By Taylor Lane and Ben Judkins
The first rain after long, hot summer months sometimes known as the “First Flush” often fills waterways with discarded everyday items, forgotten but never gone; all our waste, garbage, trash, plastic, styrofoam, pollution, runoff, etc. on land inevitably make the journey through rivers, creeks, and streams all the way to the sea. Land and water are inextricably interconnected.
Logos from the companies responsible for this plastic packaging are visible as they float by out to sea.
Landlocked or coastal, we all rely on the sea for the air we breathe, and in turn we all affect the sea with our consumption and waste habits. This was shot in one hour on one small segment of one creek from one bigger river in one big city on one tiny spec of the earth; our collective actions really do add up.
Our cultural out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality is toxic and this flow of trash is a reminder that there truly is no “away.” Prevention, choosing alternatives to single-use plastic, and stopping production of virgin single-use plastic at the source is far more effective than any clean-up measure; we live in a plastic world but it doesn’t mean we as consumers have to perpetuate the problem.
As much as you can, refuse to use single-use plastics; and as surfers, we have an indisputable obligation and opportunity to fight for the ocean.
Filmed at Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, Los Angeles, California 10/13/2018. Learn more at thecigarettesurfboard.com
Music – Getaway Dogs getawaydogs.bandcamp.com
Surfer – Fergal Smith, Ireland
The Cigarette Surfboard Film:
Industrial Designer Taylor Lane and filmmaker Ben Judkins are creating an environmental surf film that uses the Cigarette Surfboard to question the mentality of littering cigarette butts, and how this largely represents our single-use plastic culture and its effects on the ocean. Our goal is to inspire, educate, and share creative solutions to encourage a “call to action” for the international surf community / industry to become more engaged stewards of the sea. We aim to provide people (surfers and non-surfers alike) with tools to help reduce their impact on the ocean.
We will use the film as a way to help preserve surfing’s message. Surfing is culturally rooted in respect and commitment, and we believe it is our obligation as surfers to have a positive impact on the health of our oceans. Through our travels, we are connecting with internationally acclaimed surfers to ride a variety of Cigarette Surfboards in our order to help spread our message. Support the film.
we have the answers, but not the funding ?
https://www.facebook.com/oceanresourcemanagement/
I think trash should be one of the president’s main topics in the next election.
Cool surfboards. Great idea instead of it all laying there.
An interesting idea would be to, produce shirts with a picture of the board and a sentence about your process. Great way to generate money.
Alan