We’re truly starting this year on a hot streak for a cooler ocean planet… This week we get to share the great news that we’ll be supporting yet another incredible project – and our first one in Hawaii – by working with our pal Eddy Garcia at Regenerative Education Centers (“REC”). SeaTrees and REC will be collaborating to restore and regenerate critical coastal watershed systems, known in the Hawiian language as an Ahupua'a (pronounced “ahoo-poo-ah-ah”) as part of the HO’OWAIWAI Watershed Project (pronounced "ho-oh-vye-vye"). We will focus on two Mokus (or districts) within these Ahupua’a, Maliko Gulch and Launiupoko on Maui, Hawaii.
The Hawaiian word for fresh water is "Wai". Water holds so much value in Hawaiian culture, that the word HO'OWAIWAI means “the wealth, enrichment and prosperity that is water”. SeaTrees has named its efforts in honor of "HO'OWAIWAI", because we hope to restore the real wealth of the land (ʻĀina) back to the local communities. Thank you to the Kimokeo Foundation for their guidance on Hawaiian etymology.
You can learn more about the project and restore your own patch of watershed on Maui directly on our website.
Top Scores at Billabong Pro Pipeline plant SeaTrees
For every heat during the 2022 Billabong Pro Pipeline, the heat-winning point total will count directly towards support of the SeaTrees HO’OWAIWAI Watershed Project. 1 point = 10 square feet of restored watershed area. For example, a 15-point heat total will help replenish 150 feet of HO’OWAIWAI project habitat.
Billabong and WSL are also offering a special bonus at this historic event. For every 10-point ride, they will support an additional 1000 square feet of watershed restoration to the SeaTrees HO’OWAIWAI project automatically.
So far, riders have generated 6,881 sq-ft of watershed restoration!
We’ll keep you up to date on the tally as we progress through the event, but keep in mind that Hawai’i has a lot of watershed areas that need restoration, and volunteer opportunities are available via Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources . To learn more about how you can plant or restore your own SeaTrees by helping to support the HO’OWAIWAI project in Hawai’i, or other coastal ecosystem restoration efforts around the world near you – go to Sea-Trees.org.
Leading up to the event, Regenerative Education Centers and SeaTrees brought over some Billabong athletes to see the restoration at the HO’OWAIWAI Watershed Project with their own eyes (and muddy hands). Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon Holloway, and Zane Schweitzer joined Eddy Garcia (Founder of Regenerative Education Centers) and our own Michael Stewart to help plant the very first SeaTrees (Breadfruit or 'Ulu) being planted in Maliko with support from the Billabong Pro Pipe contest.
Check out the full video here!
Better packaging for surfboards – that packs a punch again the rising plastic tide
We were so stoked to catch a sneak peek of World Champ (and founder of Florence Marine X), John Florence, test driving new plastic-free packaging on some of his favorite surfboards – so we had to pay a visit to the ‘A New Earth Project’ house at Pipeline this week, to take a peek for ourselves.
We’re so glad we did, because ANEP founder, Wes Carter, and his team are about to create a SeaChange in the surfing world against single-use plastic packaging. Surf on over to the ANEP website to take a peek for yourself!