Slater has been visiting friends and surfing in Bali in between stops on the ASP World Tour, and was shocked by the large amounts of pollution on some of his favourite beaches on Bali’s formerly pristine coastline.
Determined to draw attention to the issue, he has offered to auction one of his prize surfboards on ebay with Quiksilver Indonesia and has promised to match whatever funds are raised through the auction.
“However I can help to educate and spread the word to help motivate the people who know how to do the right thing and start creating some change here, I’m happy to do that,” said Slater.
“I think this issue is much bigger than just the surf community. Obviously there’s some infrastructure that needs to be put in place in Bali and this part of the world to do something with the waste rather than put it in the ocean. If you walk down to the beach without shoes you need to pay attention, as there are needles, random trash, all sorts of debris and medical waste. It’s a problem for the people who travel here and love coming to this place, but it’s more of a problem for the people who live here, it’s a really important issue.”
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You'll surf like this if you win Slater's board...maybe.
All funds raised from the sale of the surfboard will be donated to the ROLE Foundation; a local, non-profit organisation taking the lead in coastal, environmental projects to slow down and ultimately reverse the destructive pollution that is ravaging Bali.
“We are over the moon and very thankful to Kelly for his kind donation,” said Michael O’Leary, spokesperson for the ROLE Foundation.
“The funds will be extremely useful for implementing our projects and we are so grateful for the champ’s support and the awareness it brings, as Bali is in dire straits and it needs action now!”
Around 5,000 tonnes of solid waste is dumped illegally in Bali every day. With little to no liquid waste management infrastructure, the waste eventually finds its way into the waterways and ultimately destroys the coastline, reefs and marine life.
In 2008, Quiksilver and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia joined forces to tackle the increasing water pollution in Bali and to help save the endangered sea turtles. So far, the initiative has spent in excess of $200,000USD per year funding programs to help clean up the beaches and establish the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation.
Quiksilver and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia will host their 2nd annual Big Bali Eco Weekend on Kuta Beach on July 6th to raise awareness for the cause.
For more information, visit The R.O.L.E. Foundation website or The Quiksilver Initiative website.
Then head to the Kelly Slater surfboard auction page on eBay and bid!
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