Everyone in the neighborhood thinks it’s a miracle and they send the doctors home with countless blessings, gifts of garden fresh vegetables, yerba mate, homemade woolen knittings, and pleas for them to return and visit soon.

As a result of this catastrophe Save The Waves Coalition is a better version of its former self: the larger international community chose us to coordinate a multi-agency effort to support the recovery of a beloved surfing coastline. We are not alone and the list of supporters is too long to mention here. This mission will take years as we commit our resources to reconstruction projects, small scholarships for local students, organic educational gardens, and material support for local artisan fishermen to get back to work. But we’re learning, and inspired by the locals around us. Their recovery and their courageousness are incredible and are driving this grassroots recovery. Sergio “Pocha” Salas, the first surfer in Constitución who lost everything to the disaster, is a fireball of nonstop energy as he takes our water filter mission to new heights in his ruined city. His example of selfless action is repeated in every town where we stop to help: offered a spark, the locals turn it into a bonfire of inspiration and cheer.

We’re still working with shaking ground all around. We stop to look up, make sure nothing is falling on our heads, then put our heads back down to focus on the work before us. This brings out the collective unconscious of millions of years of humans being terrorized by, coping with, and surviving calamitous earth tremors and natural disasters. To stand up, dust off, and survive with our neighbors is a natural condition carved into our DNA. And we’re becoming better humans as a result: more humane, more humble, and more aware of the great big picture drawn by our cosmos, the universe and shifting tectonic plates. The only constant is change: the earth changes, we adapt, we change into better versions of our former selves as we help our friends, our neighbors and ourselves survive the fear and rise up from the ashes. Ultimately, we’ve survived the biggest wave that nature can throw at us and it’s brought us closer together. We look forward to the future as we work tirelessly in the present.

About the author: Raised the son of a firewood cutter and a bush-walking mystic in the coastal wilds of northern California, Josh is presently on a break from environmental nonprofit work to build a cabin in the woods and grow his own vegetables.

Delivering water filters & basic supplies for earthquake survivors in Chile.

Hallelujah Time

2011-02-12T12:07:00.005-03:00

Outdoor Catholic shrine with industrial waste, Anse Salabuelle.

Smelling the air when spring comes by raindrops

reminds us of youthful days.

But now it's not rain that water the cane crops,

but the sweat from man's brow;

the substance from our spine.

Guadeloupe cane crop: February 6, 2011.

Awesomeness on a Billboard

2011-01-28T11:47:00.001-03:00

Surf art activists in California advocate to re-open Martin's Beach, where access has been illegally closed by the landowners.

From the (Warm) Ocean's Edge

2011-01-03T11:44:00.002-03:00

... and I encounter 2011 in the Lesser Antilles. I am taking the winter off from most things to focus on toughening up my "reef feet." This involves lots of walking on and floating over sharp reef, outdoors at the ocean's edge, far from a computer.

I will occasionally post an update here if I can find a good photo, but there is not a lot of internet surfing happening where I am. There are mostly lobsters, no wetsuits worn, and plenty of reef cuts. Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned for more news about this in addition to iguanas, cow sharks, black tips, adventures in ciguatera poisoning, and one green catamaran.

Awesomely Rad Art from a Friend

2010-12-03T15:44:00.004-03:00

"Fit the Fish to Your Head With Care"

This art guy Mike is an old family friend, going way back. He makes killer art in Brooklyn, he once exported a big ole southern barn (yes, a barn) to an art gallery in Japan (yes, to Japan), and his website bio reads:

"Printmaker, painter, carpenter, musician, filmmaker, what the Hell? This perennially disheveled North Carolinian specializes in C.S.M.R.I.H.C.M. (Clumpy Subject Matter Rendered In Heavy Choppy Marks), and can draw the pants off a baboon, a jalopy, a Grandma, and maybe 2 other things."

I really appreciate his deranged, humorous, and strangely positive perspective on life and art. Always an inspiration. Here are a couple of his black and white prints, and you can visit cannonballpress.com for more.

"Raise High the Sweet Horn of Triumph"

"Save the Waves Film Festival"

All images in this post are copyright reserved by Mike Houston and Cannonball Press.

Whale Mural by Chris Del Moro of S4C

2010-11-30T19:26:00.004-03:00

My "brother from another mother" Angel Marin filmed and edited this, I produced it for Save The Waves -- a short and sweet film about the whale mural at Ocean Beach by Chris Del Moro:

This mural was a collaboration between Sunset Cooperative Nursery School, Surfers for Cetaceans and Save The Waves Film Festival, painted on November 11 and 12, 2010.

My Resignation Will Not Be Televised

2010-11-19T12:14:00.017-03:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Change is a wonderful thing. At the end of this month on November 30, 2010 I will be leaving my post as environmental director of Save the Waves Coalition. I've decided that it's time to move on to new horizons. It's been an epic ride and I am profoundly and forever grateful to the many awesome people I've met through this amazing experience called Save the Waves.

I often question the meaning of our hyper-active and ultra-connected world of networking, texting and conference calling -- all bookended by 200 emails a day. I envision a better, slower, and less-stressed world and I strongly believe we will not find it through this constant movement of meetings, rushing, computers and traffic. This better world I dream of is less wired and also less wireless. It involves less engines and more free time; less money but more simplicity. My own personal search for this place started a long time ago, but to kick-start it farther I'm disappearing for several months: no phone, office or internet. Mostly just lots of sun.

Please don't poke, yelp, link, dig, friend, bookmark, pimp, post or tag me while I'm gone.

I'm soon shipping off to the warm waters of the Atlantic with my delightful girlfriend and swim fins, surfboard, spear gun, sailboat and flip flops: we're unplugging for a few months to become one with the Universe and make some new friends. Will probably be home later to do some laundry.

Much love,

Josh Berry

Attention fun seekers: get naked and find a backyard swing on a tropical island.

Film Festival Launch Party

2010-11-05T21:02:00.004-03:00

As if we didn't have enough to do this week, I decided we should hold a Launch Party for Friday's film festival because everyone knows that film festivals last more than one night, duh! So now you have stuff to do on Thurs and Fri in SF:

Thursday // Nov 11 // 6 PM // Park Chalet at Ocean Beach // Featuring the films Bali High & Capture

Launch Party for Save The Waves Film Festival

Save The Waves Film Festival is the next day, Friday November 12

www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

Good Friends in Trying Times

2010-10-28T14:20:00.001-03:00

Tsunami relief group in coastal Chile.

Good friends became even stronger and closer after the Chile earthquake and tsunami in February 2010. I love these guys. We traveled, worked, bled and cried together - and now the good times continue. Photo above and below by Rodrigo de la 'O Guerrero.

Unloading water filters for the health clinic at the earthquake epicenter.

-- More photos here from Geoffrey Ragatz.

Save The Waves Film Festival: Friday! Nov 12

2010-10-25T16:58:00.004-03:00

Together with my good friend, Chilean actor/filmmaker Angel Marin, we will be "on the mic" as MCs of our 2nd annual Save The Waves Film Festival:

Join us on Friday, November 12: www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

This 1-night-only film festival features Chris Malloy's 180 SOUTH, Dave "Rasta" Rastovich's TRANSPARENT SEA and Mickey Smith's DARKSIDE OF THE LENS, as well as several other short films to be announced soon.

>> Get your tickets here to Save The Waves Film Festival

Tickets are for sale: $20 general admission or $60 VIP admission (VIP includes a limited edition hand-printed 13"x21" original letterpress print by acclaimed Brooklyn-based artist Mike Houston and his Cannonball Press, two free drink tickets, a VIP gift bag from Patagonia and CLIF Bar, and reserved seating.)

At the historic Victoria Theatre in San Francisco. All proceeds benefit the non-profit environmental programs of Save The Waves Coalition.

* Save The Waves Film Festival features very special filmmaker guests, as well as live music by San Francisco legends MY PEOPLES (formerly Kapakahi).

-- www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival --

October - Chile Update

2010-10-18T11:12:00.001-03:00

We're in coastal Chile working on our final round of post-tsunami earthquake relief. The locals are inspired, working hard, and getting great things done! Full update coming soon.

