OUGD503 - SB01 - DropBox - Research

OUGD503

SB01

DropBox - Research

Cause

Surfers against sewage

Surfers against sewage work to clean beaches, reduce plastic pollution, improve water quality and Protect our waves while educating the public on how to help with these issues. 

Beach Cleans

SAS organise beach cleans, they encourage people to organise their own as well. Each year they hold two massive beach cleans, the Big Spring Beach Clean and the Awesome Autumn Beach Clean. the 2017 Big Spring Clean saw us remove over 55 TONNES of marine plastic pollution and litter from 475 beaches across the UK.

Education

SAS run 4 education programmes across the UK. Plastic Free Schools 'Power to the Pupils' encourages school pupils be a part of environmental change and to stop using single use plastics. The aim is for pupils to actively reduce plastic use in their schools and challenge the government and industry to do the same. 

Be the Change encourages students to recognise that they have a leading role to play in tackling the litter crisis, while inspiring and empowering them to create and deliver new solutions to protect the places they love. "Be the Change' was created alongside educators and designers to sit alongside the current key stage 2 - 4 curriculum. SAS brings workshops to schools, they show students the affect of litter on the wildlife and environment. It encourages pupils to take action and make a difference. Be the Change is also an award scheme where awards and give the students an opportunity to showcase their 'Anti-litter action plans.' 

SAS x Parley Ocean School is a collaboration with a hands on education programme to raise pupils awareness of plastic pollution in the places they love. Ocean School will provide students with the opportunity to explore, investigate and respond to the environment they live in. Empowering them to identify and embrace the vital part they play in protecting the places they love. Our ‘Ocean School Graduates’ can become guardians of the oceans for us all. It raises awareness while allowing students to explore the coastline. 

SAS final education programme is 'Seas for life'. Seas for life aims to teach the principles of sustainability, in a fun and engaging way. It tackles water quality, marine litter, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and coastal wave protection. It teaches students how they can have a positive impact and marine environment to contribute to safeguarding fisheries, oceans, waves and beaches, and other coastal assets.

Plastic Pollution

SAS are tackling plastic pollution by education, beach cleans, bottle deposit return systems. They also encourage the public to use social media to #ReturnToOffender. SAS also have a parliamentary campaign and played a role in the 5p bag tax which has already eliminated billions of bags from our environment.

Water Quality 

The SAS highlight the health risks of playing, surfing and swimming in water that has raw sewage in it. This was a massive issue in the 1980's amongst surfers. Putting pressure on water companies resulted in an £5 billion investment by water companies to improve sewerage infrastructure has dramatically changing the lives of surfers, swimmers and holidaymakers alike. After decades of campaigning on the improvement of water quality, last years’ announcement that 98.5% of the 625 designated bathing waters around the UK are now classified as excellent, good, or sufficient. This work may be endangered as the legislation comes from the EU, pressure will have to continue post-brexit. 

Protect Our Waves

Surfers against sewage ensure that surf habitats are well understood and protected for the future. They work on a local level through local memebers who are regualerly in the sea and the work SAS does in the classroom to encourage ocean guardians to make a difference and safeguard the natural coastline heritage. Nationally, the SAS want to protect sites of special surfing interest by lobbying government and industry to take action. Globally they are working with national governing bodies and charities across the world to build a global movement.

Surfers against Sewage also have a sister website run by Patagonia that encourages surfers to protect sites of Special Surfing Interest.

Purpose

To raise the awareness of sewage and litter in and around the UK's ocean and the health risks associated with this, to humans as well as sea life. They aim to challenge government and industry while also encouraging school students and surfers to take action and make a difference.

Audience

Surfers, school children, locals and holiday makers. Water companies and those at the cause of the problems such as large retailers like coca cola, government officials.

Histories

SAS was set up in the 1990 by a group of activists how were fed up of seeing sewage in their oceans as it made them ill. For the first 10 years they focused on the problem of polluted waters. The privatisation of water companies and key pieces of European legislation gave a framework. They quickly became high profile eco-activists, clad in wetsuits and gas masks, carrying surfboards into boardrooms and political meetings. As a result, the UK has seen massive investment in the sewerage infrastructure and much higher bathing water standards protecting us all at hundreds of locations nationwide. The charity have now grown to take on wider issues including marine plastic pollution and climate change. 

meaning
The charity focuses on social and environmental change. They have done this by raising awareness, protesting and impacting the government. They encourage all ages to stand against pollution of the oceans and focus on educating the young. They also use athletes to promote their cause. 

social impact
The cause brings people together to stand for change. they encourage children to explore the coast line and instills within them the idea that plastic pollutes the oceans. 

Executive Summary (2014)

 Surfers Against Sewage is calling for a 50% reduction in UK beach litter by 2020. n parts of the ocean there is now more plastic than plankton. Approx. 8 million individual pieces of marine litter enter the sea every day. 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals die annually from ingestion of and entanglement in marine litter. Local Authorities in the UK spend approximately £18 million each year removing beach litter, which represents a 37% increase in cost over the past 10 years.The UK Government has been criticised in its approach to addressing marine litter in the European Commission Technical Assessment of the MSFD Obligation for the United Kingdom,6 which highlighted a poor level of implementation, inter-country coordination, lack of understanding of the overall environmental aims and the adoption of weak and un-measurable targets.

 Surfers Against Sewage is calling for radical measures including:

Personal Behavioural Changes
Refusing single-use plastics. · Increasing community beach clean activities. · Encouraging communities to take legal action against irresponsible landowners.

Industry 
Introducing extended producer responsibility. · Introducing container deposit schemes. · Removing plastic components from all sanitary products.

Legislation
Banning smoking on beaches. · Introducing prominent environmental health warnings on single-use packaging. · Banning balloon releases. · Enforcing fines for littering at beaches

Primary Research

Photos taken at Scarborough North Bay.