SURFER MAG: Is It Possible To “Wipe Out” the CO2 Footprint of Your Surf Travel?

How a program called SeaTrees helps surfers mitigate their environmental impact

OCTOBER 17, 2019 BY GABRIELA AOUN

See Original Article on Surfer.com

Most surfers identify as environmentally conscious citizens, but unless you’re driving to your local break in an all-electric vehicle powered by renewable energy (which some of you are, and thank you), and/or you’ve gone full-Fergal Smith and have given up air travel all together, you’re likely contributing to the global emissions crisis in your fossil-fueled pursuit of waves.

Whether it’s across town or across the world, getting to the surf is the most climate-impactful part of our lifestyle. A roundtrip flight from Los Angeles to Bali releases about 5 metric tons of CO2 per passenger (almost three times what the average Indonesian emits in an entire year), and driving roundtrip from Oceanside to Trestles in a light-duty, gas-powered pickup truck emits about 75 pounds of CO2.

Transportation (including car and air travel) is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, but of course, a surfer’s emissions don’t stop there. The majority of wetsuits are still made from petroleum-based rubber, and your polyurethane-core, polyester-resin surfboard was born of crude oil.

So is there a way to atone for our surf-related impacts on the environment?

Read the full article here on Surfer.com