Waves crash against the cliffs lining Point Loma Nazarene University, a scenery that has inspired a new movement on campus: the creation of the Surfrider Foundation club, a student-led group that focuses on protecting the ocean.
While the club was created last semester, its first event took place in September. According to its website, the Surfrider Foundation is a global nonprofit dedicated to reducing plastic pollution, protecting clean water and preserving coastal ecosystems through activism and community events. The PLNU club is part of more than 100 student clubs nationwide.
The idea for the PLNU Surfrider Foundation club began with Lily Montes De Oca, a third-year environmental studies major who currently serves as the club’s president and founder.
“The process of starting the Surfrider Foundation PLNU club has been nothing but rewarding,” Montes De Oca said in an email interview. “It’s been awesome to feel so supported by both a foundation I’ve admired for years as well as PLNU students, staff and faculty. I never envisioned myself being a club president, let alone starting a club, so this process has been a major time of valuable growth.”
Julia Voss, a third-year environmental studies major and vice president of the club, joined Montes De Oca in bringing the idea to life.
“Lily first told me about her plan to start the club in April last year, and I thought it was such a great idea to have a club just for ocean conservation at PLNU,” Voss said. “I thought it would be cool to have a piece of that at Loma to connect students here to others everywhere.”
Voss said the idea first came together during a conversation on PLNU’s Caf Lane.
“I remember chatting on Caf Lane with Lily last year, and she threw out the idea that she had been thinking of starting a Surfrider Foundation Club here, and I was shocked we didn’t already have one,” Voss said.
Voss said that the organization’s work extends beyond the campus level.
“The Surfrider Foundation focuses on a lot of ocean conservation efforts, whether that’s hands-on work like beach cleanups, fundraisers and partnerships or policy work,” Voss said.
Their first event took place on Wasson Seaview Terrace on Sept. 10. It was called a “Sunset Social,” where students learned about the Surfrider Foundation’s mission. Board members said that the event’s turnout and the eagerness of students left them optimistic.
“Seeing how excited everyone who came to the event was to get involved with the Surfrider Foundation made me so hopeful for the future of this club and the positive impact we could have on the environment,” said Mia Vandever, a third-year environmental studies major and secretary and treasurer of the club.
Shortly after the event, on Sept. 20, PLNU hosted the annual Coastal Cleanup with I Love A Clean San Diego, an environmental nonprofit, where they collected 300 pounds of trash.
PLNU partners with them annually for this event.
According to Vandever, the club was able to volunteer and spread awareness through the cleanup.
“We got in contact with the leaders of the cleanup and offered to volunteer,” Vandever said. “We handed out shirts, set up the tents and gave out Surfrider Foundation stickers and flyers while sharing our mission of ocean conservation to volunteers.”
Vandever said the success of the coastal cleanup has motivated the club to continue planning events throughout the semester, such as collaborations with the PLNU sustainability club and department.
The club’s next event is on Nov. 15, where they are doing a Sunset Cliffs restoration project. More details about this event can be found on their Instagram page, @surfriderplnu.
With these events starting, Montes De Oca said she hopes to gather students from all areas of the campus to come together for ocean conservation. She also hopes students see the importance of caring for the planet.
“Regardless of proximity to the coast, everyone is impacted by pollution in some form,” Montes De Oca said. “Air and water quality, essential for human health, are directly influenced by environmental degradation. The costs of disregarding conservation efforts go beyond marine ecosystems, affecting public health, biodiversity and global climate stability.”
She also shared a word of advice for those new to conservation efforts.
“Remember: care for your ocean, and it will care for you,” Montes De Oca said.
Voss said that since PLNU students live by the ocean, she hopes that the club can be a place for students to care for the area they call their backyard.
“I hope the Surfrider Foundation PLNU club can be a place for students to protect the place we call home and grow our campus’s heart for conservation,” Voss said. “I hope people of all majors, backgrounds and interests can come together in the name of conservation.”
