OUR PROGRAMS
We are stoked for you to join us in any of our programs!
OCEAN FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS
Ocean Friendly Restaurants works with local restaurants and eateries in the San Luis Obispo county to implement ocean-friendly practices that reduce single-use plastics and offer reusable utensils and biodegradable to-go containers. Our team of students meet with restaurant owners to start the discussion on how to become compliant and get verified by the national program.
Reach out to our lead, Claire Anderson, to learn more and get involved
BLUE WATER TASK FORCE
The Blue Water Taskforce is a volunteer-based program that provide the public with up-to-date water quality monitoring at popular beaches and surf spots. We collect weekly water samples from Morro Bay, Toro Creek, and Cayucos Pier in a joint effort with the San Luis Obispo Surfrider Chapter to provide ocean bacteria levels across our county's 15 sites. It's one of the largest BWTF efforts in the nation.
Reach out to our lead, Nicholas Smith, to learn more and get involved
OCEAN FRIENDLY GARDENS
Ocean Friendly Gardens is centered around educating and helping others to build landscapes that implement native plants, permeable ground cover, and water retention measures to reduce urban water runoff that pollutes our oceans.
BEACH CLEANUPS
This is how our club got started. We host beach cleanups throughout every quarter and invite everyone to join! You don't have to worry about driving yourself or bringing buckets; we organize carpools and provide the materials. Our team counts and categorizes every piece of trash we find after each cleanup. The metrics are sent off to Surfrider National where they are used to build statistics that fuel legislation bans on single-use plastics. So you know when you participate in a Surfrider cleanup you are truly taking a stride towards a future of clean beaches.
Reach out to our leads, Kathryn Vakili or Caitlin Burditt, to learn more and get involved
EDUCATION
Our education program focuses on creating resources for learning about sustainability and ocean conservation and educating students of all ages on these topics. We teach elementary school kids ways they can help save their favorite sea creature and make a change for the future state of our oceans and beaches. Seeing these young students get so passionate about what we're teaching is an amazing reward to being a part of this program.
Reach out to our leads, Kelsey Byrne or Darby Godman to learn more and get involved
RISE ABOVE PLASTICS
The Rise Above Plastics program is designed to eliminate the impacts of plastics in the marine environment by raising awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the recycling of all plastics. Our RAP Team puts passion and dedication together to educate and inform our community of these dangers and how being conscious of our consumption could be the solution.
Reach out to our lead, Audrey Gregg, to learn more and get involved
MEDIA
Everything from Graphics to Newsletters!
Media Team works to produce high-quality content and post content for Cal Poly Surfrider's many social media platforms to increase community engagement. We create and distribute everything from graphics, decals, and t-shirt designs, to utilizing photography and videography to share our work in hopes of inspiring and generating the next wave of passionate human beings to carry on our vision of protecting what we love.
Reach out to our lead, Aidan Dillon, to learn more and get involved
#media
EVENTS
With so many members, programs, and people doing different things, it's nice to get together every once and a while. Whether it's a camping trip, a beach bonfire, or a picnic in the park. We like to hang out and talk story when we can. The events team is also responsible for organizing our fundraiser events like our Sound Waves House Concerts and our Make Waves Film Festival.
Reach out to our lead, Avery Ancell, to learn more and get involved
GREEKS FOR THE SEAS
Greeks for the Seas bridges the gap between greek life on campus and ocean conservation. This program interacts with different fraternities and sororities to collaborate on sustainable initiatives and beach cleanups.