Protecting our Planet Doesn’t Have to be Hard

 

As surfers, doing what we can to protect our planet is essential to making sure we have a life full of great waves and beautiful beaches ahead of us. This earth day, we’re sharing some of our favorite easy ways we can combat the the climate crisis every day!

 

Switch to Clean Power with Arcadia

 

While we would all love to have solar panels on our roofs and be energy independent, that isn’t always an immediate option, especially for those of us who live in apartments. Luckily, that doesn’t have to stop you from switching your home over to clean, green energy! While most individual power companies have their own programs to buy into renewable energy programs, they can sometimes be a bit complicated with variable costs dependent on the amount of energy you use. Arcadia makes the process simple and easy, and allows you to switch for a monthly fee as small as $5 to go 100% green!

Plant a Kelp Forest with Sea Trees

 

Sometimes, it isn’t always possible to go carbon neutral just through our own individual choices. Whether you’re contributing to pollution by taking a trip on a plane, buying groceries that we’re shipped in from out of town, or even just by buying a a foamie that wouldn’t be considered an “eco board”, it’s impossible to live in our modern world without creating some co2. Luckily, carbon offset programs are a great way to supplement your carbon neutral habits and lessen your impact. Organizations like SeaTrees allow individuals to purchase carbon offset tokens that fund some amazing, ocean positive programs!

Their programs include planting mangrove forests in Indonesia and Kenya, as well as partnering with The Bay Foundation in Los Angeles, who’s team of divers plants and preserves kelp trees in the Marine Protected Area off the coast of Palos Verdes! When you purchase with SeaTrees, you have the option to wipeout your annual carbon footprint, your drive to the beach, or the flight to your next surf trip!

Switch to Plant Based with a Meal Kit

 

If you care even a little bit about the climate crisis, you’ve probably heard that switching to a plant based diet is one of the best things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint (and be a little nicer to our animal friends while you’re at it). If we’re honest though, we know that going totally vegan or vegetarian won’t become an immediate reality for every person who cares about doing right for our planet. Luckily, you don’t have to commit to a whole new life style to make a difference! Ordering a few meals a week from a meal kit service like Purple Carrot or Hello Fresh is an easy and delicious way to try plant based recipes, and make sure that at least a few of your meals a week are meat-free. Even if you do select a meat option, you’re still doing some good! Studies have actually found that “pound for pound, meal kit delivery services have a smaller carbon footprint”. Not to mention being an easy way to social distance AND save yourself a trip to the grocery store. Just make sure you’re picking one that chooses minimal packaging and only includes plastic that is from *already* recycled materials.

 

Stop “Wish-cycling”

 

The easiest way to stop “wish-cycling” is to learn what will actually be recycled in your town and avoid buying things that won’t be

As ocean lovers, we know that tackling the plastic pollution crisis is inextricably linked to solving the climate crisis. While we’re all about recycling, there’s a reason why it comes last in the 3 R’s. We won’t be able to recycle our way out of plastic pollution or the climate crisis, and unfortunately, we’ve learned recently that the petroleum industry spent a lot of money convincing people that if we just toss anything with the recycling symbol in the blue bin, we wouldn’t have to worry about it. In reality, that’s far from the truth. A lot of plastics simply can’t or won’t be recycled by our local waste companies, and when we put things in the bin without thinking about it, we’re actually contributing to the climate and plastic crisis more than we would have otherwise. Due to the sorting process, “Wish-cycling” often results in entire bails of what should be recyclable materials being contaminated, which leads to them being incinerated, or worse, dumped in communities in developing nations only to eventually find it’s way into the ocean where it releases toxins that inhibit the ocean’s ability to absorb co2.

It’s a distressing situation, but one we can make a lot better by just being more mindful. Look up your local waste management company and find out what they can actually recycle. Often, they have lists that you can print out and put on your bin. Do your best to avoid plastics that can’t be recycled, and if you have to throw them in the trash or start bottle bricking!

 

Start Impact Investing

 

Do you know where your money is spending the night?

Who would have guessed that one of the best things you can do to protect the planet is to switch banks! No matter how much money you have, when you have it in an account, whether it be an investment account or a regular checking, the interest is making money for someone besides yourself. Without knowing it, you could be investing in the fossil fuel industry, the plastics industry, and plenty of other business that are actively destroying our planet. “Impact Investing” means that you actively choose organizations to hold your money that align with your values. The best way to do this is to switch your checking and savings accounts to a local credit union (not a bank), and switch any investment accounts over to a platform like OpenInvest or EarthFolio who specifically vet any investments based on whatever social value you’re prioritizing. Accounts invested with an impact investing platform perform better on average than other non-impact oriented accounts.

 

Need More Earth Day Inspiration?

 

We hope this post leaves you feeling inspired to make some small changes in your life that will have a big impact towards you becoming carbon neutral! If you need a little more inspiration, or just want to celebrate Earth Day in style, there’s no better way than to get out in nature, particularly the ocean! If you’d like to paddle out, join us for a surf lesson now until April 30th, 2021 and take 10% off in honor of our beautiful earth!