Team Save The Waves Chile with locals from Salto del Agua. Geoffrey Ragatz photo.

We built this greenhouse a few months ago for a family who lost their roof in the earthquake. They're now harvesting and eating fresh, organic vegetables.

Thank Youse

2010-10-11T01:52:00.002-03:00

Today I am honored to feature this guest post by surf writer extraordinaire, Ben Marcus. He writes this after an epic day in Malibu for the new Malibu World Surfing Reserve dedication ceremonies:

Thank you for the Clif Bars, man. White chocolate macadamia nut!

Oh yeah and thanks for letting my rascal friends slip into your party and drink all the tequila and eat all the poke/poki.

Thanks for the poke/poki. Almost as good as Foodland kine.

Oh yeah and thanks for making Malibu a World Surfing Reserve.

It's a good place and it deserves that honor - and protection.

Sometimes it even needs protection from the protectors, but enough said about that.

I wish Malibu was six foot two days a week with five uncrowded days as the swell climbed and dropped on either side of those two days, but oh well.

That is not in your power.

Attached is the story about Malibu Creek steelhead I wrote for Fly Fish Journal.

Big healthy fish = big healthy creek back in the day and it seems hard to believe when you look at how sad and dead and polluted and dammed and damned the creek is now.

There is a tie-in between this story and those moving images of First Point Malibu in 1947.

All that sand trapped behind Rindge Dam used to be strung along the point, and that is why the wave was better back then, I think.

Thanks again for a good weekend.

- Ben

This One Goes to Eleven!

2010-09-30T12:44:00.000-04:00

Join us at the Malibu World Surfing Reserve on October 9. It's going to be an epic day full of incredible activities:

www.savethewaves.org/malibu

Eco Hero Kids Foundation in Malibu

2010-09-17T16:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we walked the beach during the MSA Classic and educated the stoked local kids about the environmental issues facing Malibu waves and its water quality.

Thanks to Eco Hero Kids Foundation for making this happen!

"How Do You Save a Wave?"

2010-09-08T13:22:00.003-04:00

How do you save a wave? This is an innocently snide question often heard when I tell people that I work for Save The Waves. After many years I still don't know exactly what the answer is, but surfer & writer Steve Pezman has an excellent argument for why I aim to save a wave:

"[Timothy Leary] said surfers were the perfect example of be here now. The tube ride in which you’re living for that exact instant on a continuum of time where the tube is folding over your head, where your wake is disappearing into the back of the wave, your footprints are being washed from the sand...

"He also said If you believed in that you had to work to lead man to that goal. You couldn't just lay back and passively let other people carry the challenge and fight for that, you had to actually be a proponent of it and be a firm advocate of it and work hard to try and lead man to that place. So I began to see mankind as a tribe whose participation in the total social order was to carry that message and talk about the importance of maintaining interface between the land and ocean and helping people to realize life was not about acquisition of wealth so much but was about the dance."

>> Read the full text of this piece by Steve Pezman here.

Chilean Celebrities Against Coal

2010-08-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

Salvemos Punta de Choros from Ladislao Palma on Vimeo.
This short film features various Chilean celebrities speaking out against a series of coal power plants planned for construction in coastal Chile that threaten nearby nature reserves. It's about time the Chilean mass media hypes this, we've been doing it for years.

Chile Photo Update: August

2010-08-20T14:52:00.002-04:00

Our Chile earthquake relief field team met up with the big-hearted surf/snow athletes at YES to rebuild in the earthquake zone. Below are a few photos by Phil Tifo of the relief team in action, building a greenhouse as part of our sustainable gardens program. Full Chile update and more photos coming soon! Photos are from last week, Región del Bío Bió, Chile:

Greenhouse construction by YES & Save The Waves.

Coastal Chile is so scenic and raw.

YES & Save The Waves Chile teams.

All photos this post (c) by Phil Tifo: www.tifophotographik.com

Fuerza Chile! Tee Shirt Sale for Chile Relief

2010-08-17T15:51:00.002-04:00

Fletcher Chouinard Designs and Save The Waves team up to produce this new benefit T shirt for Chile.

$5 from the sale of each T shirt is donated to STW Chile Relief Fund to benefit rebuilding, educational grants and beach cleanups in the coastal regions devastated by the February 27 earthquake and tsunami in Chile.

>> View the T shirt and purchase online here at FCD.

Fuerza Chile! T shirt for Chile relief fund.
>> Buy here.

(Hot T shirt model is not included in sale.)

Environmentalism: Essay

2010-08-11T16:16:00.010-04:00

Several essays that I wrote for "Protect Your Break" - the 2010 Patagonia Surf catalogs - are now published online. You can read them at this Patagonia.com link <<<

This is a collection of essays that I penned about surf spots threatened by harbor construction in Australia, heavy industry in Chile, real estate in Florida and coastal roads in Orange County.
> Read em here and enjoy.

Monday is for Locals Only

2010-08-09T12:14:00.007-04:00

This is the best beach skit ever.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, 'T' where do you think you're goin' huh? This spot is for locals only."

~ Rad hairy bearded local in the above flick.

---

"So what are we waiting for? Instead of glowering at our fellow surfers in the line-up, let's rally around some causes that need our support and start changing things."

~ Gerry Lopez in "Crowd Power" (printed in the 2010 Patagonia Surf Catalog)

Clean Coal Is Still a Dirty Lie

2010-08-03T14:25:00.007-04:00

Last week, Chile's Supreme Court approved the Los Robles Coal Power Plant in coastal Chile's pristine and remote southern Maule Region. This is a legal fight that we've been working on closely with the Maule Itata Coastkeeper, FIMA and Waterkeeper Alliance for nearly 2 years. This is not good news for the terrestrial and coastal environments of the area, but I am very proud that we took it all the way to the Chilean Supreme Court. The issue is far from over, and local activists are refusing to roll over and are reconsidering all options to ensure victory for the environment and the community's health. Stay tuned.

Clean coal is a dirty lie. The Dirty Lie website has excellent short films (including two films by Save The Waves) and comprehensive information about coal mining, global warming and solutions.

Above image from the Patagonia Surf eCatalog: Santos Del Mar big wave surf spot is located just offshore of the proposed site for the Los Robles Coal Power Plant. Click on the photo to view in large format and read additional information about the coal plant.

Read This Magazine Article

2010-07-27T15:27:00.010-04:00

"Post Tsunami Stress Disorder" is an story I wrote about our recent natural disaster relief adventures in Chile -- out now in the July / August 2010 issue of The Surfer's Path, find it soon at a nearby newsstand.

At Work, Rebuilding

2010-07-13T14:46:00.015-04:00

This is a story from the field by Philip Muller, our Save The Waves Chile tsunami relief coordinator in Pichilemu. This is the power of grass roots, local solutions in action:

There was only one death of a fisherman here in Pichilemu due to the tsunami, a man named Choco. He left a wife and two young adult kids - a son and a daughter - who both have their own children. This family of 8 people have lost their main source of income - Choco's modest salary from local small-scale fishing - and they all now sleep in 2 rooms, with Choco's widow sleeping on a mattress on their kitchen floor. Choco's daughter was pregnant when the tsunami hit and she gave birth last week to a baby boy.

The only government relief aid they had received was a box of food for Choco's death in the tsunami, and a local fundraiser brought in 20,000 Chilean pesos (about USD $75). The town's local government relief program has given them roofing and workers to build an extension to the house to add two rooms, but due to the fact they can't pay for the materials needed (due to no income), the workers had stopped working on this project.

With a grant from Save The Waves, we decided that we could help them buy what they needed to build the extension for the family. They gave us a list of materials (doors, nails, wood, sand, cement, etc...) needed to build it. We have started to buy the materials and recently had everything sent to their house directly. The family just couldn't believe it and were ever so thankful. We are also trying with the local fishermen's union to see if they can chip in to get more construction supplies for the family.

Marcela, Philip's girlfriend, is an architect and has drawn free official construction plans for the builders to follow, which will be better than the basic drawings they had been using. This post features Philip Muller's photos of Choco's family and other Pichilemu survivors at work.

