Goya- Saturn Eating His Son-Surfer loves surfing. Surfer creates surf company. Surf company sells surf gear. Surf company markets surf gear. Surf company creates larger market for surf gear. Surf company meets demand by creating more product and still more demand resulting lin larger surf market. Surf market now creates lots of coastal use and trash. Surf company sees a marketing niche. Surf company will clean the beach in order to do a good thing, oh, and, er, um, grow surf market.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
(Blatant oversimplification)
It's a little hard to fathom for me. I was exiting the water mid-session to trade my mat (killer!) in for the new fishy (killer!) When I saw the pop-ups being erected, the donut boxes being piled, the coffee containers being placed, the garbage collection bags being readied, the well-logo'd marketing materials being hung. A promo guy taking pictures of the "event". Seems there was to be a beach clean-up, a well sponsored beach clean-up. You get goodies to do a good deed. Cynical? Yes. I'm really glad that someone is cleaning up the beach, but why the co-opting of the motivation by market forces? Anyways- if you need inspiration to clean up the beach then you're probably not paying attention while you're surfing. How about picking up all the trash you see as you walk back to your car from the water? Mind-blowing, I know. Pffffft!
I told the lady in the store today I didn't need my merchandise bagged. She looked at me sideways and did it anyway. I removed items from bag and carried them to my car. I suppose not everyone is aware of the enormous island of eco-system disabling plastic floating in The Pacific. Pffffft!
So here's your incentive program. Pickup your trash and you get a prize. Someone will see you doing it and think you're cool and groovy and cosmic and be impressed. Yes, they will be impressed because you picked up a little trash.
How far can the bar be lowered? Pffft!
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