20 Jun 10
Today is International Surfing Day for 2010. Please take a minute to read the following message from ISA President Fernando Aguerre. It's a great reminder for us all.
Well done to all those in NZ holding events to honour this important day.
Dear Friend of surfing,
Today, June 20th, we celebrate surfing. We celebrate something
that we really love and enjoy. But as in any true love, our love
for the sport of surfing should be demonstrated each day. We should
take the time to enjoy the waves, the ocean, the beaches, but we
also should be defenders of the health and integrity of the ocean,
so that it too, can have a long and healthy life.
For thousands of years, human beings saw the ocean as something
endless and eternal, a symbol of something indestructible. Nowadays
we have a better understanding that that's not the way it is. It is
very big, but it's also very fragile. For thousands of years we
have been destroying and polluting it and thereby shortening its
healthy life. But the last decades have been especially
destructive. Like Jacques Cousteau used to say: "It's very likely
that in our generation we will see the ocean turn into an empty and
polluted body of water"... Unless we do something about it and
change our relationship with it.
Surfers have the good fortune of being one of the human groups
that enjoy the ocean the most and destroy it the least, but we are
also part of the problem - especially if we allow its degradation
and pollution in any way. It's up to us to educate ourselves on how
to become part of the solution rather than continuing to be part of
the problem. This process starts in our homes with our leaky
faucets, broken toilets, cars that leak oil or grease, wastewater
from our washing machines, or whatever. Remember that most
everything we see on the streets eventually ends up in the
ocean.
This means that everywhere we go - from school to the office to
the work place, in the public or private sector - there's something
we can do. A more moderate and less selfish use of nature signifies
simply that more nature will be available to more people for a
greater length of time.
It is water, including that of the ocean, which makes the
biggest difference between our planet and the rest of the planets
of the solar system. That's the reason there is life here. That's
why our planet is so special. We should demonstrate our true love
for this world by taking care, preserving, and preventing our
oceans from continuing to be the silent victims. Let's all be
guardians of the ocean. Let's all get educated about the ocean.
Let's all be lovers of its health. But especially, let's use it in
ways that honor its existence. It depends on us. The ocean gave us
life. Now it's our time to make sure that the ocean's life remains
a good one.
Muchas gracias,