Photo Update: Chile Disaster Relief

2010-07-08T16:43:00.020-04:00

Below are photos of our Save The Waves team at work in Chile in late June and early July 2010, as they provide relief aid for fishermen, farmers and local coastal residents who survived the devastating 8.8 earthquake and tsunami of February 27. Complete news & detailed update coming soon at savethewaves.org >>

Pichilemu fisherman & new nets from Save The Waves grant. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Cobquecura fisherman working nets from Save The Waves.

Cobquecura greenhouse built for women entrepreneur flower growers.

Pichilemu boat repaired by Save The Waves grant.

Amigos and fishermen in Constitucion - nets, boat engines and tsunami-damaged pier all repaired with Save The Waves grants.

Work crew for the beach at Constitucion's tsunami ground zero.

Trash from the beach in Constitucion.

STW Constitucion coordinator Sergio Pocha Salas at a beach cleanup with the Chilean Army.

Post-tsunami beach cleanup.

---
Fishermen, students, beaches and homes are recovering but there is still a lot of relief work to do. All photos in this post by Philip Muller and Bob Esponja.

Shaking

2010-06-28T16:59:00.006-04:00

This morning I was jarred awake by a short but loud 3.3 earthquake here in San Francisco. It was relatively small, but located very close, just 3 miles offshore and due West of my house in the Outer Richmond district. Even though it was a tiny quake in comparison, it reminded me of Chile and the numerous aftershocks I felt while doing earthquake and tsunami relief there in March. I'm just waiting for the day that an earthquake of that size hits Northern California. It's been a very long time.

Read the Surfline article here about my Chile tsunami relief experiences, and watch for an article I wrote coming in the next issue of Surfer's Path magazine.

Stand for the Ocean

2010-06-25T13:40:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow (Saturday) is Hands Across The Sand. It's simple and easy: just be at your local beach before 12 noon, join hands to form a line in the sand. Unite to oppose oil drilling and our insane addiction to oil.

With over 700 events worldwide, including every single state in the USA, find or create a Hands Across The Sand near you and help us tell our elected officials and overpaid CEOs that we're sick of our oil and oil slick disasters! More info here:

>>> www.handsacrossthesand.com

Our oil dependency is literally killing our culture and our planet through war, ecological destruction, and corporate thievery. Not to mention the fact that highways and traffic just plain suck - they're noisy, stinky, expensive and really, really ugly. Parking lots and highways are so last decade.

Personally, I walk and bike every single day to do my small part in getting us off oil. EVERYWHERE IS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE IF YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH TIME. Get over your car. Hands Across The Sand.

In San Luis Obispo on June 24

2010-06-11T18:40:00.007-04:00

SLO Town to deliver some love for Chile on June 24:

The Terra Foundation, Downtown Brew, Coalition, and Maule Wear are VERY proud to present a fabulous night of music, prizes, good friends, and fun on Thursday, June 24th at Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo.

All proceeds from what will prove to be a fantastic evening will benefit members of the community of Curanipe, Chile. Curanipe was hard hit in the late February earthquake and tsunami and continues to need our support. Proceeds will go directly to families in Curanipe in the form of grants to be used to assist with the reconstruction of their homes.

In conjunction with the concert on June 24th, we are holding a "need not be present to win" raffle. Tickets are on sale NOW, so buy a few soon for a chance to win terrific prizes such as a brand new bass guitar, one of two new surfboards, incredible art, wine, clothing, and more! Raffle tickets can be purchased now at one of the following locations: in SLO - Bambu Batu and Coalition; in Cayucos - Good Clean Fun; in Morro Bay - Sunshine Health Foods and Morro Bay Surf Company, and in Shell Beach - Shell Beach Surf Shop and A Vital Touch.

>> Please visit maulewear.com for more information.

Two Films Nominated for Best Short

2010-06-02T00:24:00.016-04:00

Two films that I produced earlier this year were nominated last week for Best Environmental Short Film at this year's Surfilm Festibal in San Sebastián, Spain.

In February during a rainy and gray weekend in San Francisco I wrote and edited Soundings. It features Captain Paul Watson and Dave Rastovich "sounding off" on all things fishy, environmental and oceanic.

With Angel Marin I also produced Standing in Chile in March, a short adventure film by Save The Waves and PerroRata that documents our tsunami relief work in the aftermath of Chile's massive earthquake. Both films are nominated at the Surfilm Festibal screening this weekend and next week.

My excellent Wingman and Brother from Another Mother, Angel Marin, directed Standing and he also shot some of the footage in Soundings. I think it's funny that we're now competing against each other for this prize. Either way, we win. We're keeping our fingers crossed for the announcement coming next week from Spain!

Top: a screen grab from "Soundings" - Captain Paul Watson in action.
Above: scene of post-tsunami destruction from "Standing."
View the films here:
>> Soundings
>>> Standing
>>>> Amstel Surfilm Festibal

Noel Robinson, RIP

2010-05-07T14:42:00.019-04:00

Noel at Brushfire Records Chile Benefit. Photo by Save The Waves.

Our friend, underground charger, and filmmaker Noel Robinson drowned this morning while surfing Puerto Escondido. Details are few, but it appears his board knocked him unconscious underwater. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Noel in Chile during the tsunami aftermath. He was fearless, humble and a great human. He also made an excellent short film about humanitarian aid adventures in Chile, and he was a big collaborator and supporter of Save The Waves efforts.

If you must go, what a way to go brother. Our condolences & love. >>> Read the Surfline news & surf community's condolences here.

Above: Noel (center) with Greg Long & Angel Marin in Constitución, Chile, tsunami relief trip March 2010. Photo Philip Muller.

>>> Noel surf photo from the Surfline news about his passing.

Tsunami Survivor Nest

2010-04-23T11:45:00.007-04:00

"El tsunami llegó hasta aquí - lo ví venir."

Luis Pereira Toledo, 75 years old, built this tsunami survival perch in his backyard in Los Molles, central Chile. His record is 10 seconds to climb up the ladder. Note his firm grip on the tree trunk. Buena, Don Luis. Source: lun.com

The Cove - Sweded

2010-04-22T12:34:00.002-04:00

* The Cove movie is awesome, in all of its forms:

>>> www.thecovemovie.com

The Miracle of Walking

2010-04-19T12:11:00.002-04:00

Good News from Chile:

Several Chilean Santiaguino friends of mine are osteopathic doctors, craniosacral therapists, and emotional trauma specialists. I sent them down to the earthquake epicenter to work in the makeshift medical clinic there to help out with their unique medical gifts. They wrote me over the weekend with this amazing story:

"On Saturday, our last day of work in the area, the three of us drove in the ambulance to Mata del Boldo to see a woman who, since the earthquake, has been sitting in a chair unable to move due to severe emotional trauma brought on by the violence of the earthquake. We spoke with her at length, treated her with massage and therapy work and slowly we took her for a walk around her own house - step by step - and then we got her outside to see the neighborhood! Everyone thought it was a miracle."

Viva Chile.

From a Steep Hill

2010-04-14T16:29:00.006-04:00

I just came across this sublime photo of Madeira, taken by my friend and colleague Will Henry from up on a steep hill. It's not an aerial shot of the village you see, it's just a really strenuous uphill hike. This reminds me of tilt-shift photography, but it was taken before that type of photography got so popular. Image circa 2001.

Standing

2010-04-12T12:03:00.005-04:00

This is our new Chile tsunami relief film. Adventure, tragedy, hope and humor thrown into post-tsunami Chile:

Click on the video image above to see it on YouTube in a better screen size.

Directed by Angel Marin
Produced by Josh Berry
A film by Save The Waves and PerroRata Producciones.

www.perrorata.cl

Work Week Ahead

2010-04-03T01:45:00.004-03:00

We've got our work cut out for us this year in Chile.

Photo: LafkenMapu

Gracias.

