Sunday, March 30, 2008

Citizenship incentive program...

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!

8 comments:

23 Breaths said...

every day is earth day

David J. Hirsh said...

Those pictures are horrifying, but they need to be posted.

6ftnperfect said...

I admit I only occasionally pick up trash after surfing, and only the larger more offensive stuff like Monster Energy Drink cans. I'll try to do better.

Anonymous said...

i do my part by dropping a gnarly post session deuce. beach goers lose their appetite and thus liter less and it gives back precious nutrients to the earth.

were you out on your mat this morning at faceplant's(aka TP)?

borntoloser said...

No mat sessions for me since last Saturday at the swamp. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a fish/mat splash. I like "faceplants" for tp. you must have sptted the same mystery mat rider that I did a while back. San Diego Mat Meet needs to happen. I'll start scoping a date and send up a flare.

brownfish said...

Yea, I agree about the beach clean-ups. Never actually participated in one. Think I do a pretty decent job on my own. the funniest beach clean-up are when all these people show up, and the beach is already spotless. Seen that happen more than a few times.

Anonymous said...

OK, I like Goya as much as the next dude, but please post something new!

Beach Bum said...

Try the "Return To Offender" approach our UK based "Surfers Against Sewage" organisation has adopted. See here