Wow, I just found out Betty Belts won the First Annual Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award! This is amazing!

See press release below:

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June 9, 2006
The Surfers Path Magazine’s 1st Annual
Green Wave Awards: The Winners

Is surfing really at one with nature?

New York and London (June 9, 2006) The latest issue of THE SURFERS PATH magazine, hitting the shelves and doorsteps now, announces the winners of the 1st Annual Green Wave Awards, for excellence and achievement in promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness in the surfing world.
Winners include a small surfboard company in the UK dedicated to manufacturing boards made entirely from natural materials; relief organizations that helped survivors after the 2004 tsunami and continue to offer crucial medical help to people in the remote, surf-blessed islands of Indonesia; a leading US outdoor clothing brand that incorporates environmental and social responsibility into its every fiber; and individuals who have helped save whole stretches of coastline and ensure cleaner seas for millions of people.
Surfing involves an intimate relationship with raw, dynamic nature, said Alex Dick-Read, founding editor of The Surfers Path. The essence of our sport is to be at one with the power of the ocean. Yet many of the products and processes we surfers rely on contribute to the damage being done to the atmosphere, the oceans, and the coastlines of the world. These awards aim to highlight the numerous positive moves within our surfing sphere towards making surfing a clean, sustainable and beneficial activity.
A year ago readers of The Surfers Path were invited to nominate inspiring surf-related organizations, companies, or individuals in any of these categories: Surfboard Manufacturing Companies, Surf Apparel Companies, Surf Accessory Companies, Surf Travel Companies, Surf-related Nonprofit Organizations, Surf-related Media & Publishing Entities, Individuals Who Surf, and an annual grand-prize winner: The Emerald Path Award.
Winners were chosen from the hundreds of nominees sent in by readers. The response to this was really quite incredible, said the magazines US Editor, Drew Kampion. The scope of surfers efforts for the environment and the planet is enormous, and gaining momentum all the time. While it was tough to single out winners, we feel the results reflect the exceptional efforts of the many organizations, individuals, and companies which understand our the worlds desperate need for sustainable human lifestyles, especially among surfers.
The prestigious overall prize, the Emerald Path Award, is shared between the UKs Chris Hines, now Sustainability Director of the Eden Project and formerly founding director of Surfers Against Sewage, and Glenn Hening, a California academic and visionary in the surfing world who co-founded the powerful US coastal protection body, Surfrider Foundation, and now heads up the Groundswell Society.
The Green Wave and Emerald Path awards include commendations featuring the work of celebrated California surf artist Rick Reitveld.
These awards will happen annually because we want to continue to highlight the positive efforts of the surfing community, to keep the pressure on our own tribe and our industry, and to spread the word that surfing really can and should be at one with nature, said Kampion.
The Green Wave Awards are a presentation by the editors of The Surfers Path in conjunction with Permanent Publishing and SustainAbility. For more information, visit: www.surferspath.com/greenwave and www.sustainability.com
The Surfers Path is the worlds only truly green surf magazine. The bimonthly publication is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper processed without chlorine bleach and printed with non-GMO soy inks.

Categories and Winners:

Emerald Path Award: Chris Hines (Eden Project, SAS – UK) and Glenn Hening (Groundswell Society, SRF -USA)
Surfboard Manufacturing Companies: Ocean Green Surfboards (Cornwall, UK)
Surf Travel Companies: BoardX (Belgium)
Surf-Related Media and Publishing Entities: EcoSurf Project (UK)
Surf Apparel Companies: Patagonia (California, USA)
Surf Accessory Companies: Betty Belts (California, USA)
Individuals Who Surf: Brett McElheny (Oahu, Hawaii)
Surf-Related Nonprofit Organizations: SurfAid International and Surfzone Relief Organization (Indonesia and California)

Contacts:
Alex Dick-Read (Founding Editor, UK) [email protected]
Drew Kampion (US Editor) [email protected]