Episode 16: Meet Lilly Woodbury, Chapter Manager at Surfrider Pacific Rim

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Show Notes

I have always dreamed of interviewing someone from Surfrider for this podcast. As a longstanding member myself, I was really interested in finding out what you have to do or be to get employed full time by the NGO and what the job entails.

This week, I got to sit down for a chat with Lilly Woodbury who is and environmentalist and a media specialist making waves within the non profit organisation Surfrider in Tofino, which is off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.

This weekend, on 16 Februrary, Surfrider Pacific Rim is organizing a massive logging road cleanup around Tofino, BC, Canada. I thought it would be the right occasion to get up to speed with what Surfrider is doing and to meet one of their key leaders: Lilly Woodbury.

Lilly is Chapter Manager of Surfrider Pacific Rim. I asked her how she got the job and her answer was quite simple:

“The degree helps, but to be honest, its getting the experience, it’s diving in, getting to know the organisation, its networking, getting to know the people and really caring about it. You can find the opportunities to create a career and a life out of it. (…) I really think we’re in a time when things are changing where there are more opportunities in the environmental sector which is obviously very very needed.” — Lilly Woodbury

Lilly is bubbling with energy and ideas and you could say that her Chapter, Surfrider Pacific Rim, are really setting the standard for all Surfiders around the world. From film festivals, to straw campaigns and sewing workshops, this Surfrider antenna is incredibly creative and is shaking things up in a very efficient manner.

In this episode we get to talk about the different campaigns that Surfrider is leading, we learn what cradle to cradle and voluntourism mean, and discover the wild remote cleanups that Surfrider organises in the beautiful surroundings of Tofino, BC:

“We try to go to these remote areas to also restore them from this pollution because there are these incredible environments where wildlife lives and you see how the wildlife is impacted. You’ll find things, and you’ll see that a wolf was chewing on it… So it’s the marine and terrestrial ecosystem that are suffering from it.
So what’s a really fun part of what we get to do in the summertime, is bring people to these amazing places that are not developed and are just so beautiful with old growth rainforests and these amazing beaches.
These “pristine places” have so much pollution and so people get the opportunity to give back, but also be there, and disconnect from technology and really get involved.” — Lilly Woodbury

If there’s anything to take from this episode, I would say, “be the change you want to see”. I think that if we do want to see the oceans thrive, and find pristine nature when we next go on holiday, the best place to experience our own impact on nature is to go out and volunteer with our local organisations. Having experienced beach cleanups personally, it forces you to rethink your habits and find a sustainable alternative for all sorts of everyday staples.

“ It’s important to be giving back. The ecosystems are supporting everything we do, yet a lot of us are not in a reciprocal relationship and we’re not giving back as much as we can.” — Lilly Woodbury

Thank you Lilly for being such a sweet guest.

Next week, I’m going to be taking you to Ventura California to meet up with a Longboard guru.

In the meantime, take care, have fun and enjoy the waves.

Ciao!

Imi

Photo credits: Bryanna Bradley, Cristina Gareau, Jordan Dyck

Links

About The Oceanriders Podcast

The Oceanriders Podcast is a weekly show that is on iTunes (and other podcasting platforms). It’s a series of conversations with amazing guests who have managed to shape their lifestyle and careers to fit in to their passion of surfing.

I would be so thrilled if you could give it a few stars and a review on Apple Podcasts (Click here to connect to the Apple Podcast page) and better still, SUBSCRIBE!

If you would like to share your story, you can connect with me at hello@theoceanriderspodcast.com or via my Instagram account @theoceanriderspodcast. This episode can be played and replayed on most of the podcast apps such as Stitcher, Spotify, Iheartradio, Overcast, Deezer and Apple Podcasts. You can also stream the episodes directly on your computer by connecting to www.theoceanriderspodcast.com

I’ve created a Facebook group so if you fancy joining the conversation after the episode, you’re welcome to: you can find the group on Facebook at The Oceanriders Community. I have also started posting some job offers that would be perfect for surfers there. You never know, maybe you’ll find your dream job? The Oceanriders Podcast is also a twitter account and a Facebook page, so you should be able to connect with me somehow! Use my link tree to pave your way to your preferred social platform. The address is http://www.linktr.ee/theoceanriderspodcast.

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