COASTAL CODE GRANTEE SUMMARY-CALIFORNIA PADDLE 2007
One of the first grants awarded by Coastal CODE went to extreme athlete Tom Jones and the “California Paddle 2007.” Jones created the campaign to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastic pollution in our oceans by travelling the entire California coastline on a stand-up paddleboard. During his three-month journey south along the 1,250 miles of California coastline, Jones made 23 stops to educate others about plastics pollution and the importance of recycling and broke a world record along the way.
As a sponsor of California Paddle 2007, Coastal CODE provided funding and support to Tom throughout his expedition. Coastal CODE and Alaskan Brewing also hosted several fundraising events with Tom as he worked his way down the coast, the first of which was in conjunction with his stop in Huntington Beach and the city’s Environmental Fair. Following a community beach cleanup and group paddle-out with Tom, Coastal CODE hosted a social at Chimayo’s, a popular restaurant on the Huntington Beach Pier.
To celebrate the successful completion of the expedition Coastal CODE paired up with popular Hollywood restaurant Comme Ça for a four-course beer dinner fundraiser. The menu was created through a collaboration of Alaskan Brewing Company’s “Brew Crew” and the restaurant’s renowned chef, David Meyers, an avid surfer and supporter of Coastal CODE, so that each of the four courses was aptly paired with a different Alaskan Beer. Though the dinner was initially created to support California Paddle 2007, half of the proceeds raised were donated to the American Red Cross Southern California Wildfire Fund in response to the destruction caused by wildfires that occurred two-weeks prior to the dinner.
California Paddle 2007 was a great success for Tom Jones, Coastal CODE and, most importantly, the California coastline. According to a United Nations report, there are over five million tons of plastic in our oceans, and that number grows larger with each passing day. But with the efforts of ocean-minded heroes like Tom Jones and the other Coastal CODE grant recipients, we are doing our part to change this trend. We are proud to have recognized California Paddle 2007 with a Coastal CODE grant and hope it serves as a stepping-stone for the success of future collaborations aimed at cleaning up our beaches and ocean waters.