Travel and surfing have gone hand in hand since the early days of surf culture. From Bruce Brown’s iconic ‘The Endless Summer’ via Gerry Lopez and his pioneering stints at G-Land to the advent of the surf camp and the commercialisation of surf tourism, overseas exploration is indelibly associated with the surfing ideal. The hunt for the perfect wave goes on.
However, isn’t this just a massive contradiction? How can surfers be beach lovers and ocean worshippers yet every surf trip racks up a significant detrimental impact to the planet? We want to protect the planet, yet we’ll happily jump on the next flight to Indonesia for a 10-day boat trip in the Mentawais.
Can we be more conscious as members of the surfing community and limit our environmental impact? We might have just found the answer with the world’s first sustainability accreditation made specifically for mountain, snow and surf trips.
Sustainable Tourism & Outdoors Kit for Evaluation, known as STOKE, lets surfers duck dive the greenwash ( those false sustainability claims) by providing a solid third-party verified seal of approval for each of its certified members.
Getting the STOKE certification of approval is possible on three levels, Certified, Sustainable, and Best Practice. STOKE gives instant backing to any claims surrounding (amongst many other factors) community development, waste management, renewable energy, fair labour, biodiversity conservation, authentic cultural experiences and carbon offsetting.
Harana Surf Resort in the Philippines is a sustainably constructed resort that offsets its greenhouse gas emissions which are produced by generators and vehicles. They offset the carbon emissions with a mangrove planting and waste management programme. Mangrove planting. STOKE also sponsors teachers in the community who incentivise local groms to learn and surf.
STOKE reviews the performance of each one of these sections and gives an overall performance rating against their own sustainability standards. As a traveller/surfer/snowboarder/adventurer you can now easily find an environmentally and socially responsible trip provider when you’re planning your next holiday or adventure. You can stay stoked knowing you’re supporting local communities, enhancing the surrounding environment, and combatting climate change.
We all know you can do your bit for the environment like a #2MinuteBeachClean on every beach you visit, or supporting organisations such as POW and lowering your carbon footprint when you travel. But why not go one step further in choosing a STOKE Certified destination that’s actively curbing its environmental impact and promotes change within its community every step of the way. All wrapped up with a safe and quality-assured experience in the waves and on the slopes.
Here at Surfdome, we love what Stoke do and we thought what better way to celebrate than give you the chance to win a sustainable trip. We’ll be giving away a week-long trip for two at the Harana Surf Resort positioned on the eastern end of a small island in the Philippines called Siargao. Spend your mornings on the 32 surf breaks and your afternoons volunteering in the community tree planting, homebuilding, beach cleaning and much more. What more could you wish for?
We’ll also give you kitting you out with a gear package sourced from our sustainable shop to keep you up to scratch during your once in a lifetime trip. To enter head to our Facebook page here – and make sure you’ve read all of the terms and conditions here.
