Sustainable Surf

Annual Report

2022

For people and brands that love the ocean


Sustainable Surf is a 501c3 non-profit based in California. Our globally recognized programs, SeaTrees and the Ecoboard Project are “onramps” for brands and individuals to have a direct and measurable positive impact on our planet.


Sustainable Surf has a strong focus on sustainability and regenerative action campaigns. Our organization blends non-profit activism with an entrepreneurial business mindset, to create a highly innovative culture that engages businesses and individuals to take action to reverse climate change.


Kevin Whilden

Co-Director | Founder

Michael Stewart

Co-Director | Founder

A Message from our Founders

Sustainable Surf has entered its second decade as an organization, and we are incredibly grateful for all of the support of partners and donors throughout our first decade.


True story: we conceived the idea of Sustainable Surf on a surf trip in 2011, where the discussion of solutions to climate change exceeded the stoke of riding waves. We saw an opportunity for surfing and surfers to show true leadership on one of the most difficult problems imaginable.


To capture this opportunity, we launched a non-profit with climate change solutions as its core purpose. Although we recognized that in 2011, surf culture needed capacity building on sustainability, and our initial focus was on the Ecoboard Project, Deep Blue surf contests, and Waste to Waves.


Fast forward to 2019 when we launched our SeaTrees program, which develops blue carbon projects around the world. The success of SeaTrees has transformed our organization, brought on hundreds of new partners and donors, both within and outside of our core surf culture, and captured significant media attention for our unique approach.


In light of this success, we have updated the mission and vision of Sustainable Surf to better reflect our original vision and ambition. Our new vision statement is “Reverse climate change” and our new mission statement is “Regenerate the health of our ocean planet”.


Thanks to a generous capacity-building grant from our largest donor, Michael Schwab, we will continue the transformation of our company to exponentially grow our impact. This includes developing new SeaTrees projects, expanding the capabilities of our outstanding team, increasing the transparency of impact for donors, and creating more inspiring content and stories.


Together with our partners, donors, and staff, we will turn our vision into reality during our second decade. As we achieve our goal of developing one hundred SeaTrees projects by the end of this decade


Our values

VISION

Reverse Climate Change.



MISSION

Regenerate the health

of our Ocean Planet.

We believe the ocean is the hero of reversing climate change and its superpower is carbon sequestration.


To help enable this superpower, our programs work to plant, protect, and restore blue carbon coastal ecosystems, including kelp and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and coastal watersheds. These are the most impactful ecosystems on the planet for carbon sequestration and are biodiversity hotspots.


Our reach

3.3M+

Views of

"The Ecopreneurs" Ep. 1

Recognition as Ecopreneurs

2022 was a year of significant media coverage and reach for Sustainable Surf. In January 2022, we received recognition as "Ecopreneurs" and were featured in the first episode of "The Ecopreneurs" on Salesforce+. The Ecopreneurs series highlights everyday people stepping up to create extraordinary climate solutions. Our episode generated more than 3 million views, which is by far the largest viewership of any video featuring our organization.


To us, being an Ecopreneur means facing the most pressing issues on the planet and looking at how to solve them as part of a business while keeping the ocean at the center of every decision we make.


This has raised our public profile and allowed us to reach a much wider audience, which has helped us attract new supporters and raise more funds. These additional funds have allowed us to support more blue carbon projects, plant and restore more SeaTrees, and have a greater impact on our mission to regenerate the health of our ocean planet and reverse climate change.


Additionally, Sustainable Surf's message was distributed to an estimated 525+ million* people globally by leveraging the reach and following of brand partners and ambassadors.


*Social reach and impressions were calculated using the analytical tools and data metrics provided by the various media platforms. Maximum media reach was calculated based on the total circulation of publications.

525M+

People reached by media mentions of Sustainable Surf

Our Programs

SeaTrees and The Ecoboard Project are “on-ramps” for brands and individuals to have a direct and measurable positive impact on our planet.


SeaTrees

SeaTrees plants, protects, and restores blue carbon coastal ecosystems around the world to reverse climate change.

The Ecoboard Project

The Ecoboard Project transforms the way high-performance surfboards are made to be more sustainable.

Mangroves

growing our team

Sustainable Surf experienced a major transformation in 2022. We added seven new staff, growing our team from three to nine employees. This evolution of our company has allowed for improvements in our operations including meeting fundraising goals, producing more content, and progressing toward our goal of supporting 100 blue carbon projects by 2030. We're very excited to continue to grow our organization and impact in 2023 and beyond.

