Behind the Scenes at Surfrider Foundation
Global Headquarters
Sunny
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Whenever you’re walking on a beautiful, unspoiled beach
or catching a glassy wave there’s a good chance that the Surfrider Foundation has been on the spot first, helping to keep
the beach and ocean clean.
The non-profit Surfrider
Foundation’s Global Headquarters in San Clemente is in the perfect location
to accomplish its mission:
“The
protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches
through a powerful activist network.”
Just a skateboard ride away from San Onofre State Beach
and the much-revered Trestles wave break, Surfrider’s headquarters is where the
group’s environmental policies, strategic plans, and media strategies are conceived
and coordinated.
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel picked a
classic California day, complete with sunshine and balmy breezes, to drop by for
a behind-the-scenes look at Surfrider’s command center.
CEO Jim Moriarty
greeted us at the door…
and invited us to “check things out.”
Before long, Surfrider Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter
Chairperson Tony Soriano showed up.
Then we were ready for Marketing Manager Kyle Lishok to give us a tour of the
facilities, starting with his own space.
Lishok told SurfWriter Girls that Surfrider’s Global
Headquarters is a corporate role model for recycling and environmental
sustainability.
The building in which it operates is Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design)-certified – one of the first facilities in Orange County to receive
LEED certification.
Its attractive, open space design encourages
collaboration and keeps the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the
winter, reducing energy usage.
There are recycling containers in the break room… and low-flow plumbing fixtures in the rest rooms.
Surfrider not only recycles paper and plastics, but when
it moved into its San Clemente digs it brought along doors, fixtures, and tiles
from its previous location and repurposed them.
Along the way, SurfWriter Girls spotted a corridor art
gallery of Nathan Paul Gibbs’
paintings – one of our favorite surf artists!
Gibbs’ paintings really capture the essence of the marine
world and have a strong environmental sensibility.
In looking at everyone’s offices, it was easy to see some
of the things that inspire and energize them when they’re working –
The membership team was busy adding new members and
managing the data.
And, in the company store there was everything you could
think of with the Surfrider logo on it, from T-shirts...
to water bottles…
stickers, and more.
With more than 60,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide, Surfrider is making the planet better for all of us through its core activities of Conservation, Activism, Research and
Education (CARE).
As part of SurfWriter Girls tour, Lishok pointed out a
surfboard on display in the middle of the offices. Covered with stickers and
decals, he called it the “Stickered Surfboard.”
Lishok explained that initially it was blank. But, then
whenever someone had a sticker it would end up on the board.
So, next time you’re at Surfrider’s Global Headquarters,
bring a sticker with you – and add it to the collection!
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Comments will appear the next day.
Thanks for the behind the scenes view. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteBarbara