Our Network
The Surfrider Foundation Hawaiʻi Chapters are brought together under the Surfrider Foundation’s mission statement of the protection and enjoyment of our ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network. We are surfers, beach-goers, paddlers, divers, and those who simply love our marine waters and beaches in Hawaiʻi.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Surfrider Foundation organization. Our volunteers engage in a variety of programs and campaigns including water quality testing, ocean friendly gardens, plastic reduction strategies, marine spatial planning, beach cleanups, leadership development, and fun events to showcase their work.
Hawaiʻi Surfrider Foundation activists come from all different backgrounds. You do not have to be a surfer to take part in your local island chapter. Many of our members enjoy photography, beach cleanups, and other water sports like diving, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. All you need is a passion for protecting our oceans and beaches. Contact your local chapter to learn about volunteer opportunities and ways that you can get involved.
Our Mission
Mission: The protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network.
You can think about our mission as three concepts:
- “Protection and enjoyment” – We don’t want to put a velvet rope around a beach and tell people to keep off. We spend a lot of time on and in our waters…we enjoy the coasts. We’re a user group.
- “oceans, waves and beaches.” – Think coastlines, we’re engaged with environmental issues that affect our coastlines.
- “Powerful activist network” – How we go about our mission. We are a grassroots organization. We’re local in many coastal regions.
We’re moms and dads, we’re surfers and beach goers, we’re kids and retirees…we’re you. We’re engaged to protect what we love: oceans, waves and beaches. We would love to have you join us! Learn more about our network and our work.
Our Work
To achieve our mission, Surfrider Foundation focuses its efforts on 5 Initiatives:
- Plastic Pollution
- Clean Water
- Ocean Protection
- Coastal Preservation
- Beach Access
Within these initiatives, our Chapters run programs and campaigns to ensure that we are protecting our local ocean, waves, and beaches.
Staff Support
We have two staff in Hawaiʻi working on a full-time basis to further the Surfrider mission and help support our chapter programs and campaigns. Below is a little bit about them, the committees that they serve on, and their contact information.
Lauren Blickley, Hawaiʻi Regional Manager
As the Regional Manager, Lauren works to support Hawaii’s four chapters . Each chapter prioritizes the programs and campaigns most important to their local beaches and communities, and Lauren provides the resources and guidance they need to further the Surfrider Foundation’s mission and achieve coastal victories. Lauren first got involved with Surfrider Foundation as marine science major in college. Inspired by her volunteer experience with Surfrider Foundation, Lauren completed her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She spent time focused on coastal restoration activities and science communication. Before becoming the Hawaii Regional Manager, Lauren was a long time volunteer with the Maui Chapter, serving as Chair, Secretary, and the Rise Above Plastics Committee Chair. She is passionate about tackling plastic pollution, teaching her daughter about the ocean, and surfing perfect lefts.Keili McEvilly, Oʻahu Chapter Coordinator
Keili started her path to sustainability growing up as an eco-conscious surfer in Carlsbad, California. Spending summers with her family on Kauaʻi, she felt called to do work with KUPU, a conservation and sustainability-focused non-profit. It lit a spark in her that led her to pursue environmental research in Hawaii, study abroad in Thailand, and complete a BS degree in biology at Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Finding talent for connecting well with others, Keili found herself working on the Sales and Marketing team for Red Bull, Honolulu. When she isnʻt working you can usually find her surfing, freediving, spearfishing, gardening, hiking, or attempting something new! She is hoping to leverage her love for the ʻāina and background in sustainability to encourage a sense of community throughout SF and help make living a sustainable life more accessible for all!