Our Team

Kevin Whilden

Co-Founder / Director

Michael Stewart

Co-Founder / Director

Alexandra Von Winterfeldt

Finance and Admin

Haley Jain Haggerstone

Partnerships

Manager

Leah Hays

SeaTrees

Project Manager

Alena Riggs

Communications

Manager

Mark Alvarado

Program

Analyst

Sam Bennett

PT Project

Manager

Mark Marovich

PT Partnerships

Advisor

SeaTrees

SeaTrees is a program of the 501c3 non-profit Sustainable Surf that develops coastal restoration projects around the world to reverse climate change.


We believe the ocean is the hero of reversing climate change, and its superpower is carbon sequestration. Through SeaTrees we plant, protect, and restore blue carbon coastal ecosystems, including kelp and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and coastal watersheds. These are the most impactful ecosystems on the planet for carbon sequestration and are biodiversity hotspots.


SeaTrees funds this work through donations from brands and individuals who are committed to reversing climate change and creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities.


We partner with local nonprofit organizations at each project location to manage the restoration and protection work being done, providing a vast array of critical benefits to both the people and the planet .


On World Mangrove Day 2022, SeaTrees achieved the milestone of planting two million SeaTrees across 16 projects. Our next goal is to support 100 SeaTrees projects by the end of this decade (2030) and set various new milestones along the way.


We planted and protected 65,490 SeaTrees in 2019, 412,900 SeaTrees in 2020, 1,000,380 SeaTrees in 2021, and 1,361,362 SeaTrees in 2022.



As of the end of 2022, we’ve planted and protected a total of 2,614,044 SeaTrees.

Kelp Restoration

Mangrove Planting

Marereni, Kenya

Monterey Bay, CA

Watershed Protection REDD+

Mangrove Planting

Seagrass Restoration

Mida Creek, Kenya

Southern Cardamom, Cambodia

Kelp Restoration

Cascai, Portugal

Palos Verdes, CA

World Map

Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

Kelp Restoration Science

Pacific Ocean

Kelp Carbon Science

La Jolla, CA

Hawaii Map

Biak Region, Indonesia

Pacific Ocean

Supiori, Indonesia

Mangrove Planting

Laguna San Ignacio, Baja, Mexico

Kelp Restoration

Sydney, Australia

Watershed Restoration

Maliko, Hawaii, USA

Coral Reef Restoration

Launiupoko, Hawaii, USA

Watershed Protection REDD+

Paramos and Bosques, Colombia

Ped, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia

Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia

Mangrove Planting

Mangrove Planting

Why blue carbon

Blue carbon coastal ecosystems draw carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it faster than terrestrial ecosystems. Despite these benefits, they are one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. The regeneration of these ecosystems provides critical habitat for countless species, sustainable long-term employment for local communities, and protection from climate change impacts.

Mangrove forest

Mangroves

Mangrove forests are being lost at a rate of 2% per year, and these ecosystems are 5x more effective at storing carbon than tropical forests.

Giant Kelp

Kelp Forests

Kelp can sequester ~200 million tons of carbon dioxide per year by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and the ocean and exporting a large portion of its biomass out into the deep sea, sinking it to the deep ocean permanently.


Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life in the ocean and are the most diverse marine ecosystem on earth. Coral can sequester huge amounts of carbon from dissolved CO as carbonate, so that carbon stays within the reef system and out of the ocean and atmosphere.

Seagrass meadows

Seagrass

Seagrasses are being lost at a rate of 1.5% per year. They cover less than 0.2% of ocean floor, but store about ~10% of the carbon buried in ocean sediment.

Coastal Watersheds

Blue carbon ecosystems are most effective when they are connected to a healthy watershed, which can capture and store atmospheric CO2 at 10x the rate of a mature tropical forest by sequestering it in the ground.

SEATREES IMPACT REPORT

In 2022, we reached over 2 million SeaTrees planted or restored across our projects around the world.


These 2 million SeaTrees breakdown as follows:

1.9M+

Mangrove Trees Planted

539K+

Sq-ft Kelp Restored + Protected

12K

Coral Fragments Planted + Protected

35K

Sq-ft of Watershed Restored

64K

Metric tons CO2 sequestered

White blur

Sustainable development impact report

The impact of each SeaTrees project is measured using the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, which are designed to transform our world for good by 2030. The success of our projects relies on creating jobs and livelihoods for the local people involved in maintaining healthy ecosystems for the future.