2010-04-01T16:28:00.004-03:00

Muchísimas gracias to Brushfire Records, Woodshed Films, the Malloys, Nixon, Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom, Etnies, Patagonia, Insight, Element, Jack Johnson, Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Shepherd Fairey, Thomas Campbell, Wolfgang Bloch, Geoffrey Ragatz, Chris Burkard, Jeff Johnson, Danny Moder, Alex Kopps, Jackson Browne, Jon Swift, The White Buffalo, Dawes, Andrew Bird AND MANY MORE!

Un abrazo fuerte.

¡FUERZA CHILE!

A Visit to Fletcher Chouinard Designs

2010-03-31T15:41:00.007-03:00

For more from Fletcher Chouinard Designs >>
www.youtube.com/fcdsurfboards

Shaka!

(B.T.W. Mr Presidente Barack Obama, why have you lifted bans on offshore oil drilling in direct violation of your campaign promises?)

¡Fuerza Chile!

2010-03-30T14:44:00.010-03:00

Friday night was a fundraiser at Brushfire Records in Los Angeles with great musicians - Jackson Browne, Andrew Bird, White Buffalo, Jon Swift and Dawes. Read about it and view photos here at savethewaves.blogspot.com

Jon Swift opened the night's music with heart, and harmonica.

White Buffalo closed the night with his roots voice hollerin' and acoustic fire meltin'.

Thanks to all the artists, musicians, friends, surfers and fans who attended and donated their time and money. 100% of all proceeds raised go directly to fund Chile earthquake & tsunami relief on the Chilean coast. www.savethewaves.org

An article about the evening and more photos here >> savethewaves.blogspot.com
and more coverage at:
>> ESPN Surfing Blog

Thanks to Chile Relief Supporters

2010-03-29T17:18:00.018-03:00

Support for our Chile earthquake-tsunami relief work is deep. Special thanks goes to all the anonymous people who gave so much and ask for little more than the warmth of doing good.

Thank you very much to:

Malinda & Yvon Chouinard
Patagonia
The Malloys
Jackson Browne
Jon Swift
Andrew Bird
Dawes
Jesse Faen
Emmett Malloy

White Buffalo
Kohl Christensen
Greg Long
Ramon Navarro
Rob Machado
Hurley
Quiksilver
Billabong
Insight
Tyler Breuer
Jeff Johnson
Kelly Slater

Angel Marin
Save The Waves staff, board members, volunteers
PerroRata Productions
Dean LaTourrette
Volcom
Derco
Great Wall trucks
Skull Candy
Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente
Nixon
Thomas Campbell
Wolfgang Bloch
Geoffrey Ragatz
Paul Naude
Jack Johnson
Brushfire Records
Woodshed Films

Chris & Cristina Evans
Carlos Ferrer
Carolyn Jaeger
Carol Nyhoff
Rodrigo del la 'O Guerrero
Larry Bonner
Maule Wear
Dan Daniel
Quinn Campbell
Josh Seime
Pichilemu Language Institute
Chris & Val Wilcox
Numerous anonymous foundations
The Chilean People

Anonymous Firefighters & Paramedics
REACT Worldwide
Paul Walker
Lucas Wimer
Surfline.com
Marcus Sanders
Philip Muller
Rodrigo Farias
Rod Ferrer
Marcos Baumann
Johannes
Manam
Surfer's Paradise Surf Shop Chile
George Ordenes
Cristian "Macha" Acevedo
Los Morros Surf Shop

Waves For Water
Jon & Jack Rose
Refugio Del Mar, Curanipe
La Joya Del Mar, Buchupureo
Hans Hagen
William Maher
Tom Elkins
Mick Fanning
Neil Lazarow
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Lewis Samuels
Pocha
Metallica

After Effect

2010-03-27T15:52:00.013-03:00

Read my new Chile tsunami aid article at Surfline:

>>> Working in the field coordinating Save The Waves Coalition's Chile tsunami relief effort, environmental director Josh Berry was in the hardest-hit coastal disaster areas of Chile working from sunrise to sunset for 18 days straight... > > > Continue reading...

Cheers,

JB

Photo 1: post - tsunami pulp mill.

Photo 2: STW Army.

Post Tsunami Stress Disorder

2010-03-22T14:00:00.006-03:00

After 14 days of relief work in central Chile's tsunami- and earthquake- devastated coastline, I'm convinced that the worst destruction was emotional. The locals are terrified and heartbroken. The tsunami was devastating both physically and mentally - it makes one feel so powerless. I look at the ocean in a very different way now, constantly judging quick escape routes to higher ground.

The tsunami destruction in Chile is unbelievable - words can't describe it. In some areas, uninterrupted 10-mile stretches of coastline were completely erased. Nothing left behind, not even a building foundation. A 200-mile swath of coastline was badly damaged by the tsunami. And the locals are deeply traumatized. Some of our most meaningful work was the trauma healing done by our team of cranio-sacral therapists, psychologists and osteopaths.

After a week on the ground in Chile, I began to realize that our most meaningful contribution to the relief effort is to give the local people hope, inspiration, and leadership. Shell-shocked coastal residents were powerless in the days after the quake, and if we are able to help lift them up so they can help themselves, then our mission is accomplished. Water filters and medical attention is valuable, but then we leave and they are again left alone. Leaving behind deep wells of hope and positive inspiration is the most valuable of tools.

Learn more about our post-tsunami efforts in Chile and support our efforts: www.savethewaves.org

All photos this post by Lucas Wimer.

Exhausting Adventures in Chile Tsunami Zone

2010-03-18T15:02:00.005-03:00

After 14 days of tsunami relief aid for coastal tsunami and earthquake victims in Chile, I'm writing this while on my way back home to California. What an intense, inspiring and difficult time! My heart is broken from seeing my favorite places completely demolished by the double-knockout punch of an 8.8 earthquake with a direct tsunami hit. My friends and colleagues lost everything. But we're there with solid relief and support and it's lit a fire under my arse to help like never before!

With an awesome team of doctors and fearless coastal warriors we distributed a ton of aid and support for the victims of this epic disaster. We directly reached over 500 people with our diverse medical aid, and distributed enough water filters for 10,000 people to drink clean local water. There is so much work left to do - it will take years of hard work to lift the region back up. The tsunami-quake combo punch severely hit hundreds of miles of coastline.

Strangely and unexpectedly, Hollywood heart throb Paul "Caminante" Walker showed up to help with his team of first-response disaster medics. The media ate it up and this helped us garner media and public support for our hard work in the field. Paul's team kicked ass, helped a lot of people, and Paul proved his chops beyond Hollywood by getting down and dirty in the grittiest tsunami wastelands of Constitucion City. Below is a photo of us with a couple of locals in a refugee camp where we gave much-needed medical attention and water filters for clean, healthy water. Done!

We'll be back in Chile ASAP with a lot more aid and a big shot of inspiration and hope for the tough locals to pick themselves up. ¡Grande, Chile!

Below photos: free medical attention in the hardest hit neighborhoods of Constitucion City, and a group photo of our Chile disaster relief team.

Tsunami Report

2010-03-09T23:28:00.005-03:00

I traveled to my favorite place in Chile last week for earthquake and tsunami relief - the area is devastated and the local people are really freaked out, living in the hills in refugee camps. Here are some photos from our relief work today, bringing filtered water and other supplies to the most hurt areas of coastal Chile. I hope the photo upload works from here in most rural devastated Chile. Can`t write more, I have to upload with this internet link before it fails again.

The good news is that refugees are returning to their broken homes, and normalcy is slowly seeping back into the area. It`s tough here, but so are these coastal Chileans.

Chile Earthquake in Surf Zone

2010-03-01T08:20:00.005-03:00

> Help our humanitarian aid mission <

Saturday's earthquake and tsunami in Chile was huge. Its epicenter was about 5 km from where all of our environmental work is based, in the Cobquecura - Curanipe region of the Maule and Bio Bio Regions.

The surf towns and coastal areas of Pichilemu, Curanipe, Buchupureo and Cobquecura are all severely damaged, but so far loss of life has been minimal because the gradual start of the shaking allowed many people to escape to higher ground.

However, the Chilean news is now reporting that official fatalities will dramatically rise because many people are missing in the coastal areas hit hardest by the tsunami. Information is very slow to come from this hardest hit remote coastal region due to the magnitude of the damages and complete lack of communications.

