Ocean Minded and Central Texas Surfrider Foundation team up at the Paddle for Humanity
::FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE::
Ocean Minded and Central Texas Surfrider Foundation team up at the Paddle for Humanity
The duo plan to go big with a beach cleanup in Texas
Austin, TX – The Watermans Paddle for Humanity will galvanize the Austin paddling community into action this weekend and event sponsor, Ocean Minded, is looking to make the most of it. The foot wear company from San Clemente, CA, is teaming up with the Central Texas chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in an effort to bring individual awareness to a community problem – rapidly degrading shorelines.
Austin, Texas, is well known for its food, music and open spaces. However, watersports are quickly taking a place on the main-stage due to the rapid growth of Standup Paddling and drawing awareness to the ever-present issue of shoreline trash. “Waterways, like Lady Bird Lake, are sinks for all types of trashy debris. It is estimated that 250 tons of trashy debris is collected from Lady Bird Lake annually,” says Surfrider Chapter head Nick Wiersema. His chapter coordinates bi-monthly cleanups at the lake in conjunction with the Texas Rowing Center and Keep Austin Beautiful. They provide long trash grabbers, gloves and bags to paddlers who usually come back with messy piles of debris pulled from the water.
Event sponsor Ocean Minded has long played a roll in bringing a level of environmental consciousness to the watersports community. The brand has been in business since 1996 with the message of environmental awareness not only in what they make and how they make it, but also with respect to the oceans, rivers and lakes that tie watersports enthusiasts together. “Being ‘Ocean Minded’ extends far beyond the edges of our planet’s oceans to all lakes and waterways, and we’ve long advocated the message that ‘Eventually, everything ends up in the ocean’, we’re very excited to partner up with the Surfrider Foundation’s Central Texas Chapter for a cleanup at Lady Bird Lake during the Paddle For Humanity.” says Ocean Minded’s Marketing Manager Trevor Wessman-Lavelle.
Ocean Minded and the local Surfrider Foundation Chapter will be conducting a shoreline cleanup starting at 10:45AM at the event location, the Texas Rowing Center. The goal: to pass on the message that every paddler can do something about a global problem on a local level. As Wessman-Lavelle sees it, “This philanthropic, community-building event is the perfect opportunity to gather as paddlers and water lovers to recognize our responsibility to the environment and give a little back to the ‘Lady’.” Judging by the weather it will be a great day to paddle, too.
For more information including dates, locations and registration visit www.paddleforhumanity.org.
The 2012 Waterman’s Paddle for Humanity will consist of five stops: April 28th in Dana Point, June 2 Deerfield Beach Florida, July 7th Lake Tahoe, August 25th Washington DC and Sept 15th Austin Texas. Our stated goal is to raise $100,000 for our non-profit partners while raising awareness to their causes and introducing communities to the sports of Paddling.
Support the companies that support the sports you love: Kona Brewing Company, Ocean Minded, Futures Fins, SUP ATX/Lahui Kai Racing, Hobie Polarized, H2O Overdrive and Watermans Applied Science (Don’t forget to LIKE our sponsors on Facebook.)
* The Paddle For Humanity is a sanctioned WPA event series. For more information visit www.worldpaddleassociation.com
Media contact: paddleforhumanity@gmail.com
***
About the Paddle for Humanity:
The Watermans Applied Science Paddle for Humanity has raised more than $50,000USD for charity since its inception in 2009 and helped galvanize paddling communities across the country. The PFH is open to all paddle craft.
For more info visit www.paddleforhumanity.org.
About the Chuck Patterson:
Chuck Patterson is an inspiring person. He is 6′2” and weighs 220 pounds. He competes at the pro level in five different sports: stand up paddling, tow-in surfing, kite surfing, skiing and snowboarding. For more info visit chuckpattersonsports.com
0 Responses to “Ocean Minded and Central Texas Surfrider Foundation team up at the Paddle for Humanity”