Plastic Wave

I have built a giant plastic wave to raise awareness about the amount of plastic that we use. The plastic in this wave was collected from 12 surfers here at Ocean Beach for 3 weeks. No one could believe how much plastic they used in such a short time.

My friend Sam Woulf welded the frame for this wave from rebar that we collected from a debris pile in the Dogpatch in SF. I attached the plastic to the frame with chicken wire and safety wire.

This wave is interactive. You can climb in, hop on the board, and surf the plastic wave. It is a barreling right-hand wave.

The wave was unveiled at the Save=The-Waves annual party on 5/14. It's next stop is the Smart Art Competition at the Lincart/Hayes Gallery in San Francisco. It will stay there for a month as part of the Trash to Treasure exibition. After that, the wave will tour events in the Bay Area, including the Outside Lands concert in Golden Gate Park in August.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with the wave!!

Kathleen

Plastics & Truckee - response

I cannot believe that picking on Truckee, CA is the most pressing matter for the Surfrider Rise Above Plastics program. Yes, the communities "in land" are behind many coastal communities in their adoption of re-usable shopping bags. However, Truckee and the rest of Lake Tahoe are well ahead of most "in land" communities in conservation of the environment. I have lived there and find the folks at the super market friendly, open to new conservation ideas, and very interested in helping organizations like Surfrider.

Just because one insecure person cannot find the courage to refuse plastic bags in Truckee is no reason to trash that great town or to diminish our mission with whining. PLEASE rise above this petty stuff and focus on something usefull and meaningful!

Let's fix the plastic problem, not complain about it.

The recent oil spill and clean-up activity have inspired me to start a blog. We have been cleaning the beach for three days and will be back out there today, after a big party last night! Hopefully, the authorities will have some impact today as well.