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Credit: Surfriders-US Organization

Rodulfo Rodriguez is Mexican and arrived in Barcelona Spain to study for a PhD in Electronic systems. I interview him because he is the foundator of Surfriders association in Barcelona.

Rodulfo after a beach clean-up in Barcelona. He is showing a plastic bottle containing cigarette butts

Can you introduce yourself and tell us how did Surfrider born in Barcelona?
I am an engineer of electronic systems. During my free time I enjoy surfing and I really like it because I stay in direct contact with nature.
Surfrider is an organization that was established in California in ’84 by American surfers who were concerned about the state of the coast. This activity achieved worldwide success. As here in Barcelona a similar organization didn’t exist, I thought of founding it.

Why environmental protection is so important for a surfer?
A surfer feels a special respect for the sea because it is something that belongs to them, so he has a natural instinct to protect it. Also he spends time in contact with the sea and realizes about sea pollution, more than a person who goes to the beach in summer only. A surfer experiences continually bumping into the plastic or any other solid waste. And this, apart from being unpleasant, affects health, can cause bacterial infections in the stomach or eyes.

Who are you and how do you take care of the environment?
We are volunteers and have various levels of involvement, not just surfers. Most people come because caught by the surf. Others are concerned the issue of environmental protection. Some interested because they live in contact with the sea, as people living in the Barceloneta district, or people that enjoy other types of aquatic sports.

What are you doing to protect the environment?
We organize activities and awareness campaigns. European and United States headquarter mark the line and policies. We organize beach clean, we take care of the legal protection of the coast, a legal department exists that we can report in case we become aware of any activity that could contaminate the shoreline. We analyze the state of the water with the support of specialized laboratories.

What is your current campaign?
This year we are working to educate people on a limited use of plastic. We explain how much plastic pollution can be harmful. We encourage people not to use plastic bags when they make the purchase, for example, or explain that cigarette butts are toxic and are not biodegradable because they are made of polyester, pure plastic.