THE GREEN LIST

Maverick agents for change are redefining the framework to protect the earth

THE SURFER SCIENTIST

Cliff Kapono

Few are as connected to the ocean as surfers, yet even this most conscious of communities has environmental soul-searching to do. In recent years, heightened awareness of the sport’s negative ecological impact—from the toxic materials used to produce landfill-clogging surfboards and wetsuits to the run-off from surf wax and sun cream—has created a new wave of break-seeking activists. Among the A-listers putting their voices to good use, Rob Machado, Kelly Slater and Greg Long have, respectively, championed the reduction of ocean plastics, advocated against overfishing and spoken at the UN General Assembly. Another pioneer can be found in Hilo, Hawaii. Pro rider and chemist CliffKapono’s expertise in molecular bioscience makes him an authority on surfing’s effect on the environment. When not experimenting with sustainably made boards—the subject of his 2016 documentary Surf Wasted—or studying the health of Honoli’i’s coral reefs, he’s hitting the swell armed with swab tests for his Surfer Biome Project, a bacteria assessment of ocean users that casts a forensic eye on how we interact with marine ecosystems: “To me it means spending as much time learning about a place as I do playing in it.” cliffkapono.com

THE VISIONARY ENTREPRENEUR

John Pritchard