- Our Advocates
A New Earth Project is honored to work with athletes in the outdoor and action sports communities who serve as global advocates and agents of change.
Advocates

Born and raised on Maui in Hawaii, Kai is a professional big wave surfer and ocean enthusiast. Excelling at a world class level in Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing, Foiling and Kiting Kai is regarded as the ultimate waterman. His middle name is actually Waterman! Kai is also known for his large ocean cleanups. Working with LoveTheSeaPlasticFree as they use his personal decommissioned navy boat and access the remote shores of maui gathering 1000's of pound of plastic debris. Kai brings his influence and passion to A New Earth Project and a commitment to a clean ocean environment.

Hawaii's Vaihiti Mahana is leading the next wave of Hawaiian women as they make their mark and claim their place in the line-up. Equally as passionate about the traditions and preservation of the Hawaiian Islands, Vaihiti brings a powerful voice to a New Earth Project.

Costa Rica's Carlos Munoz is a journeyman pro surfer who has qualified for the 2022 WSL World Championship Tour after a 12-year campaign. Proving that grit and perseverance are keys to success. We are thrilled to have Carlos on board as out first international Advocate for A New Earth.

Gregarious, fun-loving and passionate about the heath of our global oceans, professional surfer and entrepreneur Koa Smith personifies the qualities it takes to make a daily difference where he lives and plays.

From his first ski run at Squaw Valley at the age of 2, Cody Townsend knew he had found his passion. He spent his early years chasing legends like Shane McConkey and Kent Kreitler around his home mountain before being recognized in his own right as an up-and-coming big mountain skier. Since turning pro more than a decade ago, Cody has constantly pushed the limits of fun and adventure.
Most recently Cody has embarked on a truly remarkable adventure story unfolding in real time. Called The FIFTY, Cody is currently nearing completion of a multiple season effort to climb and ski the fifty most challenging, beautiful, and classic backcountry ski lines in North America. While this project's completion will stand as one of the biggest accomplishments in the history of skiing, Cody remains committed throughout to the highest embodiment of skiing and delights in the journey of exploration, relentless passion in the company of friends, and having one hell of a good time with every up and down along the way!

A native of Wrightsville Beach, NC where his family owns the iconic Sweetwater Surf Shop, Ben Bourgeois entered his first surfing contest at six years old.
He held the World Junior Champion title in 1995, became the ISA World Amateur Champion in 1996, and began his professional career in 1998.
He has since won numerous contests and accolades, including a place on the 2001, 2002 and 2008 WSL World Championship Tour, a gold medal in the 2003 X Games in Huntington Beach, and took first and second in the notable Nike Lowers Pro in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Ben has been featured on the cover of over ten major surf magazines, including, Surfing, Surfer, Stab, Eastern Surf and Transworld Surf.
He has spent years traveling the world searching for new waves and is a successful surf guide, surf coach, and has most recently spearheaded the development of the Wrightsville Boardriders Club, which is part of the burgeoning US Board Riders movement, to help connect the Wrightsville area surf community across generations. He has also been inducted in the Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame and the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame.
As a global surfer, Ben has seen firsthand the devastation caused by plastic in our global waters.
"I'm stoked to be joining A New Earth Project as a global advocate to address the problem of plastic in our oceans, lakes, and rivers. When we all work together is when we can all make a difference."

We are very excited to welcome Kimmy Fasani as our first pro-snowboarder on our ANEP Global Advocate team. Fasani has been a pioneer in women’s snowboarding since she became the first woman to land a double backflip in the park and the powder in 2011. That same year she signed with Burton to become the face of the snowboard powerhouse’s AK line, and is still a sponsored-Burton ride to this day. She has appeared in dozens of snowboarding film segments, graced the cover and pages of snowboarding magazines, and continues to push the level of progression in her sport.
This time last year, Fasani was just three months removed from a diagnosis of aggressive stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer, for which she would receive 10 months of treatment—six rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 30 rounds of radiation. The treatments made her sick, and Fasani wasn’t able to snowboard—something she’s been doing since she was nine and competitively since she was 15.
In October 2022, Kimmy and her husband Chris Benchetler started the Benchetler Fasani Foundation to provide a meaningful connection to the outdoors for those who have suffered loss or hardship by experiencing the healing properties found only in nature.