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Surf Club Sustainability & Adaptation Checklist

Why should clubs act?

All surf clubs need to consider urgent action on climate change as it effects the health of members, changes surf conditions and puts club infrastructure at risk. Many club constitutions will demand this or will reflect SLSA’s constitutional objectives which include:

Y) ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account in all surf life saving and related activities conducted by SLSA;

Z) promote the health, safety and welfare of Members and all other users of the aquatic environment;

Sustainability actions

  1. Educate your members – include coastal hazards and climate change concepts in surf life saving training programs
  2. Work out your carbon footprint. You’ll need gas, electrical, water bills and fuel bills to get started. A comprehensive but easy to use calculator is available here
  3. Get Solar PV panels on your roof. It will likely save your club money and there are periodically government grants for such initiatives.
  4. Audit and monitor your electricity usage. Upgrade your electricity meter to give live or frequent updates on usage so you can understand what’s using all that power. Is it the old fridge, the hot halogen globes or the air con? Move to LED lighting and efficient devices.
  5. Waste management – avoid single use plastics, recycle what you can, minimise waste.
  6. Chuck a hashbrown on the barbie – provide more vegetarian options during club catering, as meat has a significant carbon footprint.
  7. Water wise tap and shower fittings – the provision of water consumes a significant amount of energy.
  8. Encourage active transport to the club: have bike racks, publish best public transport routes.
  9. Commit to be carbon neutral by 2030 (or 2025, or now!). Consider offsetting your emissions that are hard to avoid, it’s pretty cheap.
  10. Maximise vegetation around your club – it helps cool the environment, suck up CO2 and sustain sand dunes in the face of storm surges.
  11. Only engage and promote sponsors whose activities are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement (<1.5˚C warming). Promoting a company that is driving global warming will only harm surf life saving in the long run.
  12. Request SLSA to fast-track specification and development of electric IRBs and ATVs
  13. Promote your sustainability activities to educate and inspire local community action on climate change

Adaptation actions

  1. Heat stress – have clear guidelines on when competition and training should cease due to high ambient temperature. Especially important for pregnant, youngest and oldest members. Consider whether events need to be run earlier in the day when it is cooler.
  2. Heat stress – identify ways of minimising over-heating at the beach: shelter, hydration, fans, appropriate clothing.
  3. Understand the risk to your club facilities – Identify whether your club is built on a sand dune or whether it has rock under the foundations. Consult your local council’s Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaption Plan (CHRMAP). Check this 2011 SLSA report for preliminary info, 63% of clubs Australia wide are in ‘zones of potential instability’.
  4. Do you have land to retreat to? Identify whether land further inland is suitable for future club infrastructure (especially if currently built on sand within 40m of storm surge line)
  5. Protecting the clubrooms: Protect sand dunes through revegetation and other activities. Consider whether a sea wall will be required (in short or long term), as has been the case for some clubs already.
  6. Mobile facilities: your next patrol tower might be a better investment if it can be moved, as required.
  7. Financial plan for economic challenges:
    1. club building damage/relocation/adaptation and
    2. reduced revenue due to lower membership/sponsorship as beaches become less appealing, (more rocky and less sand).

Some of these recommendations are sourced from the two SLSA sponsored climate change reports and others from the Climate Council Sporting Club resources.

Got any other suggested actions for surf clubs to prevent and adapt to climate change? Contact us!

  • Climate Action Motions for your AGM
  • Electric ATV on patrol?
  • When will we have an electric IRB or jetski?
  • Line in the sand: No future for fossil fuel sponsors in surf lifesaving
  • Socials: Contact and collaborate with us

Sustain.Surf

2 weeks 4 days ago

Mercury Marine Unveils Its First Electric Outboard Boat Motor

Getting close Mercury but we’ll need a bit more power for IRBs

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Sustain.Surf

2 weeks 5 days ago

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 2 weeks ago

Surf Life Saving Australia & Surf Life Saving Foundation have announced an innovation project on carbon emissions where nine surf life saving clubs will be

Welcome to Sustain Surf - Sustain Surf

Surf life saving clubs and members are already being affected by climate change. We aim to build resilience in clubs and mitigate global warming

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 2 weeks ago

Electric sail boat in Sydney to Hobart.

First electric yacht enters Sydney to Hobart

The Thomsons found J-Bird rotting in a mooring almost three years ago and rebuilt the former diesel yacht to become fully electric, becoming the first of its kind to enter the race.

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Sustain.Surf

1 month 3 weeks ago

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Sustain.Surf

2 months 1 week ago

Sign the petition to give Woodside the BOOT! 🏉

Woodside, and other big polluters, are sponsoring and exploiting our favourite sports to buy a positive reputation.

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Sustain.Surf

2 months 1 week ago

Woodside Nippers Sponsorship

The chorus of voices are growing to create a Fossil Ad Ban in kids sport. Great work Australian Conservation Foundation

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Sustain.Surf

2 months 1 week ago

Aquakhana - Perth Electric boat, jetski, hydrofoil show. Nov27 10am at Burswood Jetty, near Camfield Hotel.

Event - Perth Aquakhana - New date and venue!

Aquakhana is Perth's first electric watercraft expo! The WA branch has hosted Electrikhana annually since 2010, and it has served as a great opportunity for the public to come and learn about electric vehicle technology, showcase new vehicles, and to

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Sustain.Surf

2 months 3 weeks ago

Honest Government Ad | Visit Western Australia!

A quite direct satirical assessment of the issue of fossil fuels influence in WA

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Sustain.Surf

2 months 4 weeks ago

The majority of Australians support a ban on fossil fuel advertising in sport. Lets encourage Surf Life Saving WA to ditch fossil fuel advertising on

Line in the sand: No future for fossil fuel sponsors in surf lifesaving - Sustain Surf

Endorsing fossil fuel companies will only harm the surf lifesaving movement in the long term, through damaging climate change.

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