22nd Nov 2017 - Environment

Walking the Walk: Plastic Progress

The issue of ocean plastics is getting a lot of airtime at present, which is fantastic. Whilst a lot of people talk about the problem, we want to be positive and talk about solutions and those who are making a difference. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of seeing a meaningful shift in attitudes across society (not just amongst ocean lovers and environmentalists) and it is small, simple things that will have the greatest impact.

November has been a busy and exciting month for us connecting with some amazing ocean charities, people and projects. We’ve visited the Houses of Parliament for the Plastic Free Coastlines reception hosted by our friends at Surfers Against Sewage, learnt about sustainable seafood at the Marine Conservations Society’s AGM, and cleared 22 bin bags of plastic litter from the foreshore of the River Thames at Hammersmith Bridge, including 122 plastic bottles that will one day become 6 pairs of our boardshorts.

Lessons from the MCS

A few weeks ago we got to connect with the sea in London at the Marine Conservation Society’s Annual General Meeting – our first as a sponsor. 

With new members on their team, a refreshed look and a growing group of inspiring ambassadors, these are truly exciting times for marine conservation in the UK. We heard stories from the Blue Planet 2 team, tasted amazing whiskey from Glenmorangie who are restoring oysters to the Dornoch Firth, and also discovered that the Good Fish Guide has improved the sustainability of 3 million seafood meals this year..! 

The evening reminded us exactly why we donate £1 from the sale of every pair of shorts to this fantastic chartiy. 

If you are not already a MCS member, why not join. If you don't already have their Good Fish Guide, why not download.

Pocket Squares in Parliament

On November 14th we were invited by Surfers Against Sewage to attend their #PlasticFreeCoastlines reception at the Houses of Parliament.  

To stir a little conversation, we rocked up with a pocket full of pocket squares made from our recycled plastic bottle short fabric. Not only did Hugo from SAS and several other suited surfers look great wearing them, but we got to highlight the idea of what can come from waste, and that it’s possible to offer creative solutions to plastic problems.

Would you wear a Pocket Square of Sunshine?  Let us know.

London Beach Clean

22 large bags of plastic waste, 122 plastic bottles diverted.

Last Saturday we hosted a foreshore clean on the River Thames near Hammersmith Bridge. This area in particular collects a lot of plastic waste.  Not only does intercepting plastic here mean that it will never end up in the sea, but importantly we can upcycle the plastic bottles collected into boardshorts and thus turn the ugly into the beautiful!

We really want to engage people further by growing a community of regular revolutionaries who can help rid the Thames of plastic. Want to join? Sign up to our regular foreshore cleans via our Facebook page. 

Coupled with the BBC's staggering Blue Planet 2 series this month and it's vast reach, we are filled with a little more hope as the penny is dropping for lots of people not aware of the problem of plastics in our oceans. In time to come, will November 2017 be known as the month that the world started to care?

If you'd like to get involved with us or would like to know more, we'd love to hear from you!  hello@rizboardshorts.com 

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