SeaTrees projects reduce climate change impacts, increase terrestrial and marine biodiversity, protect endangered species, create sustainable jobs, alleviate poverty and hunger, support education and gender equality, and more.


For more information on how SeaTrees supports sustainable development, please see a full breakdown by project at the link below.


Mangrove Planting: Marereni, Kenya

Key Impact Metrics

  • 600+ jobs created for the local community.
  • 40% of jobs are held by women.
  • Increased access to healthcare and food.
  • Provides training to the local villagers who will manage mangrove nurseries.
  • Protection of local communities from storm surges and sea-level rise.
  • Increase fishing activities and resources.

Kelp Restoration: Sydney, Australia

Key Impact Metrics

  • Engages and educates local community members and increases the potential for the preservation of marine environments for generations to come.
  • Provides ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, oxygen production, coastal and habitat protection, and supports unique coastal biodiversity.
  • Protects critical species such as wrasse, parma, abalone, lobster and herring.


SDG Sustainable Cities and Communities

Coral Reef Restoration: Bali, Indonesia

Key Impact Metrics

  • Every 1000 corals planted creates approximately one week of employment.
  • 25 local Indonesians are provided with employment - at a time when the pandemic had devastated Bali’s tourism-based economy.
  • Habitat created for 500+ marine species.


Mangrove Forest Planting: Baja, Mexico

Key Impact Metrics

  • 17,635 seedlings planted in the designated sites across 4.1 acres.
  • 11+ women trained in project management and monitoring.
  • 250 local community members have benefited from this project.
  • Protects local areas and communities from erosion, sea-level rise and increased storm surges.
  • Safeguards critical gray whale nursery habitat.



Watershed Restoration: Maui, Hawaii

Key Impact Metrics

  • 10+ jobs created.
  • 1,000+ livelihoods Improved.
  • 85,000 sq-ft of coastal watershed restored.
  • 40,000+ lbs of food grown and given away to the local community.
  • Protects critical habitat in the watershed and offshore coral reefs.


SDG Clean Water and Sanitation

A Community Effort

Our efforts this year to restore blue carbon coastal ecosystems and reverse climate change would not be possible without our amazing restoration partners. Because of them, we’ve made great strides in our mission to regenerate the health of our ocean planet.


Each of our SeaTrees projects is operated by local non-profits that conduct the restoration, planting, maintenance, and monitoring of their blue carbon ecosystem. And it is thanks to them - and all your support - we have achieved the monumental goals we've accomplished this year.


Project Media

Our marketing strategy creates compelling content showcasing our local project partners and the incredible work they do to regenerate ocean health and restore blue carbon coastal ecosystems around the world. Through these films, we are able to share our mission and impact with the world and help people understand the connection between surfing and the need for a healthy ocean. Check out our 2022 films below.

The

Ecoboard

Project

The Ecoboard Project is the first and only independent consumer-facing “eco-label” for boards.

The Ecoboard Project transforms production methods for high-performance surfboards to be more sustainable. The Ecoboard Project makes it simple for board builders to make more sustainable boards. Sustainable Surf verifies surfboard materials (resin and foam) and processes that reduce the carbon footprint, waste, and toxicity of boards during manufacturing. Our list of over 20 Qualified Materials makes it easy for board builders to find better materials to make their boards.

“The simple act of choosing a more sustainable board can be an on-ramp into a dramatically more sustainable, ocean-friendly life.”

- Michael Stewart, Co-founder of Sustainable Surf.

Fiji perfect waves

The environmental impact closest to waves is the surfboard we choose to ride.

Typical Poly Shortboard

Surfboard

Produces twice its weight in waste

High carbon footprint = 105lbs

Short lifespan and

made to be disposable

Surfboard

Cuts production waste by 50%

Cuts carbon footprint by 30%

Longer lifespan and more durable

Ecoboard

All surfboards are 90% plastic by weight.

Ecoboards significantly reduce plastic waste of surfboard production.