Save The Waves is sending me to this devastated region to deliver medical supplies and 1,000 water filters. We tentatively have a local helicopter arranged to drop supplies and get doctors to the region ASAP. It might take me a while to get there via roads but we're trying. Gas, water, food, clothing, housing and other basics are very low.

Please donate to our humanitarian aid efforts here:

WWW.SAVETHEWAVES.ORG

¡HELP CHILE NOW!

2010-02-27T19:24:00.006-03:00

The area of Chile most effected by today's earthquake was my home and is also the focus of all of my environmental and social work with Save The Waves. The quake's epicenter is just a few miles away and we are now learning that the region is absolutely devastated by the 8.5-richter earthquake as well as by an ocean surge that swept the entire coastal region for hundreds of miles northward.

As soon as they reopen SCL airport I'm on my way back to Chile, with my firefighter friend and a medic, to help our friends and neighbors in Chile. Donate to our grassroots cause HERE.

When we get there we'll rent a truck and head south to the most devastated regions. We are bringing medical and other humanitarian supplies. We are expecting the worst. I will be updating as much as I can at this blog and on Twitter, but electricity and internet access will be slim due to the devastation.

Learn more and donate to our grassroots effort here at Save The Waves.

180 South - a film review

2010-02-16T23:05:00.013-03:00

"These mountain climbing corporate executives that scale Mount Everest in a package deal... they go up the mountain as assholes, and they come back down as assholes." - Yvon Chouinard in "180 South"

Last week I had the honor of attending the world premiere of "180 South" - a new film by surfing filmmaker Chris Malloy and his collective at Woodshed Films. "180" screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. My friend Chris "Kongrio Kolorado" Evans and I did some consulting and writing for the film so we got a much-desired ticket into the sold out Arlington Theater (capacity 2,000 people) to see the film (It was the best-selling film of the entire festival). Somehow Kongrio got us in via the red carpet, escorted by a woman with a walkie-talkie past the paparazzi and the hundreds of people lining up. I thought everyone gets in that way? Kongrio has done this before.

"180 South" documents the adventures of surfer and climber Jeff Johnson following the epic 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Douglas Tompkins as they drive, mountain climb and surf their way to Chilean Patagonia. Jeff encounters big waves, snowy mountains, a dangerous ocean crossing, a beautiful Polynesian girl, pulp mills, cowboys and dams on his way to climb in Patagonia (where he gets some mysto surf, too).

It's refreshing to see director Chris Malloy evolve his art. In this film he no longer focuses on the professional surfer "experience" of perfect waves, melodious sounds, happy times and colorful destinations. There is some strumming of guitars at campfires in the wild. But this film is not "surf porn" and I thank the heavens for that! The soundtrack is as stellar as you'd expect from Woodshed Films. The Chile story is familiar, passionate and compelling. They closely document our Save The Waves program in Chile. The cinematography is epic. The surfing is good, but the waves never get perfect nor are the surfers shredding (besides Keith Malloy) - and that's a shot of authenticity for the whole project.

A friend thought the environmental message of "180 South" was a bit too much, but who am I to judge? I specialize in making preachy environmental films, and "180 South" is much less preachy than my stuff. And much better. As is often the problem with documentaries, this film is just a bit too long - once again the mantra of "short and sweet" is forgotten. But the interviews with Yvon and Doug are vastly entertaining and provide an engaging thread that binds the story. Yvon steals the show with his one-liner soundbyte comments such as the one above about corporate executives. There are many more, and he had the packed Arlington Theater in laughter.

Sitting next to me during the film screening was Yvon's wife Malinda, a cofounder of Patagonia clothing, and as the theater erupted in more applause after a piece of golden wisdom from Yvon she leaned over to me and said: "He always manages to reach a new customer!" Go see this film when it's out. It's well-worth the price of admission and it shares great wisdom from legendary characters that the world knows little about. Save The Waves might help out with a couple of premieres in SF and/or Chile, so stay tuned.

Tour and premiere dates are coming soon at www.180South.com.

Full disclosure: I assisted Chris Malloy, the director of this film, on "Chilean consulting" for 180 South: written content, facts & film locations for the Ramón Navarro profile and pulp mill story that is featured in the film.

Save Sloat!

2010-02-05T19:29:00.010-03:00

*1. Saving Sloat from San Francisco Bureaucrats
*2. Background information
*3. Sign the petition

Don't Throw Stones at the Ocean to Protect an Eroding Beach:

Photo by > Gio

Soundings

2010-01-20T22:34:00.017-03:00

I just finished this short film, Soundings.
> > > Click here to watch it in YouTube.

Film synopsis:
Captain Paul Watson & Dave Rastovich sound off on protecting the ocean environment, defending the whales, and what it means to be a surfer & environmentalist. Featuring high seas action with Paul Watson & surfing with Dave Rastovich, Timmy Turner, Ramón Navarro, Brett Schwartz & Keith Malloy.
"Soundings" a film by Josh Berry
Music by Kapakahi
Presented by Save The Waves
> >Watch Soundings<

Looking Forward To Now

2010-01-04T17:18:00.018-03:00

Some time has passed since I've blogged here. First I was too busy to mind, then I took a nice, quiet vacation close to home. Lame excuses, I know. Cheers to starting off 2010 on the good foot. Here are some topics I hope to explore and muse on in the coming days, weeks and months:

Surf Porn 2. "Surf porn" continues to annoy me. (read my original surf porn critique here.)
Peru's forthcoming law to protect waves. In 2010 it's expected to become the world's first law protecting waves and surf spots; that's great news, but it begs independent investigation.
Mapuche Indian Warriors in southern Chile. Our film All Points South is merely a taste of their continuing intense story of ocean pollution, meddlesome surfer-environmentalists and a highly localized community of guerrilleros.
Dane Reynolds, surf star. He's not as dim-witted as we hoped. Nor is he as uncompetitive as soul surfers wished.
Dolphins & Coal. Not sure where this one will lead but it's toxic and involves The Cove, Dave Rastovich and coal power plants.
Art & random interviews with interesting artists, enviros and phoolosophers.
...Please stay tuned.

Clean Coal

2009-12-02T16:13:00.004-03:00

From the Coen Brothers:

... clean coal is a filthy lie. Coal burnt for electricity power generation is the major cause of global warming. Coal mining destroys ecosystems. And coal power plants are destroying surf breaks & beaches in Chile.

Nothing

2009-11-27T23:18:00.004-03:00

November 28 is International Buy Nothing Day.

While critics of the day charge that "Buy Nothing Day" simply causes participants to buy the next day, Adbusters states that it "isn't just about changing your habits for one day" but "about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste."

Buying nothing is perhaps the most revolutionary and guaranteed solution to the environmental harm caused by our throw-away consumer culture.

Art + Ocean

2009-11-20T17:23:00.004-03:00

I'm really happy with how the art coalesced with Save The Waves Film Festival:

> STWFF art - see it here.

"Sink the Ship, Save the Whale" by Travis Weller

So Much Fun Friday Night

2009-11-16T15:55:00.007-03:00

"It's completely insane that we spend billions of dollars a year in outer space to search for 'intelligent life' in the form of primordial bacteria on other planets... meanwhile we're killing - slaughtering - the most advanced forms of life on earth from which we could learn so much more: dolphins & whales." - Captain Paul Watson, 11/13/09

Click this link to Makoto's awesome blog about Save The Waves Film Festival, photos & words from last Friday night at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco:

> "it's your life too, I'm just taking credit for it."

I'll be back here blogging later this week. Watch out for it, 'cuz I've got some shit to go off on. I'm so sick of mediocrity ruling the world.

Cool Stuff We're Raffling at STW Film Festival

2009-11-03T01:28:00.002-03:00

A list of some of the awesome items we're raffling at Save The Waves Film Festival:

> click here to see!

Epic Surf, Telepathic Dolphins, Vegan Wussie Ocean Warriors & More!

