SANTA BARBARA CHAPTER SOCIAL

CHAPTER GENERAL MEETING AND SOCIAL
Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:00 PM
Featuring Guest Speaker: Andrea Neal, Ocean Futures Society
Topic: Plastics Awareness
Watershed Resource Center
Arroyo Burro County Park/ Hendry's Beach
2981 Cliff Drive

We invite all Surfrider members and non-members to join us on Thursday April 16th at the Watershed Resource Center at Hendry’s Beach for an evening of socializing, light refreshments and lively discussion about interesting surf and environmental related topics. This month our guest speaker will be Dr. Andrea Neal to lead us on a discussion on plastics awarness and local efforts to reduce the harmful affects our our environment.

Surfrider member, Andrea Neal, has a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Lipid Biochemistry from the Swedish Life Sciences University and a B.S. in Horticulture Science from Purdue University. She has 10 years of experience in scientific community and has worked in many different fields of research including studies on increasing oil content in plants for biodiesel production to looking at nano-toxicity in our marine environments.

Dr. Neal has teamed up with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society to help educate the local community, as well as the rest of the world, on the dangers of plastics in on our environment. Chairing the "Day Without A Bag" campaign, Dr Neal coordinated a day to pass out free reusable bags to educate the public on alternatives to single-use plastic bags and the harmful effects of plastics in our oceans. All these efforts are supporting the city of Santa Barbara's consideration of taxing or possibly banned single-use plastic and paper bags in retail stores.

Dr. Neal continues her quest to educate the public on hazardous state of the Earth's oceans. She holds strong ties with Captain Charles Moore and the Algalita Research Foundation, monitoring the staggering amounts of plastic in our waters and the devastating effects to the marine life. She also finds time in her busy schedule to chair the H.O.T (Heal Oceans Together) Music Festival and Educational Outreach Program, working with local NPO's and students from UCSB and SBCC.

Santa Barbara Chapter social meetings are a place to hear from remarkable speakers on interesting or hot topics in a comfortable setting. Please join the Chapter to find out what other issues and challenges face our coast and ocean and what Surfrider is doing to help. Meet like-minded individuals, contribute to the discussion, or just listen and learn.  Refreshments served.