The “Verified Ecoboard” label is used by some of the world's best surfboard brands including:


~ 44,000

Verified Ecoboards were made in 2022

When a board displays the Ecoboard Level One or Gold Level label, Sustainable Surf has verified that it has one or more of the following attributes:

  • A measurably reduced carbon footprint
  • Renewable, recycled and/or up-cycled material inputs
  • Uses materials and processes that reduce toxicity during manufacturing
  • Reduces waste during manufacturing


The global surfing community now recognizes the Ecoboard Project label as indicating a board that protects ocean health without sacrificing high performance. This is a radical shift from when the program first launched in 2011.


To learn more about the process of certifying Ecoboards and our mission to build a more sustainable future for surfing, please visit the website.

Number of boards

Number of Ecoboards Produced by year

75,000

50,000

25,000

0

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Year

**Note, annual production of Ecoboards dipped in the past two years from a combination of supply chain shortages that reduced the availability of more sustainable surfboard materials and reduced demand for new boards due to the economic downturn in 2022. However, we hope for production to rise in 2023 as supply chain shortages ease and material availability increases.


2022 Financial Summary

2022 was a year of significant growth for Sustainable Surf.

$2.5M

2022

Total Income

In 2022 our income was $2,505,000 and our total expenses were $2,224,000, compared to $1,390,000 and $997,400 in 2021. Our indirect cost rate for 2022 is 8%.


This growth was driven by the SeaTrees Program, which has become a compelling fundraising platform and accounts for 91% of our income. SeaTrees income sources include foundation grants, brand partnerships, and individual donations through the SeaTrees website.


SeaTrees income is used for program delivery, which includes developing and funding ecosystem projects, creating educational content and films, and evaluating program impact with project site visits and other data collection methods. SeaTrees income is also used to launch new SeaTrees projects in order to meet our goal of 100 SeaTrees projects by 2030.


$2.2M

2022

Total Expenses

8%

2022

Indirect Cost Rate

10 years of Income and Expenses

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

Income

Expenses

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2022 Income: $2,505,516

2022 Expenses: $2,224,383

Merchandise

0.6%

In-Kind

1.8%

SeaTrees Science Project

8%

Foundations/Grants

18.9%

Program Service Fees

1.3%

Individual Donations

6.8%

Corporate Donations

5.3%

SeaTrees Brand Partners

57.4%

Fundraising

2.6%

The Ecoboard Project

4.7%

Administration

5.2%

SeaTrees Projects

87.5%

Case studies

Ocean Positive brands are taking action NOW to sequester more carbon emissions than they’re creating - having a positive impact on the ocean and the life it supports.


Computer Laptop

10 Ocean Positive+ Brands Added in 2022

22 Ocean Positive+ Brands to Date

OSEA

OSEA became the first Ocean Positive beauty brand in 2022. They’re also Climate Neutral and have been since 2020.


As a seaweed-based skincare brand, it was a natural progression for them. “We’re going from climate neutral to ocean positive, which we see as a leveling up,” says Melissa Palmer, Co-founder and CEO of OSEA. The company calculated their carbon footprint with the help of Climate Neutral and wiped it out with SeaTrees.


OSEA also looked at their carbon footprint and found ways to minimize it by managing their paper usage in the office, eliminating invoices in customer orders, and installing solar panels on their rooftop.


Head High Wines

Head High Wines is one of the most environmentally conscious wine brands in the world, and responsible stewards of the land.


In order to become an Ocean Positive partner, SeaTrees calculated Head High Wine’s carbon footprint and discovered the largest part of their footprint as associated with the glass bottles, which allowed them to make changes to their operations. Opting to make the shift toward lighter, locally sourced glass bottles with screen printed labels (rather than plastic), Head High Wines was able to lower their carbon footprint significantly, and wiped out the remaining impact with SeaTrees Tokens - becoming the first Ocean Positive wine brand.


HULA

We have worked with HULA, a technology-driven coworking campus, business incubator, and venture capital fund, to wipe out the entire carbon footprint of their campus. This has helped all businesses located in and operating out of the campus to wipe out the climate impact of all office operations.


If you would like to learn more about becoming Ocean Positive, please visit our website or contact our Partnerships Manager at haley@sustainablesurf.org.

The Lost Beings Collection

In August 2022, we partnered with Court of the Forest to support their "Lost Beings" NFT project. This innovative approach to fundraising proved to be incredibly beneficial to the SeaTrees mission.


The Lost Beings collection was created to help rebuild the world's forests through the power of art. Each piece in The Court of the Forest "The Lost Beings" collection plants and protects degraded coastal mangrove forests at our SeaTrees project site in Kenya. In total, this collection planted 4,627 mangrove trees!


We will continue exploring innovative ways to use blockchain technology to further our mission to reverse climate change and protect our ocean planet.


To learn more about this project, click here. To learn more about SeaTrees Digital Currency Donations, click here.



Thank you

Our Supporters

We would like to thank all of our supporters for helping make our work possible. Without you, our work to reverse climate change by regenerating the health of our ocean planet would not be possible. We're all about partnerships that deliver tangible impact and create engaging content/stories for a global community of people who care about the ocean. We look forward to diving deeper into our partnerships in 2023 and beyond.


Board of Directors

Ambassadors

Jim Moriarty

Brian Thurston

Kevin Tighe

Scott Coleman

Steve Shipsey

Cathy Campbell

Justin Wilkenfeld

Michael Stewart

Kevin Whilden Surf

Advisory Board

Dr. Margaret Leinen

Brian Spitz

Eric Chin

David Yuan

Chris Malloy

Steve Reiss

Charles Adler

Robin Graham

Yves BĂ©har

Dr. Jess Ponting

Dr. Gregory Borne

Dan Fitzgerald

David Hertz

Dr. Wallce J. Nichols

Pamela Wilhelms

Dr. Allen Hershkowitz

Jeff Mendelsohn

Gary Groff

Dr. Octavio Aburto


Alison Teal

Ashley Lloyd

Bianca Valenti

Bo Bridges

Chris Bertish

Danni Washington

Greg Long

Kassia Meador

Kevin Mirsky

Miguel Blanco

Pacha Light

Pedro Bala

Ron Machado

Ryan Harris

Sarah Lee

Tyler Fox

Zane Kekoa Schweitzer


2022 Corporate Partners*

12 Tides

4ocean

Aerial

Agency73

Alimo

AltamarCAM

Alvarez & Marsal

Anabela Chan

Another Tee

Arcadia Earth

Aspiration

Avocado Green Brands

Baloo

Bank of the West

Bates Wells

Beachly

Benevity

Bitski

Boardriders Foundation

Bumble Bee Seafoods

Burgeon Beer Company

Canada Computational Unlimited

CANOPY

Ceres

Channel Islands

Composed Creative

Conserving Beauty

Corona Island

Custom Patch Hats

DailyKarma

Designers Remix

Dorai

DPR Construction

Duff and Shuffle

Ebb & Flow

Eisbach Riders

Ettitude

Experience Travel


Faro Board Bags

Firewire Surfboards

Florence Marine X

Form Nutrition

Freshpet

Fullmoon Digital

GetGreen

Glo

Goodr

GoPro

Green Circle Salons

Green Story

Grounded Packaging

GSI Outdoors

Handprint

Head High Wines

HOKALI

Hula

INBLOOM

ISLE Surf & Sup

JuneShine

Kassia+Surf

Kindhumans

Los Angeles Yacht Charter

Lost Pirate Coffee

MaCher

Maine Salt Farm

MARA Beauty

Missing Link

Monitor Premiums

Natural Selection Tour

Nixon

North County Board Meeting

Oasense

One Ocean Beauty

Offshore Opex

Onomao

Orlebar Brown

OSEA


P&Co

PANGAIA

Parkit

PEDAL Electric

Pledge

Point B

Preserve

Prosper Insurance

R.A.G.E. Nation Apparel

RallyUp

REUZBL

Salcombe Distilling

Salesforce

SEA-el

Seagreen

SeaVees

Seek Discomfort

Sk*p

Slimes

Solento Surf Festival

Sonos

Spooked Kooks

Starboard

Stasher

StorQuest

Stylecard

Surftech

The Garment

Third Eye Blind

Tidemark

Unita

Venus

Visitor Store

Waiakea

Walrus Oil

Waterhaul

We Are Ndependent

WeTransfer

World Surfaris


*Donated $500+ in 2022

We cannot say it enough - your support of our organization has been a key part of our continued success, and we want to thank you for believing in our mission.

Stay tuned for a new wave of SeaTrees projects in 2023. With several new restoration and planting projects in the pipeline, we're well on our way to our goal of supporting 100 blue carbon projects by 2030.


Sign-up to our newsletter today to plant your 1st mangrove tree.

PO Box 3058 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

@sustainsurf

@sea.trees

www.sustainablesurf.org