2009-11-02T14:18:00.006-03:00

The time has come, buy your tickets now for Save The Waves Film Festival / November 13 / San Francisco: featuring Captain Paul Watson, live music, an art exhibit by Travis Weller, and an amazing raffle with free snacks from Kashi and a cash bar by New Belgium Brewery, Longboard Vineyards & Ocean Vodka.

> Tickets & info at www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

Featuring The Cove and Lost Prophets. This event is 21 & over only.

> Raffle items list.

SouthParkVision

2009-10-29T13:54:00.007-03:00

South Park gives us more excellent commentary on the state of the humans, thinly disguised as an episode about the state of our planet. Stan takes action to protect the world's dolphins and whales:

> Watch the "Whale Whores" episode now!

Yeah, we're hardcore! "Oh, no, it's the Japanese!"

Proceedings of the Royal Society B,

2009-10-28T22:44:00.000-03:00

Findings from the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey

Whale Whores on South Park

2009-10-27T18:16:00.003-03:00

"The Japanese ruined my swim-with-dolphins hotel experience and all I got for it was this lousy South Park episode"

interview drift

2009-10-23T15:27:00.007-03:00

Below you can peruse a light interview with me for Friday afternoon reading. Published in the paper-free Drift Surfing Magazine, it's about our film All Points South, Save The Waves, New York City, and life adventures in Chile:

> click here & read.

"Think it, feel it, do it. Walk your talk, mate." - Dave Rastovich's father, as quoted in Blue Horizon.

Photo: Bay sailing, just enough NW winds, high tide, 65 degrees farenheit.

"The Cove" director returns to Japan, risks arrest

2009-10-21T22:19:00.011-03:00

Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove film, is in Japan this week at the Tokyo International Film Festival for the first-ever screening of The Cove in Japan. By traveling to Japan to screen The Cove he courageously risked arrest and violence from Japanese authorities and fishermen who are featured in The Cove.

Read Louie's fascinating & well-written blog post, published today, about his adventures in Japan this week:

>> The Cove blog: October 21, 2009

Photo: World champion freediver Mandy dives with whales in The Cove.

Some quotes from Louie in Japan this week:

"It was important to me to be there to introduce the film, and stand up for my clients: the dolphins and porpoises and whales that have very few human voices to defend them."

"Going into Tokyo was the quickest way to draw attention to the problem, and getting arrested - while being no fun - would be the equivalent of walking into the dragon's lair."

"Mr Komatsu, who wrote the definitive book on the Japanese defense of whaling had his head between his knees and was frantically rubbing his temples as if trying to poltergeist a migraine. If everybody else around him [at the film screening] wasn't in shock, I think they would have gotten him a doctor."

"As much as we all feel that the film is about animal rights, the way to win the argument is through human rights. Dolphin meat is toxic, all of it. The meat violates Japanese Health laws... it is a human right to have food that is not classified as a poison by health laws but advertised as nutrition by the Far Seas Fisheries agency."

"Whale watching has earned far more money than whale killing has ever made."

...The Cove & director Louie Psihoyos, inspiring examples -right now- of film as activism!

See The Cove at Save The Waves Film Festival on November 13 in San Francisco with very special guest Captain Paul Watson:

Capt. Paul Watson at Save The Waves Film Festival

2009-10-18T16:35:00.008-03:00

Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and "Whale Wars" is presenting The Cove at Save The Waves Film Festival in San Francisco on November 13. Come to this epic fundraiser event, it also features live music by The Eldorados and an art exhibit by Travis Weller.

The festival screens these great films:

* The Cove (award-winning ocean activist documentary - it will change your life)
* Lost Prophets (new surf film with Dave Rastovich & friends)
* All Points South (an activist adventure surf film by Save The Waves)
* The Devil's Teeth (short film about diving for urchins at the Farallon Islands)
* The Surf Magazines Don't Talk About Lapsed Catholics (a short surf film)

>> Info & advance tickets at: www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

Carbon Regulatory Offset Committee - C.R.O.C.

2009-10-12T22:03:00.002-03:00

I stumbled across this gem recently:

If corporations are given the rights of ordinary citizens, then we ought to be given the rights that corporations enjoy.

The Secret is Out - For My Japanese Friends

2009-10-08T23:55:00.001-04:00

The Cove Secret is Out.great free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

The Official Poster is Here for STWFF

2009-10-01T19:05:00.002-04:00

Wow! Thanks Travis Weller for your beautiful art:

Twittering Again

2009-09-29T20:23:00.003-04:00

After some inner wrangling and confabulation, as well as dilemmas with my account, it's official and I am "twittering" at

>www.twitter.com/enviromenial

What excites me about about Twitter is the 140 character limit that should make us all much more poetic. Unfortunately it's not turning out that way and people are merely writing tons of hyphenated, abbreviated or acronym-infused junk babble. I hope to counteract this problem with my twittering so check it out!

We Won in New York City!

2009-09-29T18:34:00.006-04:00

I just got back from the New York Surf Film Festival where we won Best Short Film for All Points South. So stoked, as this is pretty much the best surf film festival on the planet! And NY is my roots, so sweet!

>www.nysurffilm.com

Thanks to my brother Nic for the awesome reception in Brooklyn, and for his great family.

Kelly

2009-09-23T19:26:00.017-04:00

Kelly Slater: The planet's most famous, most loved, most talked-about surfer ever. An incredible athlete who can almost literally walk on water. Recent interviews with Kelly have the man speaking of how he wants to shape and ride a surfboard that's almost hollow, with a super thin deck into which he steps: a highly flexible watercraft through which he would actually feel the wave rushing beneath his feet, changing shape as the wave forms and pressing back into it with his toes and heels. Is he human?

Last week at a surfing contest in San Onofre State Park I met Kelly and we spoke for 15 minutes about composting, reality television, garbage and his brother. He appeared to be human as he crushed his competitors in the first rounds of the contest:

"There is no 'away' - it simply doesn't exist. Everything: our trash, our emotions, light, non-matter. It all goes somewhere when we're done with it. That's why I like to recycle and compost as much as possible. I can't compost as much as I'd like to because I travel so much for work, but when I'm staying with friends and family I compost. I don't save up all my used food scraps while traveling, I don't take it all with me in another bag and leave it at friends' compost piles... but hey, why not? Compost!" - Kelly on composting.

Kelly first became aware of the dilemma of "away" when his brother would sit at the dinner table and forcefully push away his plate, napkin, glass and silverware. He was getting rid of it by moving it "away" from himself. But was this stuff really going away? No. Much like all of our trash that we leave on the curb every week isn't really going anywhere, it's only being moved to a different location where it will be left again. This is why I compost and recycle - there is no away. Thanks, Kelly, for the great idea about the traveling luggage composter. Look for it soon in the Patagonia Surf Catalog.

But back to the man of the moment who you really want to read about: Kelly. Yes, he is definitely human. And he still rides waves better than everyone, except, perhaps, Dane Reynolds.

Above photo: Kelly paddles out at Lower Trestles. All Kelly photos in this blog post by Save The Waves Coalition.

We Is Famous

2009-09-14T19:50:00.005-04:00

Feedback about World Surfing Reserves: if you're a devoted surfer you'll recognize these names, otherwise you'll be talking like an owl, "who?"

Rob: "It's about time!"
Fer: "Like a little Tasmanian Devil!"
Hans: "Sacred places that cannot be destroyed."

This video premiered yesterday at the Hurley Pro WCT surf contest at Lower Trestles. It is now on YouTube and TakePart.com. I produced it.

Shaka!

Surf Porn

2009-09-09T09:14:00.008-04:00

When I was a child I watched a lot of surf movies on VHS tape. This evolved into surreptitiously viewing surf films on DVD while at work in the cubicle, or loudly with beers and friends at home. In recent years I've seen many surf films at fancy, well-produced "surf film festivals."

In spite of this great evolution in surf picture viewing, my complaint remains the same: surf films are terrible. The vast majority of them attempt to tell a weak story, and it's told very poorly. These surf stories are amateurishly cut with "surf porn", repetitive images of perfect waves that lull you into a sense of fulfillment while destroying your brain cells and forcing you to listen to mediocre music.

