etnies, Surfrider Work Together to Clean the Beach at Trestles

kailee bradstreet

• September 13 2008
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Transworld Business and the etnies team met up with Surfrider Foundation’s Rick Erkenef last Thursday, Sept. 11, at Trestles for a day of beach clean-up action. At the typical beach clean-up you get a few garbage bags and minimal instructions, but instead of just sending us off to work, this time Rick took a few extra minutes to explain exactly how all the wrappers, plastic bottles and cigarettes littering the ground could effect Trestles, as well as the watershed and creek that drains directly into the famed surf break.

The crew at etnies decided to get involved when girls’ team manager Laura-Lynn Murphey increased her participation with the Surfrider Foundation and made her co-workers aware of the beach clean-ups, according to Ashton Maxfield, etnies’ manager of public relations.

Erkenef, chairman of the Orange County Chapter of Surfrider, educated the entire group about protecting our oceans, and even prompted TW Biz to do their own research on what he referred to as “the world’s largest dump.” For those who haven’t heard of the North Pacific Gyre, it definitely warrants some attention. Not only because it’s a heap of trash twice the size of the continental U.S., but also since it’s growing at an alarmingly fast rate.

As part of the cleanup, we also learned more about another major issue worthy of all So Cal residents’ attention: the Transportation Corridor Agency’s proposed 241 Toll Road Extension project, which will be heard by the Department of Commerce on Monday, September 22. Besides the obvious water quality issues arising from the project, Erkenef also made us aware of the destruction it could cause to sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats in San Onofre State Park and the surrounding watershed. The 16-mile extension project, which has been in the works since the 1980s, would also be built through land that holds historical significance for Native Americans, according to Erkenef. To do your own research: check out the TCA Web site, the Surfrider Foundation, or go to www.savetrestles.org.

Here are some photos: