Our 2023 Annual Report is Live!
HOT OFF THE PRESS 🔥 Surfrider Foundation Canada’s 2023 Annual Report - read all about our 2023 highlights, including our victories, progress on initiatives, new chapters and clubs - and more!
Here’s a sneak peak below 👀
2023 was the first full year of Surfrider Foundation Canada being a stand-alone international affiliate of the Surfrider Foundation. Over the course of 2023, we gained strong momentum with network expansion and campaign advocacy, reinforcing our place as one of Canada’s leading aquatic environmental organizations.
After approximately 18 years of a strong chapter presence in British Columbia (B.C.), we have fully expanded to the East Coast, establishing the Atlantic Canada chapter in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This chapter grew from the students that participated in the club at Dalhousie University that was set up in 2022, but were looking for an opportunity to continue with Surfrider after graduation. The creation of the Atlantic Canada chapter is a realization of our vision to expand the network across the country. It is also a true testament to our theory of change. By investing in a collective of individuals, we help grow environmental capacity on the ground in communities, which generates the political will necessary to enact strong coastal protection policies.
In 2023, Surfrider Canada evolved its beach cleanup activity from a patchwork of locally-led cleanup events across the country to a centralized program that enhances the coordination and impact of these powerful coastal restoration events. We now use a standardized data card across the entire chapter and club network to collect information on the dominant forms of pollution that we collect, which better equips us to design campaigns
that target pollution that is most impactful in the coastal environment.
Last year was also an important year in our quest to eradicate plastic pollution in the marine environment. After years of increased pressure from local governments in
B.C. and direct advocacy on behalf of Surfrider Canada, the Province introduced the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation, which addresses hard to recycle and single-use plastic items. While it has taken us a long time to get here, and the work to reduce single-use plastic items will continue on, this coastal victory is an excellent example of how taking on an environmental battle may not be easy, but with constant pressure, endlessly applied, it can be won.
We also continued our network-wide advocacy efforts to address expanded polystyrene pollution (EPS) often referred to as StyrofoamTM, which is a petroleum-based plastic commonly used for protective packaging or dock floatation. EPS is one of the most detrimental forms of plastic pollution in both freshwater and marine environments in Canada.
We continued to urge federal elected officials to support a motion to ban this material used in aquatic infrastructure. We have also engaged key stakeholders and decision makers in B.C., calling for action to be taken at the provincial level.
Looking forward to 2024, Surfrider Foundation Canada is excited to keep the momentum going with our campaign advocacy and network expansion. We have several strong prospects for new student clubs and chapters to explore. We also aim to expand our work on plastics with a multi- jurisdictional campaign targeting cigarette butt pollution. Year after year, butts are the most common form of litter that Surfrider volunteers collect at shoreline cleanup events. We are excited to focus our advocacy on this toxic form of pollution, helping to protect the shorelines that we all love to visit.
Thank you for your support. Long live the beach!