Even expensive, well-produced contemporary surf films mostly suck. They're made for young, drunk men to watch on DVD, over and over again, when there's nothing else to do. These flicks also suffer the surf porn trap: the cinematographer falls in love with his perfect images of perfect waves, with the result being 30 to 50 minutes of repeatedly perfect surf droning past us in idyllic locations being expertly surfed by attractive young professional surfers flashing well-placed logos and impossibly acrobatic maneuvers. My god, just writing this makes me want to burn my collection of surf films. They are a disservice to culture by forcing upon us incredible waves and amazing places ripped off by white-bread surfer athletes until we're ready to puke or fall asleep from overstimulation. Even the older "classic" surf films are no better. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing. Why is surfing, such a great pastime, often portrayed so incompetently? Perhaps we take ourselves too seriously?

Art? I make better art in the bathroom every morning. Surf films are worse than crap.

The End of the World (by Fluid):

2009-09-08T14:32:00.003-04:00

It was a gloriously long weekend. It's now Tuesday, the new Monday, and more vacation is needed. To dull the pain, here is a heartwarming short animated film about the end of the world:

>> http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end <<

Enjoy. Don't work too hard today.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Flattery

2009-09-04T20:03:00.001-04:00

180 South

Hans

2009-09-03T19:19:00.012-04:00

Trestles was hot and glassy on a Saturday afternoon. Hans Hagen, ultra cool ripping surfer and soul master of Laguna Beach Surf Mafia origins, met us in the state park's now $15-per-day parking lot. He is a STW surf ambassador and all-around very cool cat. We walked down to the beach and Hans told me of his first surf trips to Trestles as a tiny grom: as soon as his arm was long enough to reach around his board and carry it, his dad brought him along on dawn patrols to Trestles. We went for a surf after a film interview for a PSA spot. I borrowed his short board bonzer while he destroyed epic Trestles on a Xanadu shortboard. Lots of spray was seen by all.

Hans is the ultimate free surfer, a father of two, a very stylish rider of all strange wave craft, and a man who looks like Jesus (long scraggly hair and short unkempt beard). He is an elegant surf bum to the highest degree.

A golden quote from a golden Californian, Hans Hagen:

"Surf's been so good lately - so much swell - I haven't gotten anything done. My kids are hungry, house is a mess, work and meetings pushed back another week. I ask myself, is this meeting really that important? Are we actually doing business here or is it just another meeting talking about things? It can probably wait until next week... I'd rather stay poor and happy." - Hans on work lately.

Coming soon: Lost Prophets, a surf film about Hans, Reef, Rasta, Chris, Brian and others surfing perfect waves and waxing philosophically as only surfers can.

El "Che" Fernando

2009-09-02T15:33:00.024-04:00

In Argentina the word "che" is used much like Californians use "dude" to address friends and passersby. This is a short profile of Fernando Aguerre: Argentine firecracker, surf industry magnate, philanthropist, ISA president, constant fundraiser and all-around colorful character, Fernando - or "Fer" as his close friends and family call him - is just another che. And he is a major fan of Ernesto "Che" Guevara - when I arrived at his home he was unpacking two original signed black and white photo prints of the most famous "Che" in action, including the above portrait, "Guerrillero Heróico."

Fernando and I met years ago in National City, California, at the headquarters of Reef Brazil. He is the co-founder of that mega surf brand and when we met he was in the process of selling it and becoming a multi-multi-millionaire. Fernando brims with energy and enthusiasm for everything - and it shows in the many business and philanthropic ventures he is a part of. If someone is somehow involved in the surf industry, Fernando knows them and has probably hugged them as only a South American can. No longer tied to Reef Brazil nor their famous thong bikini ass ads that he created, Fernando now devotes his time to surfing, family, real estate, surf industry wrangling, and aggressive philanthropy for humanitarian and environmental causes.

Here are a few golden quotes from Fernando that I garnered during a film interview with him on Saturday. The sun sets over Big Rock, the Los Angeles fires dye the sky brownish red, the waves shower his triplets playing in the surf out front, and Fernando philosophizes in wrap-around Prada sunglasses about life on Earth:

"My grandmother always told me: giving makes you feel so much better than receiving. You must give, Fernando, give!" - Fer on philanthropy.

"Save The Waves is a tiny organization with a big footprint. It's like a little Tasmanian Devil." - Fer on STW.

"Every year I hold Liquid Nation Ball, a humanitarian fundraiser here at my house in La Jolla, and we raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in a night of partying. I invite the surf industry executives, famous surfers, and my rich La Jolla neighbors - we steal from the rich and give it back to the poor." - Fer on LNB.

"Fundraisers are good for everyone involved - the beneficiaries feel good about getting money and support, and the benefactors feel good about themselves for giving." - -Fer on his famous events.

A very intelligent man, a shameless name-dropper and an expert talker, Fernando appears to wish he was a modern-day surfer dude concocted of equal parts Che Guevara, Yvon Chouinard, Robin Hood and Kelly Slater.

Learn more about Liquid Nation Ball 2009: click here.

Rob

2009-09-01T13:47:00.009-04:00

As cliché as it sounds, to me Southern California is the ultimate concrete jungle. It bothers me to visit LA and its environs: hundreds of miles of cement, people, exhaust and traffic; all of this on the edge of a gorgeous stretch of polluted waters. The freeway that is LA and south is an institution. And yet people seem to flourish and thrive with culture, creativity, coffee and stress.

If I were to create a caricature of the ultimate southern Californian, Rob Machado would be the last person I could think of as this character - based on his media image and public persona. He's the ultimate soul-surfer we all secretly want to be: the happy-go-luck, carefree, smiling and mellow face of surfing. In person he is also like this, but with a healthy dose of the sarcastic cynic added for good measure.

On Saturday I met Rob at his home in Cardiff and interviewed him for a Save The Waves film we're producing about World Surfing Reserves and Trestles. A very green, Hawaiian-style lawn and lots of leafy foliage with the ocean in the background was our setting. A strange and itinerant amalgam of friends, neighbors and family wandered in and out of the yard over the course of our hour-long interview. In spite of being strange, they were not curious - probably very used to strangers visiting Rob with large cameras and artificial shade for special lenses. Small waves and a Saturday crowd lined nearby Seaside Reef, and plenty of Saturday morning traffic roared in the distance.

Here are some golden quotes from my interview with "Mob" aka "Lob" aka Rob:

"I've had experiences in the ocean that no one would ever believe. Mind-blowing, amazing, other worldly things." -Rob on why surfing matters.

"Paddle boarding the coast on a big board warps time and space - it opens up so much coastline, and 1 mile or 5 miles down the coast are nothing. It opens up an area of the ocean that you would never, ever think of visiting. It's so much fun." - Rob on SUPing in southern California.

Rob's autobiographic surf film 'The Drifter' premieres in Japan this week and in New York on September 25 at the New York Surf Film Festival. Watch his film's trailer here.

I Love New York (again)

2009-08-31T15:22:00.009-04:00

Our forever-in-production and much-delayed envirosurf film All Points South (allpointssouth.org) has an extended trailer version that will be screening at the New York Surf Film Festival (www.nysurffilm.com) on September 25 - 27. This happens to be the best surf film festival on the planet, so if you happen to be in NY or need a good reason to visit, this is your opportunity to see the awesome extended teaser to All Points South. It will be screening with Whitewash, a history of black surfers narrated by Ben Harper (whitewashmovie.com). Check their film festival website at nysurffilm.com because it's quite a lineup of films, including Searching for Michael Peterson and Rob Machado's The Drifter. Last year they screened my short film Pulp, Poo and Perfection (see trailer & synopsis) at the first annual New York Surf Film Festival, so you could call this a victorious return to New York after a year of adventures pillaging the photogenic corners of the globe in search of waves in danger.

The feature film version of All Points South will be released in early 2010. I hope. I promise. We'll see about that... yep!

