The 2022 Annual Report is OUT!

You may have heard the words circular economy being talked about here and there, and have thought to yourself; “What is a circular economy?” “Is it actually important for our future way of life?” “How can I contribute?”. Fret not, as this article is here to answer some of those questions for you.

Microplastics are everywhere on our beaches and in our waterways. Removing them from the environment is an ever-tedious task that often feels impossible. Not to be discouraged, she swept up a pile of microplastics entangled in beach organics to take home with her. She was determined to address this problem.

A request to occupy a section of the north end of North Chesterman Beach and Shell Beach for commercial use has been submitted to the Province of British Columbia. Surfrider Pacific Rim stands firm in its commitment to publicly accessible beaches and against any quasi-privatization of these locations.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTARY NOW!

After years of campaigning and growing public awareness around the harmful consequences of single-use plastics, the Government of Canada has come through on long-awaited promises to ban selective single-use plastics. This list includes checkout bags, cutlery, food service ware such as takeout containers, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws.

A pair of floating garbage bins draw debris from the surface of the water in North Saanich Marina and early data shows foam bits remain a key polluter.

The marina, one of four owned by Oak Bay Marine Group, has two sea bins at work in the Saanich Peninsula waters. Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island launched its sea bin project, Dock the Debris, in November 2020 with funds collected during the inaugural Blue Friday in 2019.

In the fall of 2019, Surfrider Pacific Rim launched the Cut the Cutlery campaign to eliminate plastic and bioplastic

cutlery. The campaign focused on building community compliance while working collaboratively with the District of

Tofino and the District of Ucluelet to amend existing bylaws to include single-use plastic utensils.

It should come as no surprise to learn that plastic is toxic. Numerous studies have outlined the physical dangers that the chemicals in plastic present. From disrupting our hormones to causing cancer, the list of possible side effects goes on. However, an often overlooked impact of the plastic problem may just result in the next major mental health crisis.

Have you ever wondered where your wetsuits end up when they’re tossed? Yep, you guessed it - oceans and landfills! In an attempt to find a more local solution for Surfrider’s Wetsuit Reincarnation Program, which previously involved shipping wetsuits to California to be upcycled into amazing yoga mats, Surfrider volunteer, Karen Hendry, began researching potential local partners to collaborate with to upcycle everyone’s favorite surfwear material, neoprene.

For the Tofino Times