Field Notes

The Growing Volume of Plastic Production: Visualized
The Growing Volume of Plastic Production: Visualized
Just in case you didn't know that the plastic problem is getting worse, not better, let the following graphics sink in... Plastic production is swelling, not receding. That includes single-use plastics. The time has come to do something about it. 
May 17, 2022
Meet the Biggest Purveyors of Single Use Plastics
Meet the Biggest Purveyors of Single Use Plastics
We all know single-use plastics are the scourge of the planet right now, but most don't realize the problem is only getting worse. In the next five years, our global capacity to produce virgin polymers (as opposed to recycled) is forecasted to rise by 30 percent. And that's apparently still...
May 04, 2022
Question: How Much of Your Plastic Will Outlive You?
Question: How Much of Your Plastic Will Outlive You?
Answer: Way too much.  If you're anything like me crunching numbers makes your head hurt. Have you ever taken an accounting class? Jeesh, they're tough. And the more honest the accounting, the tougher it can be on your mental health. Let's face it, some of us don't like to know...
Apr 28, 2022
Vipe Desai, SIMA's New Executive Director, Talks Shop and Sustainability
Vipe Desai, SIMA's New Executive Director, Talks Shop and Sustainability
Vipe Desai has been involved in the surf and outdoor industries since the early 1990s, when he opened H20, one of the first surf & snowboard shops on the Southern California coast. Snowboarders were considered outcasts at the time, and weren't even allowed at most resorts in the nation. But...
Apr 26, 2022
5 Powerful Minutes from SIMA's Speaker Series on Sustainability
5 Powerful Minutes from SIMA's Speaker Series on Sustainability
At the latest SIMA Speaker Series event held in San Clemente, California, in mid April, members of the Surf Industry Members Association took a hard look in the mirror as they assessed their progress as an industry when it comes to sustainability.  The unanimous verdict among the esteemed panelist was there's...
Apr 22, 2022
Los Angeles County's Latest Attack on Single-Use Plastics is a Big Win for the Environment
Los Angeles County's Latest Attack on Single-Use Plastics is a Big Win for the Environment
On Tuesday April 19, Los Angeles County supervisors delivered a huge win for environmentalist by passing an ordinance that bans the use of single-use plastic food-ware items. The new rule impacts restaurants, stores, hospital cafeterias and food trucks, who, starting in 2023, may only use only food ware that's compostable,...
Apr 22, 2022