What if the next wave never comes? Photo: Scott Rhea
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), an environmental charity protecting UK’s oceans, has launched their final installment of the Protect Our Waves Campaign. In an effort to raise awareness and inspire community action, SAS campaigners have drawn up a petition and are collecting signatures. The petition calls for better control of sewage pollution, marine litter and damaging coastal developments. In less than a year, it has received thousands of signatures and harvested worldwide attention, and for good reason. SAS believes that waves and prime surf spots are an aspect of the UK’s heritage and should be treated as such. Due to the high volume of supporters, SAS has solidified their position as one the world’s leading surf charities.
Kelly Slater will be joining the SAS campaigners on October 22nd at the Palace of Westminster, in central London, to present the petition to members of Parliament. Supporters can still sign the petition here.
To support the SAS initiative, photographer Scott Rhea has created a strangely dystopian series of images highlighting some of the environmental issues that threaten the UK’s coastal communities. Rhea, who is known for his underwater installations explained, “The ocean is one of man’s greatest natural resources and the delicate balance between preservation and destruction lies in the decisions that are being made now and the legislation that will protect the future. I have had first hand experience living in areas where the raw sewage was being dumped and people had to choose between their health or enjoying the ocean. This is a decision that nobody should ever have to make.”
SAS has been continuously raising awareness through multiple types of initiatives. Last month, they launched their innovative sewage pollution warning service app. The app alerts users when untreated sewage has been discharged into our nation’s beaches. The app can be downloaded for free at www.sas.org.uk.
