Program seeks to stem flow of plastics into marine environments.
The Surfrider Foundation announced this week the roll out of its long awaited Rise Above Plastics program. The program seeks to reduce the amount of plastics making their way into beach and marine environments though education and outreach efforts.
“In certain areas of our oceans, the amount of suspended plastic particles outnumbers plankton by a ratio of six to one,” says Angela Howe, who oversees the program for the Foundation. “Subsequently we see all this plastic making its way up the food chain, where it harms and kills birds and marine life.”
Surfrider Foundation began the initial outreach for its Rise Above Plastics (RAP) program earlier this summer as part of Jack Johnson’s All At Once tour, where it was featured in the show’s Village Green area.
“People are ready to make behavioral changes that benefit our environment,” says Kim Johnson, who along with her husband Jack, helped in the planning and launch of Surfrider’s RAP program. “Simple choices such as utilizing reusable tote bags and water bottles make a big difference helping to reducing the amount of plastics in our marine environments.”
The public is invited to visit the program’s website, riseaboveplastics.org, where they can learn about how plastics impact our marine and coastal environments, as well as find information on how they take steps to reduce their own ‘plastic footprint’.
