Wave-ing Goodbye to Plastics with Inspiring Tips From the Surfrider Foundation

For 40 years, the Surfrider Foundation has taken bold action to protect our blue planet through plastic reduction, ocean stewardship, beach access advocacy, coastal conservation, and clean water initiatives. With over 100 chapters and clubs, Surfrider has mobilized over one million supporters, volunteers, and activists to sustain our oceans, reduce pollution, and combat climate change.

On the ancient, awe-inspiring shores of Kauaʻi, ocean-minded practices feel second nature. When you step foot on the island, it’s easy to feel an inherent sense of respect for the waters wash over you, inspiring you to do everything you can to protect them. Even before its opening, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has always served to honor and safeguard Kauaʻi’s unique and sacred wonders. Naturally, we’re proud to support Surfrider Kauai by participating in beach cleanups and various coastal initiatives. We’re especially excited to announce that 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is officially an Ocean Friendly Hotel, a recognition from Surfrider that highlights our commitment to turning the tide on plastic pollution. Our Hawaiian sanctuary also has six Ocean Friendly Restaurants committed to minimizing single-use plastics and making sustainable choices from sourcing to serving.

To dive into the details of what it truly means to be an Ocean Friendly Hotel and the incredible positive impacts of this program, we spoke with CJ O’Brien Weddle, Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Programs Manager, and Matt Kaufmann, Surfrider Kauai’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants Program Coordinator. Make waves with us as we explore ways to honor our oceans no matter how near or far you are from the water.

Coastal Chats with CJ O’Brien Weddle and Matt Kaufmann of Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Program

Community involvement is a cornerstone of Surfrider’s efforts to protect our oceans. What are some ways that individuals and communities can get involved with Surfrider’s work, whether they’re near the coast or inland?

The best way to get involved with Surfrider is to find a chapter or club near you and join! We have over 80 volunteer-led chapters and 100 student clubs across the country—even the Great Lakes. One easy way to keep up on your local chapter’s events is to follow their Instagram account. You can follow Surfrider Kauai at @surfriderkauai.

The Surfrider Kauai Chapter has multiple opportunities to help out—whether it’s volunteering for a couple of hours to help with a beach clean-up, booth sitting during a community event, or running a program like the Ocean Friendly Restaurants, Blue Water Task Force, Climate Action Program, and more. 

If there isn’t a chapter near you, you can always explore our campaigns page and take action by signing our action alerts or becoming a member to stay in the loop with everything we’re doing. 

Protecting the ocean isn’t just about large-scale initiatives—it’s also about the actions we take every day. What are simple, everyday steps people can take to reduce their impact on the ocean, whether at home or on vacation?

There are many ways that individuals, especially visitors, can reduce their impact on the ocean. You can explore them directly through Surfrider Kauai’s Ocean Friendly Visitors Program, but here’s a general overview.

• Help keep our beaches clean and beautiful. Leave nothing behind after your beach day, or take it a step further by joining a Kauai beach cleanup by emailing [email protected].
• Minimize plastics. Pack reusable water bottles, refuse single-use takeout containers, and bring your own reusable utensils whenever possible.
• Protect our reefs. Use only reef-friendly sunscreens and enjoy the beauty of these underwater ecosystems by gazing and not touching.
• Protect marine life. Admire Hawaiian seals and turtles from afar, and follow local guidance to protect wildlife.
• Dine responsibly. Seek out Ocean Friendly Restaurants for your island dining experiences, and look out for Surfrider’s “Upon Request Only” signs designed to minimize single-use plastics.

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, especially when it comes to our oceans. Can you tell us how The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Hotels program is addressing this issue and why it’s crucial for hotels to take action?

If your bathtub is overflowing, what’s the first thing you do? You don’t grab a towel or a mop—you turn off the tap! To stop the plastic pollution crisis, we have to stop the current flow of plastic pollution at the source. Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Hotels Program does just that.

Our program celebrates hotels that are committed to cutting out unnecessary single-use plastic and offers a simple, straightforward framework to help them make sustainable choices for the ocean. The result is a community of like-minded hotels we can promote, support, and lift up as examples of success to influence greater adoption of ocean-friendly business practices and even more single-use plastic reduction legislation. 

The Ocean Friendly Hotels program sets specific criteria to eliminate harmful plastics from hotel operations. What are the key mandatory practices that hotels must implement to be recognized as Ocean Friendly, and how do these practices make a tangible difference?

There are seven mandatory criteria that all hotels must follow, and they deal with eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic:

1. No plastic beverage bottles or plastic bags are sold or used onsite. 
2. No expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) is used anywhere onsite.
3. Cups, utensils, straws, condiments, and other accessory items in rooms are reusable or made from naturally occurring materials and are not packaged in plastic. 
4. Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion, etc.) are not packaged in small plastic bottles.
5. Water refill stations are available for guests onsite.
6. If applicable, restaurants or cafes on site are Surfrider Ocean Friendly Restaurants.
7. Proper solid waste recycling procedures are followed, and bins are amply provided for guest use.

We are launching the program with 12 participating hotels located across six states. Collectively, these hotels will save an estimated 511,100 plastic water bottles and 766,500 mini toiletry bottles annually. And we’re not stopping there! Ocean Friendly Hotels has a goal to add 100 hotels in the next five years. This will eliminate an estimated 4,117,200 plastic water bottles and 6,175,800 mini toiletry bottles annually from our landfills and polluting our ocean! This shows how the program is creating a scalable impact to reduce the plastic footprint of the hospitality industry. 

How did 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay become part of the launch of The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Hotel program, and what does this recognition signify for the hotel?

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has been a huge supporter of the Surfrider Kauai Chapter for quite some time. It’s a member of the Ocean Friendly Visitors Program, has six Ocean Friendly Restaurants onsite, and regularly participates in Surfrider beach cleanups, so it was a no-brainer to invite 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay to join the Ocean Friendly Hotels Program.

Becoming a member of the Ocean Friendly Hotels Program signifies that 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay goes above and beyond to implement business practices that minimize its impact on the ocean. We hope this will inspire other hotels in Kauaʻi and elsewhere to follow in their ocean-friendly footsteps.

While the Ocean Friendly Hotels program focuses on reducing plastic waste, Surfrider’s mission extends far beyond that. Can you share some of the other key initiatives that The Surfrider Foundation is working on, and how they contribute to ocean conservation on a global scale?

The Surfrider Foundation has several programs and active campaigns across the country focused on the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches for all people. Surfrider’s campaigns cover a wide range of activities including holding companies accountable for pollution runoff, lobbying governments to increase water testing at the beach, fighting construction of seawalls that may accelerate coastal erosion, and protecting public access to beaches. There are currently more than 140 active campaigns nationwide including ten in Hawaiʻi. This year alone, we’ve already had 33 campaign victories that led to coastal and ocean environment protection, improved coastal access, or both.