The Challenge is on again 🙂
Surfrider Foundation Eco Challenge Gold Coast 2015 organiser Greg Howell has been praying all year to Huey the surf god to be kind to him for this year’s event. At last year’s inaugural Eco Challenge Huey was in a bad mood for some reason, and he sent the Gold Coast a massive swell which made it too dangerous to run one of the Eco Challenge’s signature events featuring wooden surfboards.
Greg’s certain we won’t get a repeat of last year’s swell for the 2015 Eco Challenge, which is back for its second year as part of Bleach Festival and will take place on Sunday, March 15 at the Tugun Surf Life Saving Club.
“That was a freak occurrence last year. It was at least a 6 foot swell and there was no beach on the high tide. The waves were washing right up to the sand dunes”, Greg said.
While the show went on and the 2014 Eco Challenge was still a success, Greg is confident of better conditions this year to launch the Roots of Surfing Teams Challenge & Expression Session. These unique events will feature a number of hand-crafted wooden boards from the likes of Tom Wegener, MKSY Surfboards, Jack Moase, Aaron Vanderstaay and Mat Wilton Surfboards in action at Tugun Beach.
For the Teams Challenge surfers will be asked to surf two waves in groups of 6 in a tag team format. All surfers will ride a wooden surfboard which will be provided, along with all other necessary equipment. The judging format is the same as standard surfing competition criteria, but the emphasis will be more on having fun while helping promote sustainable surfing.
Teams & individuals can register here at Surfing Queensland
Prizes have been donated by Patagonia, Burleigh Brewing Co, Soul Safari Surf Travel & Pray for Surf.
The Expression Session will feature experienced wooden surfboard enthusiasts who will show their prowess riding original style surfboards like Alaias, Paipos and Itakos. These ancient wooden crafts date back to the Roots of Surfing which are thousands of years old.
The events will appeal to enthusiasts, sustainable surfing advocates as well as complete novices who’d like to watch professionals, or even try out one of these original surf crafts.
As well as all wooden surfboard events and displays, Eco Challenge 2015 will be a full fun day of music and environmentally-themed activities to raise awareness of sustainable living, and beach and ocean conservation.
The morning will kick off at 7am with yoga for surfing on the beach with Broni Mcquire from Soul Freedom, while the Roots of Surfing Teams Challenge & Expression Session gets underway.
A number of market and food stalls will be set up featuring sustainable products and services, including Think Love Live, Bees Knees surf wax, Bodiccea, Govinda’s, Marta Walenda’s Hand Painted Jewellery & Home Decor, I Love Gurus Australia, Orange Oranges, organicfamily.co, with room for more. Greg’s contact details are below if you’d like to register interest in setting up a stall.
Also present throughout the day will be a number of environment groups, such as Boomerang Bags, Gecko, Follow Your Passion, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Sea Shepherd, Southern Beaches Community Garden and of course Surfrider Foundation, as well as guest speakers..
A Plastic Bag Fashion Parade, presented by Melisa Hopwood from Dreams & Themes, will be held at 1pm, while there will be skateboard demos and kids activities workshops during the day.
Entertainment from the morning into the early afternoon will be provided via Buskers by the Sea and Drumming with InRhythm.
Soon after the Roots of Surfing Teams Challenge & Expression Session presentation at 1.30, music kicks off at the Tugun Community Bendigo Bank Main Stage inside the Tugun SLSC (bring your ID). The lineup includes Alex Crook, Leopold’s Treat, Jake Fox, Chrisitine Olive, Jemma Lee, Emmyjae, Southern Cross University Bands and more.
The closing ceremony with Fire Beats with Neal Webb & Pete Tonks will be held at 7pm.
So there you go, a full day’s entertainment that has something to appeal to everyone. Make sure you drop in and support this family friendly, 100% solar powered, sustainable, community-based, surfing & lifestyle fundraising event.
Climate Wave prides itself in leaving a legacy for the community from these events and one day soon hope to take them on the road to support Surfrider Foundation Branches around Australia.
From this event we are leaving a Solar Legacy
The 2015 Eco Challenge has moved, and organiser Greg Howell is stoked to be able to run this year’s event at the Tugun Surf Lifesaving Club in O’Connor St, Tugun. In keeping with Eco Challenge’s sustainable theme, Surfrider Foundation Australia has teamed up with Climate Wave Enterprises and MacEco Solutions who are partnering with Green Initiatives to provide a permanent Australian-accredited solar power system for the Tugun Surf Lifesaving Club, which is guaranteed for 25 years of operation. The investment will significantly reduce the club’s power bills – a direct cost benefit for the club and its members – as well as assisting them to become environmentally sustainable.
Each event we challenge ourselves…So What’s the Eco Challenge?
- We are challenging ourselves to organise a large event run as sustainably as possible which is a challenge in itself;
- The surfing is a challenge for everyone, being that its wooden boards & they are hard to ride, and also the boards come from a sustainable source;
- The Eco Village and speakers challenge the way people think and hope to encourage change with examples and product;
- We challenge all stall holders, bands & event venue to rise above plastics with a zero plastic policy for the event;
- Powering the live music is a challenge in itself, do we use solar power specifically for the stage or if necessary bio diesel generators;
- We challenge and encourage people to green their emissions on the day if they’ve driven/flown, or change their mode of transport;
- We challenge modern society and consumerism with running an event with ecological and sustainable practices, sponsors, solar power, legacy, promotion and everything in between.
For more information please see https://www.climatewave.com/ or contact Greg Howell on 0414 939 942 or greg@climatewave.com
