Kahi Pacarro
Expecting Father, Surfer, Environmental Warrior, Non-profit Director
After surfing in trash during a two-year surf trip, Kahi Pacarro took action by launching a non-profit that focuses on cleaning up our beaches and educating others.
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Kahi Pacarro went on a global surf trip, expecting to experience the joys of empty, gorgeous breaks, but saw, instead, a growing mountain of plastics and rubbish taking over even the most remote coastlines.
A University of San Diego graduate and a lifelong traveler and surfer, Kahi was inspired to launch Sustainable Coastlines in Hawaii to enlighten communities on the connection between consumerist culture and our mounting pollution problem, and to lead the movement away from the ‘throw away’ mindset and towards environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
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Since 2011, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a 501c3 corporation, has removed over 45,000 lbs of trash with the help of over 6,200 volunteers.
The organization stockpiles some of the plastic it collects and twice a year ships it to Method, the maker of eco-friendly cleaning supplies, which recycles the trash into liquid-soap bottles. Pacarro is also working with Bureo, a company started by three surfers that recycles fishing nets into skateboards.
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A Sustainable Coastlines Clean-up is not your traditional beach clean-up. They take clean-ups to another level with live entertainment, food, games, and fun competitions for the community. Their next big event is the Earth Day Festival and Ultimate Sand Sifter Competition at Waimanalo Beach Park on April 30. Children and adults will compete in different divisions to generate innovative solutions to the challenge of cleaning-up microplastics (tiny particles of degraded plastic).
To learn more about Kahi’s organization, see here, and to learn more about the perils of the “Plastics Age”, watch this video.
Types of Events: Beach cleanups, baby showers, surf sessions
Kahi\’s Hobnob Experience:
Since Sustainable Coastlines’ goal is to reduce waste, we love that we don’t have to create any wasteful products to let people know about our beach cleanup days when we invite them with Hobnob. It’s so convenient, sends reminders and directions, and gives us an idea of how many people we can expect out that day. It’s awesome.
