Environment News

Dinner and Party come to Waimea Valley on November 14

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 27 October, 2009 : - -  Honolulu -- On Sat., Nov. 14, the Surfrider Foundation’s Oahu Chapter will present the 7th Annual John Kelly Environmental Awards to those who have helped protect and enhance our coastal community and environment.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Surfrider Foundation, and the event will be part of the first Hawaii Chapters Conference at Camp Erdman that weekend, uniting Surfrider activists from Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. 

The dinner, silent auction and party will be held at the Waimea Valley Pavilion and will feature live music from Micah Wolf, Johnny Helm and Special Guests.  Tickets are $40 in advance ($50 at the door), and proceeds will benefit Surfrider’s Oahu Chapter. Sponsors include Barefoot Wine, Kona Brewing Co. and the Triple Crown of Surfing. “We’re stoked to have this event at Waimea Valley because we were part of the coalition that helped save the Valley a few years ago,” says Surfrider’s Stuart Coleman. 

Former award winners and surfing legends like Peter Cole and Randy Rarick will join young pros from the World Tour to take part in the fundraiser and honor this year’s awardees:

Yvon Chouinard will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his success in creating one of the world’s top outdoor companies that is dedicated to protecting the environment.  Yvon is the founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. and one of the creators of One Percent for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1% of their net annual sales to environmental organizations. 

A lifelong climber and surfer, he is the author of Let My People Surf and spends much of his time in the mountains or in the ocean, while also serving on the boards of several environmental organizations.

Artist Bill Braden will receive the Environmentally Friendly Local Company Award for helping to preserve the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands through his paintings and activism.  Bill is a talented artist who was once selected to paint the Best Beaches of Hawaii by the City & County of Honolulu, and that has become his life’s mission.  He has been a long-standing supporter of the Surfrider Foundation and was instrumental in working with Jack Johnson to convince the Kobayashi Corporation not to develop the Pupukea-Paumalu area on the North Shore above Sunset Beach.

Keith, Chris and Dan Malloy will receive the Professional Surfer Award for their work as watermen, filmmakers and environmentalists.  All three brothers are ambassadors for Patagonia and help in designing environmentally sound wetsuits, apparel and accessories.  They also promote alternative energy by driving vehicles powered by vegetable oil. The Malloy Brothers formed the company the Moonshine Conspiracy with their cousin Emmet Malloy and singer Jack Johnson to produce films and music that have earned them worldwide success.  They helped produce the film Thicker Than Water and have appeared in others like Step Into Liquid and the upcoming 180 Degrees South.

“This year’s event is a really special occasion for us because it’s the first time we have united all of Surfrider’s Hawaii chapters together,” says Coleman, who serves as the first Regional Coordinator. “The Award Ceremony is in memory of John Kelly, one of the greatest surfers and environmental activists Hawaii has ever produced.  The event honors ocean-lovers and environmental leaders who have followed in his footsteps.”  Here’s a list of previous winners, all of whom have been invited to attend the event:

Lifetime Achievement Oahu-Based Company Professional Surfer
2008 Shaun Tomson Styrophobia Dave Rastovich
2007 Randy Rarick Pacific Biodiesel James Pribram
2006 Peter Cole Schnitzer Steel Hawaii Pancho Sullivan
2005 Larry McElheny Oceanit Rochelle Ballard
2004 George Downing Brushfire Records Kelly Slater
2003 John Kelly Patagonia - Haleiwa Rob Machado

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches through Conservation, Activism, Research and Education (CARE).   Originally founded in Malibu in 1984 by a group of visionary surfers, the Surfrider Foundation is now in its 25th year and has grown to more than 70 chapters and 90,000 members.  The Oahu Chapter has been busy working on issues of beach access, water quality, coastal preservation and plastic marine debris. For more information about Surfrider and the John Kelly Awards, please visit 

www.surfrider.org/oahu.

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Stuart H. Coleman

Environment - Surfersvillage