Weekly Roundup: Superspecial Surfrider Edition

Happy Earth Day to you . To celebrate and learn more about keeping the planet happy and healthy, we asked our friends at the Surfrider Foundation to take over this week’s roundup. Check out their recs, from the best ocean-friendly sunscreens to plastic straw bans.

The final straw: “It’s scary to think that by 2050 plastics will outweigh fish in the ocean, pound for pound. This piece from the New York Times underscores the importance of eliminating single-use plastics (which is one of Surfrider Foundation’s primary initiatives!). Until a plastic straw ban comes to your town, we urge you to skip the straw and help keep plastic out of our ocean and off our beaches!” —Staley Prom, legal associate 

Next gen: “I’m so impressed by the March for Our Lives movement and how this generation will be a catalyst for change. What we do, locally and individually, is way more powerful than we realize. It’s a matter of standing up for what we believe in and being a voice in our communities. And that’s what Surfrider embodies. Our network of volunteers, members and supporters are everyday people who become community leaders to protect and defend what they love—their beaches. That’s why I’m inspired by this piece from Nat Geo, which reflects on some of the most important movements young people have supported throughout history.” —Nancy Eiring, membership director 

Quality counts: “This Inertia article gives really good coverage on why it’s important to have beach water quality information available to protect surfers and beachgoers from getting sick (eek, yeah, it’s more common than you’d think).” —Mara Dias, water quality expert

Clean ’screen: “The concept of ‘reef-friendly sunscreen’ is finally starting to get traction, as more studies are documenting the harmful impacts of chemical ingredients on marine wildlife. Condé Nast Traveler has a great article introducing the issue, and Surfrider’s Hawaii chapters have been active in attempting to ban the use of sunscreens containing the most notably polluting ingredient, oxybenzone.” —Katie Day, staff scientist

Word: hanyauku (n.; Rukwangali): the act of walking on tiptoes across warm sand.

Much love to our Surfrider friends for sharing their favorite links.

We’ll be celebrating here at Madewell HQ by making the switch to reusable water bottles only thanks to our friends at Soma—and by rocking our limited-edition Mother Earth Tee, of course. 25 percent of the retail price from the sale of each one supports the Surfrider Foundation, so nab yours now. Oh, and if all this Earth Day talk is inspiring you to roll up your sleeves and get active, sign up for a local beach clean-up here.