“We are all in the same boat. Oceans, lakes, rivers, it is all water. Water binds us together. WRF always feels the responsibility to consider the protection of the environment when organising and promoting its activities. We undertake to be an active member of this project, that has a lot in common with ours”.
With these words the WRF President voices his enthusiasm for the recently signed a partnership with Surfrider Foundation Europe.
It is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to protect and showcase the importance of water all around Europe, being part of the worldwide Surfrider Foundation. For almost 30 years, Surfrider Foundation Europe has been taking action as a recognised authority in different levers of action: education and awareness, political advocacy and scientific and legal expertise, spreading the issues of marine litter, water quality, public health, coastal management and climate change.
The Founder of Surfrider Foundation Europe Tom Curren writes “At the very beginning we were just 5 or 6 people sitting around a table, asking ourselves why Surfrider Foundation didn’t exist in France. Like everywhere else, there were water quality issues. Surfers taking part in competitions used to fall ill, and we weren’t realizing why back then.
We decided to establish Surfrider Foundation Europe in 1990, coinciding with the Menakos surf comp’ in Spain. More than 25 years later, I’m very pleased to witness the amount of progress achieved by the teams who took great care to conserve the project’s values and original spirit while developing a solid expertise”.
The rafting community lives surrounded by nature and through the river we realise its delicate balance. If we really enjoy it we have to learn how to protect it and this is a good starting point.