Interpretations

2009-08-28T12:10:00.015-04:00

me*ni*al |ˈmēnēəl|
adjective
(of work) not requiring much skill and lacking prestige : menial factory jobs.
• [ attrib. ] [dated] (of a servant) domestic.
noun
a person with a menial job.
• [dated] a domestic servant.

en*vi*ron*men*tal*ist |enˌvīrənˈmen(t)l-ist; -ˌvī(ə)rn-|
noun
a person who is concerned with or advocates the protection of the environment.

en*vi*ro*me*ni*al*ist |enˌvīrənˈmēnēəl-ist; -ˌvī(ə)rn-|
noun
The writer of this blog, a recently repatriated and lousy surfer of California and New York origins and a sometimes-outspoken, sometimes-threatened, occassionally-stifled, mediocre researcher and investigator of all things enviro-surfy. Proponent of the concept of "surfer environmentalist" and "surfer activist", this Enviromenialist often questions our role in the 'big picture' and what influence we have over our beautiful 'natural' environment. Are we victims of our own success as procreators, or are we merely caught on a fast and highly entertaining freight train to nowhere? If you're confused: welcome, my friend, that makes two of us.

Most likely, we are nothing less than complex bacteria on a sandwich, and we're here to eat the sandwich. Yesterday whilst caught in the throes of a quest for meaning and identity, I changed the name of this blog, from "A Green Surfing Movement" to "Enviromenialist." Thanks to Lewis Samuels of Postsurf.com for the name, he coined it after I asked him for ideas.

Faithless

2009-08-27T14:25:00.010-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I learned of a minor tragedy that befell some local kids at an epic surf village I know and love. Fortunately - or so I thought - I know a small but powerful network of awesome individuals who also love the same area, so I reached out to them with a call to action to help out the kids with small donations of cash and/or supplies.

Fundraising went pretty well with nearly $1,000 raised in a week, but a very sensitive faction of the small network - leaders of the surf industry and the surf film industry - never even responded to this obviously win-win situation. Even though they've been shamelessly exploiting this surf spot through their media networks, they chose to not step up with some minor but great help for the locals. So I semi-anonymously, semi-publicly, and semi-directly called them out to please donate, now, for the kids.

Some were upset at my "fundraising techniques," and even contacted one of my superiors with their complaints. Frickin' lame! It felt like a butt-weak power play by douche bags. This was a simple, personal plea for help where it's desperately needed, not a damn corporate fundraising campaign. Get a life ya southern California wankers and don't stress the details. It's all good, and for a great cause. This is not a pissing match.

Always encourage freedom of expression. The surf industry has tried to muzzle me before, with bad results for their public image. Read and be entertained by part 2 of that saga here.

Apologies to readers who want more details, I am afraid to be more specific about who and where and why because I don't want to lose my job.

The Sea and the Hills

2009-08-25T15:27:00.003-04:00

Who hath desired the Sea? - the sight of salt water unbounded -
The heave and the halt and the hurl and the crash of the comber wind-hounded?
The sleek-barrelled swell before storm, grey, foamless, enormous, and growing -
Stark calm on the lap of the Line or the crazy-eyed hurricane blowing -
His Sea in no showing the same - his Sea and the same 'neath each showing:
His Sea as she slackens or thrills?
- excerpt from 'The Sea And the Hills' by Rudyard Kipling, 1902

Greatness

2009-08-24T13:42:00.005-04:00

This photo reminds me of how incredibly small we are in the grand scheme of things... do we really have any say in how things pan out on this planet? You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf!

Photo from "Erupting Volcanoes On Earth as Seen From Space": http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/gallery_volcanoes/

Activist Spy Filmmaking Done Right

2009-08-24T08:04:00.001-04:00

Follow and read this link at Wired.com to learn about how The Cove activist filmmakers designed and shot their controversial and tech-savvy film in Japan. This work of documentary cinema is the real deal: film as activism.

> Read 'The Cove' tech on Wired.com

2009-08-21T15:22:00.003-04:00

“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn

It's Alive!

2009-08-20T16:43:00.004-04:00

Saving The Waves, a blog by Save The Waves Coalition, has been revived from the dead! Read it at www.savethewaves.blogspot.com

Even though it appears much like this blog in layout, it's totally not the same! Radical!

Shredsuits Supremo

2009-08-20T15:55:00.009-04:00

The artist-surfer-bearded-individual Travis Weller, of San Francisco and East Coast infamy, is designing a custom screenprint art poster for our first-ever Save The Waves Film Festival. Check out his art at www.travisweller.com and stay tuned for more information soon:

* SAVE THE WAVES FILM FESTIVAL / NOVEMBER 13 / DOORS 7 PM / VICTORIA THEATRE / SAN FRANCISCO *

Detail of Shredsuits Supremo pen & ink by Travis Weller

Some of the films confirmed to screen at this festival include: 'The Cove' / 'Lost Prophets' / 'Devil's Teeth' / 'All Points South' / ...and more to come!

2009-08-19T13:36:00.004-04:00

“What can we do with the western coast, a coast of 3,000 miles, rockbound, cheerless, uninviting, and not a harbor on it? What use have we for such a country? I will never vote one cent from the public treasury to place the Pacific Ocean one inch nearer.”
- Daniel Webster

2009-08-18T13:30:00.001-04:00

“Just as the wave cannot exist for itself, but is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean, so must I never live my life for itself, but always in the experience which is going on around me.”
- Albert Schweitzer

2009-08-17T22:41:00.002-04:00

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
- Henry David Thoreau

Save The Waves YouTube Channel

2009-08-13T16:45:00.004-04:00

>> www.youtube.com/user/savethewaves <<

Watch our films and related content on the new Save The Waves YouTube Channel! Check back often for updates of new activist-surf films:

>> www.youtube.com/user/savethewaves <<

"Light Up" music video by Kapakahi

2009-08-10T09:16:00.001-04:00

Starting our Monday on the good foot:

Kapakahi: so happy and positive, and an SF product. www.kapakahimusic.com

Go To The Cove

2009-08-08T13:55:00.003-04:00

The Cove Secret is Out.great free widgetsWidgetbox

Roger Ebert's 4-star review of The Cove: "a certain Oscar nominee."
>www.thecovemovie.com<

Hope

2009-07-31T00:01:00.002-04:00

There is a divisive and controversial issue in the California coastal community right now regarding the Marine Life Protection Act. Fishermen and environmentalists are not getting along over how to manage and protect marine life in California's coastal waters. Perhaps we can learn something from this news.

Published in the New York Times on July 30, 2009:

Can we have our fish and eat it too? An unusual collaboration of marine ecologists and fisheries management scientists says the answer may be yes. In a research paper in Friday’s issue of the journal Science, the two groups, long at odds with each other, offer a global assessment of the world’s saltwater fish and their environments.

Their conclusions are at once gloomy — overfishing continues to threaten many species — and upbeat: a combination of steps can turn things around. But because antagonism between ecologists and fisheries management experts has been intense, many familiar with the study say the most important factor is that it was done at all.

Read the full story here.

I Love My Beach

2009-07-30T13:42:00.002-04:00

"Pacific Solution"

2009-07-29T13:46:00.005-04:00

Positive solutions to clean up the trash in our ocean:

Thursday, 16th July, Oceanic Survey Institute, Berkeley, California – Scientists and Ecologists are proposing a radical solution to the 100 million tons of plastic waste circulating in what's known as the North Pacific Gyre. “It's estimated that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic, most no bigger than a penny, floating on every square mile of the North Pacific, which is devastating marine life.” says the Institute's head of research Sylvia Watson...

Read the full story here.

;-)

Mercury and Power Plants - NY Times article

2009-07-27T11:42:00.008-04:00

(Blogger's note: This New York Times editorial, published last Friday, July 24, addresses the very toxic problems beyond "climate change" that coal power creates for us. Read article intro below:)

"When it comes to the environment, Washington’s attention is fixed these days on the Congressional battle over legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions. But there are other pollutants — so-called ground level pollutants, as opposed to those that rise into the atmosphere — that also need urgent attention, starting with toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

"For various reasons — mainly heavy industry lobbying — these emissions have escaped federal regulation, whereas mercury emissions from other sources like incinerators and cement kilns have not..." * Read the full New York Times editorial here.