Indeed, we had to join our efforts to the different actors that also fight for the protection of the environment in the department of Gironde!

The MNE (Hous of Nature and Environment) has as object in their statutes :

• to have an action of global reflexion, raising awareness and education concerning protection of nature and environment.
• assume the coordination of the activities of the different associations for the functioning, the services and the management of the office available to the environmental associations of Bordeaux and Aquitaine.
• to be the interface between the associative world, the other environmental actors and the large public.

For more information, visit the blog of the House of Nature and Environment of Bordeaux : mneaquitaine.wordpress.com

On Friday, pupils from secondary school and high school cleaned up a beach, in partnership with the association “Grain de Sable” and helped by local inhabitants.

Saturday was entirely devoted to board sports (windsurf, kitesurf, hobycat…) with a free initiation, thanks to the Rohu sailing school.

Surfrider thanks all people who participated in this week end, and hopes doing it again next year. Without waiting for the surfing Day 2010, we will gather again for the Ocean Initiatives 2010.

For almost 15 years, Surfrider has struggled against beaches pollution issues and against macro wastes. They have also warned the population and elected representatives by these beach cleaning which are everywhere in Europe. 500 beaches on 20 countries were cleaned last year and the 2010 edition will certainly even more ambitious.

For this year, you can organize and participate in the Ocean Inititaves all along the year. To do this, you have just to visit the website of the Ocean Initiatives.

What’s the goal of Basso Berri (reusable glasses)
Reducing the production of plastic wastes during those types of events in the Basque country. With two millions of persons, it may be tonnes of rubbish threw during the event of wich hundreds finished in the street and in the nature.

How does it work?
With 1€ given, you’ll have your “basso berri”, then you make your “poteo” (around the pubs). If you want you can return your glass in a “Peñas” (partner) and you’ll get back your euro, s the glass will be reusable! 300 000 will be distributed.

To order a glass, just give your “basso berri” to the waiter!

Surfrider’s local chapter of Holland actively participated to the festival, bringing its environmental touch and organizing awareness-raising actions. The chapter held a stand with information, the petition and merchandise. As the festival was settled on a beach, it was essential for the organizers and Surfrider’s volunteers to leave the site even cleaner than it was before the opening of the festival!
In this spirit, the Holland chapter organized a beach clean-up and introduced the association’s missions and values. Even though the beach seemed rather clean at first, 75 rubbish bags were filled with all kinds of waste after two hours of active cleaning!

For the participants of the clean-up, a lottery was organized with great prizes to win: board bags, wetsuits and much more. Surfrider’s chapter managed to “recruit” new volunteers and new members and was very pleased to have been able to increase public awareness during the whole festival and to get such good positive reactions!

Other alternatives can be found !

Say "No" to the extension of the marina of Le Betey!

Surfrider’s local chapter of Gironde had already organized the same kind of symbolic action when they held a “beach burial” of Le Betey beach in September 2008. This action, covered by French regional television news and the TV show Thalassa, needs to be pursued to show that our mobilization remains comprehensive.

The association “Le Betey, plage boisée à préserver”, deeply involved in the fight against the disappearance of the wooded beach of the Bassin d’Arcachon (southwest of France), also shows the citizens’ will to keep a unique natural site.

If you also wish to keep this beach as a natural site and a recreational area, join this demonstration!

Saturday July 11th, 2009 at 2pm at the beach of Le Betey in Andernos

For more information, contact Stéphane Vezignol (Surfrider's chapter of Gironde) at  +33 (0)6 33 36 07 87  or Clarisse Holik (Association "Betey, une plage boisée à préserver") at  +33 (0)6 07 02 03 57 

Sunday June 14th, about a hundred of people got together at Jaï of Marignane beach (Bouches-du-Rhône) for the "Prop’session" organized by Kite13 and Hot Mer.

Operation report: a dumpster top-full of waste found on the beach!

The clean up ended with a barbecue and beach volley and Stand Up Paddle Board contests!

The association “Ma Petite Bulle” was also present at the event, and held an awareness campaign with Surfrider’s educational tools.

Check the photos and video of the event!

Besides promoting the association's values and programs during the whole week, the German chapter also organized a large beach clean-up.

Results of the waste collection: 50 bags of rubbish in one hour!

It is through this type of sporting events that Surfrider gets to inform and increase public awareness  on the environmental values, dear to the association. It is worth reminding that the mere act of cleaning a beach always goes with a reflection on the good ecocitizen gestures to adopt!

In order to avoid a mechanized clean-up harmful to the area's biodiversity, a manual selective clean-up of macrowaste is suggested to cover 7km of beach and sand dunes bottoms. The site marking is done by local agents of the French National Forests Office.

We wish to welcome volunteers to organize and lead teams of waste pickers, to collect the waste found on the beaches and on sand dunes bottoms.

Meeting at 10am in the car park of the Cantines beach of Verdon sur Mer, carpooling can be done from Bordeaux.
Shared picnic for lunch offered by the Verdon sur Mer city hall.

For more information, please contact Raphael from the Gironde local chapter of Surfrider, by email or by phone: +33 (0)6 11 34 68 44.

For further information, please contact Kite 13 or Hot Mer.

The agenda also featured the question of accompanying the local chapters towards more autonomy and more responsibilities, for instance to provide new communication tools for a better coordination (logo for each chapter, creation of an Extranet network, etc.)

It was also the opportunity for the chapters recently created (Catalonia in Spain, Savoy, Somme, and Doubs in France) to introduce themselves and to meet the other chapters’ local representatives.

With impressive photos and videos, the 23 local chapters who attended (out of 43 in total) showed their involvement and their motivation! You can find a selection of their presentations on our online video service.

Thanks to all the chapters who made the trip and see you next year!