Local Programs

Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) program offers simple and beautiful nature-based solutions to protect clean water and support resilient coasts and communities. OFGs restore the natural functions of healthy watersheds by contouring landscapes for rainwater retention, directing water back into the ground instead of storm drains. The extensive root systems of native plants help naturally filter pollutants and sponge up extra water while restoring biodiversity to our urban landscapes.

By returning nature to our urban spaces, OFGs support climate resiliency goals by sequestering carbon, reducing air and water pollution, and avoiding climate emissions from energy-intensive maintenance practices. OFGs provide an opportunity to build equitable access to nature within neighborhoods and communities that lack green space while empowering volunteers with the skills to grow a more resilient future. 

We are stewards of our local beaches & breaks — there are many ways to help our local beaches and breaks. Come to one of our scheduled cleanups, schedule a private cleanup, or clean up on your own.

Art and education projects — a series of community based art installations, live music, performances, and education projects that encourage collaboration between local artists, Bay Area students, environmental non-profits, and government agencies to raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution and inspire change.

Rise Above Plastics is designed to eliminate the impacts of plastics in the marine environment by raising awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the recycling of all plastics.

What’s with all the wads? Plastic shotgun wads show up in great numbers along waterways and shorelines throughout the world. Projected from shotgun barrels – the plastic wads are shot into marshes or over water where they are difficult to retrieve.