By Mary O’KEEFE

This past weekend I got the chance to attend an event called Blue Hour:Ocean Songs, sponsored by AltaSea, in the Port of Los Angeles.

What I knew about this organization prior to attending was due in part to my youngest daughter. She had gone to several events sponsored by AltaSea but this was my first time at its facilities.

First of all, this was the fifth year the fundraiser was held. It gave people an opportunity to connect with those who are putting the Earth first who are both blue and green environmentally forward.

The mission statement states: “AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just and equitable world.” 

AltaSea started in 2014 with an innovative idea – supporting not just non-profits but for-profit businesses that are environmentally focused. Next week I will cover more about AltaSea but this week I want to write about one of the businesses the organization supports – ECObyRy.

So I have found the most dedicated environmentalists are the ones who not only understand the ecosystem on a scientific level but also who surround themselves with the environment. It is those who hike the mountain trails that notice even the slightest change in vegetation conditions and wildlife behavior; it is the cyclist who rides through the city noticing the dust and dirt on the streets; it is the birdwatcher who notices how these creatures are changing their flight patterns as the climate changes. So it makes perfect sense that a surfer is the canary in the coalmine who warns of changes in the ocean.

Ryan “Ry” Harris is a surfer who had been making surfboards for a living and now makes eco-friendly surfboards.

“Traditional surfboards are pretty toxic so that’s why I went down the whole path of eco-friendlier options,” he said.

He began to make a name for himself as an eco-surfboard creator; soon after he began to look at a bigger picture.

As a surfer he saw more and more garbage in the ocean. He knew about single- use plastics and microplastics but the push to be more eco-friendly did not hit him until he moved to LA County, especially after this last season’s powerful El Niño.

“As a surfer, when we get urban runoff we see the effects of single-use plastics and the plastic pollution crisis more than most because all drains lead to the ocean,” Harris said. “In 25 years of surfing in LA County I’ve never seen as much plastic waste as I did [last winter].”

He added seeing all that trash pollution caused a “switch” to go off in his brain. He started doing more beach cleanups and posting on social media telling people to start cleaning up after themselves. But then he realized he could take the garbage he was finding in the sea and on the beach and transform it.

“Because of how I disposed of up-cycle surfboard waste, I have a high density plastic shredder,” he said. “I was using it to shred my surfboard waste, which is covered in resin – which is plastic.”

He took the concept one step further when he thought, “Why not use this method on plastic bottles and other plastic items?”

“So I launched our up-cycling program and we actually take all this waste [we get] from the ocean, [as well as] people’s curbside plastic recyclables that are getting recycled, and we sort it, shred it and up-cycle it,” Harris said.

He transforms “found plastics” into a variety of items including hats, bags, planters and a “garbage comb.”

Harris admits what he is doing is making only a small dent in the environmental change that needs to occur but it is a start and it is making a difference. He feels people need to help push for legislative changes and hold companies accountable for their pollution.

He spoke of the Surfrider Foundation along with Heal the Bay, San Francisco Baykeeper and the Sierra Club – all are suing Exxon. They allege Exxon hid the “truth about the feasibility of plastic recycling and downplaying the environmental and human health risks associated with pollution from their products,” according to surfridger.org.

Harris feels it will take this type of drastic measure to get the attention of people and corporations if there is to be lasting change toward a more green and blue friendly future. However, what I noticed when talking to him was how the transition from surfer to eco-protector appeared to be seamless. I know it was a long and not-that-easy a process but the bottom line is he saw a need and met that need. I know this is a complete over simplification of this process but still there are very few individuals who see a problem and work toward a solution.

For many it is not that they don’t realize there is a problem but taking action is not something they would do. It’s not just picking up garbage on the beach but thinking about what happens next.

EcobyRy can be found at ecobyry.com.

For us, even though it is fall the beach may be the only place to find some cooler temperatures this week and weekend. It will be hot in our local area with temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s starting today through Monday. The hottest days will be Saturday and Sunday with temperatures of 101 and 102. Just to compare, Redondo Beach will see hot temperatures, too, just not as hot as our area. They will have temps in the high 70s to 80s with their hottest days on Sunday at 83 and Monday at 84.