In the Dominican Republic, a small town long troubled by poverty is fighting to hold onto its beaches and transform them into a low-key, environmentally sustainable tourist destination.
The goal is a tourism economy, but not typically Caribbean all-inclusive “high volume, low cost, keep churning the people through” tourism, said Donald J. Melnick, a conservation biologist who is co-director of the Columbia center.
Dr. Melnick said participants envisioned small-scale, low-impact ecotourism that would sustain the environment rather than degrade it. And, as much as possible, the environment will stay in local hands.
Read the story and check out the video from the New York Times
This past weekend 10 volunteers helped plant 20 trees that included 4 mahoganies, 12 coconut palms, and 8 washingtonia palms, along with 60 'sea lettuce' plants in an area between Playa Marias and Indicators. This work is a part of our 'Sea to Summit' campaign working towards watershed protection. Check out the slideshow of the event below.
Special thanks go out to HC Wooden Pallets Inc. for lettings us use your truck and countless bags of mulch to help in our coastal restoration project as well as the dedicated volunteers for working hard in the hot sun.
Recently, the chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in Rincon noticed a break between swells and rainfall evetns and took advantage of this opportunity to pay to have tosque delivered to marias to fix the parking lot. Watch the slideshow below to see the before, during and after images of this work. A special thanks to the Municipality of Rincon for helping to properly set the tosque in the parking lot.
During the next break in the string of swells we have lined up for ourselves we will finish what we started. For questions, comments, or suggestions please contact the chapter at salvatrespalmas@yahoo.com, or salvatrespalmas@surfrider.org.
October 22nd, 2009 at UPRM at 7 pm click here for an overview of the event
On October 24th, 2009, people all around the world will be gathering together to raise awareness about lowering the present amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from 387 parts per million (ppm) to 350 ppm to insure a safer climate for the world. Below is a video about this mission.
On October 22nd, Campus Verde from the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez will be holding an event called EcoRock. This event is being done to promote the International Day of Climate Action (October 24th)to raise awareness about was to reduce your carbon footprint and help lower the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
350 is the most important number in the world—it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.
Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is getting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350. Is 350 scientifically possible?
Right now, mostly because we’ve burned so much fossil fuel, the atmospheric concentration of co2 is 390 ppm—that’s way too high, and it’s why ice is melting, drought is spreading, forests are dying. To bring that number down, the first task is to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere. That means a very fast transition to sun and wind and other renewable forms of power. If we can stop pouring more carbon into the atmosphere, then forests and oceans will slowly suck some of it out of the air and return us to safe levels. Is 350 politically possible?
It’s very hard. It means switching off fossil fuel much more quickly than governments and corporations have been planning. Our best chance to speed up that process will come in December in Copenhagen, when the world’s nations meet to agree on a new climate treaty. Right now, they’re not planning to do enough. But we can change that—if we mobilize the world to swift and bold climate action, which is what we're planning to do on October 24th.
"The Edge of The Sea" is a 26 minute documentary film that tells of a group of fishermen and their fight to stop a mega development that would privatize one of the last untouched beaches in the west coast of Puerto Rico. Check out the trailer below.
As part of an initiative of our "Sea to Summit" campaign Surfrider Foundation Rincon will be working with local community activists and members to install 12 new trash barrels from Domes to Steps. The materials were funded by Surf 787 Surf School and Surfrider Foundation Rincon. This is the first part of a two part series. This coming weekend, October 10th 2009, anyone who wishes to help in the installation of 12 trash barrels needs to meet at Playa Domes at 8am.
We need people to drive to other sites so we can simultaneously install the barrels and complete the work in less time. Types of tools that we need volunteers to bring include: Cordless power drill with various large drill bits, post hole diggers, 5 gallon bucket for mixing cement, cameras, sunblock, water, and shovels.
Below is an image of where the first 12 trash barrels will be installed. DRNA Aquadilla gave us permission to do this work.
Below is an example of what they will look like with an estimation of the scale.
This work is support by the Municipality of Rincon
La Fundación Surfrider es una organización medioambiental de base sin fines de lucro dedicada a la protección y el disfrute de nuestros océanos, olas y playas. En sus 25 años, la Fundación Surfrider ha crecido de un pequeño grupo de dedicados surfistas en Malibú, California, a un movimiento mundial compuesto por más de 50,000 miembros y 80 capítulos en todo el mundo.
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Now in its 25th year, the Surfrider Foundation has grown from a small group of dedicated surfers in Malibu, California to a global movement made up of over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.
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