Jennifer Savage
(She/Her)
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Articles by Jennifer Savage
The Public Comment Period Is Open: Here's How to Defend California's Coast
Last month, wewarned you that the federal government had launched a reviewof California's coastal management program with the likely end goal of eliminating California's authority to push back on destructive offshore drilling and other federally regulated projects along our coast. California's coastal magnificence and economic success isn't an accident, but the result of hard-won protections built, defended, and won over decades. We're not about to give those protections up now.
The Federal Government Is Reviewing California's Coastal Management Program. Here's What That Means for Beaches Everywhere.
The Trump Administration has put California's coast on notice. As California marks 50 years of protecting its coast, the Trump Administration is attempting to undermine the very authority that makes it possible. On May 20, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick directed NOAA to conduct a formal review of California's coastal management program — the federal-state partnership that gives California real power to protect its beaches and push back against harmful federal projects along our coast.
California Ocean Day 2026: A Wave Worth Celebrating
Nearly 300 people from throughout California gathered in Sacramento on Tuesday to celebrate the 21st annual California Ocean Day advocacy event. Attendees called on state legislators to support a slate of bills designed to protect our ocean, waves, and beaches from offshore oil drilling and plastic pollution, to respond to the health crisis in the Tijuana River Valley, and to promote equitable access to the outdoors for all people.
Sable Restarts Pipeline Behind the Plains All-American Oil Spill — California Pushes Back
A federal order fast-tracked the restart of offshore oil operations along the Santa Barbara coast, reviving the same pipeline system responsible for the 2015 Plains All American spill at Santa Barbara's Refugio State Beach. Along with California's top state officials and other ocean advocates, Surfrider Foundation is fighting back. The battle to protect the Santa Barbara coastline has entered an alarming new chapter.
The Ocean Is Coming: King Tides Offer Preview of Rising Seas
The highest King Tides of the year arrived in Humboldt County last week, offering both a spectacle and a warning. Unlike waves or swell, which are wind-driven, tides are the daily rise and fall of the ocean, created by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. They become “King” tides when the sun, moon, and Earth align as the moon reaches its closest point to Earth. This amplifies gravitational pull, creating extra-high high tides and extra-low low tides.
The Ocean Is Coming: King Tides Offer Preview of Rising Seas
The highest King Tides of the year arrived in Humboldt County this week, offering both a spectacle and a warning. Unlike waves or swell, which are wind-driven, tides are the daily rise and fall of the ocean, created by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. They become “King” tides when the sun, moon, and Earth align as the moon reaches its closest point to Earth. This amplifies gravitational pull, creating extra-high high tides and extra-low low tides.
The Ocean Is Coming: King Tides Offer Preview of Rising Seas
The highest King Tides of the year arrived in Humboldt County this week, offering both a spectacle and a warning. Unlike waves or swell, which are wind-driven, tides are the daily rise and fall of the ocean, created by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. They become “King” tides when the sun, moon, and Earth align as the moon reaches its closest point to Earth. This amplifies gravitational pull, creating extra-high high tides and extra-low low tides.
Attack of the Monster Women
A few minutes into the 2006 Humboldt County music documentary Rural Rock & Roll, The Monster Women's guitarist and vocalist Courtney Jaxon describes our little slice of heaven. "There's something strange and magical about this whole place," she says. "It's like we're in the middle of some weird forest where things are different." A bit further on, drummer and vocalist Aimee Taylor notes, "There's a lot going on for such a small place." Thirteen years later, both these things remain true.
California's Environmental Rollback: The Dismantling of CEQA Protections
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Monday that environmental advocates are calling the most devastating attack on environmental protections in the state's recent history. Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131 systematically dismantle core provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), eliminating environmental safeguards that have protected California's landscapes, wildlife, and vulnerable communities for over half a century.
What to Expect at a Premium Medical Aesthetic Clinic | Zupyak
Introduction: Considering a visit to a medical aesthetic clinic for the first time? Knowing what to expect can make all the difference in your experience. These premium clinics are designed to offer not just treatments, but transformative journeys for your skin and confidence. First-Time Experience at a Medical Aesthetic Clinic A Consultation That Puts You First Every journey begins with a detailed consultation.
Swagger to Burn
Let's talk about swagger, that combination of confidence and charisma that enables some people to move through the world in a way that lesser mortals envy and sometimes try to emulate through posturing or preening. The difference, particularly in straight men, shows in how they move their bodies. An insecure man leads with his chest. He's puffed up, quick to take offense, ready to bark back at a perceived insult to show off how tough he is. A man with actual swagger?
Implementation and Effects of an Online Intervention Designed to Promote Sleep During Early Infancy: A Randomized Trial
Abstract Objective Examine the implementation and effects of an interactive online intervention designed to support new parents with their young infants’ sleep. Design First-time parents were enrolled when infants were ~6 weeks old and randomized to a sleep intervention or general baby care control group, with intervention content provided weekly between infant ages 2 to 4 months, primarily as brief videos and infographics in private online groups.
Love Your Beach Tour: SoCal
Surfrider’s first-of-its-kind Love Your Beach Tour is well underway! The San Diego to Humboldt County road trip has seen incredible support from the first five stops — Imperial Beach, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. The premise is simple: Visit coastal communities in the Golden State to seek support for the Coastal Act, signed into law in 1976.
The Climate Problem is a Plastics Problem
With the inaugural Los Angeles Climate Week wrapped up and the annual Climate Week NYC happening this week, we thought this would be a great time to remind everyone about an oft-overlooked truth: Solving the climate crisis requires a massive reduction in plastic production and the elimination of needless single-use plastics. The greenhouse gas connection Plastic is made from crude oil and natural gas.
'Enough Plastic Trash to Fill Central Park"
Every single day, plastic pollution makes the news. Sometimes the topic is a new place on the planet where microplastics have been discovered for the first time. Sometimes, we learn about where in the human body microplastics have been found. At this rate, we’re running out of locations and organs free of microplastics – in fact, it’s likely we already have.
New Hope for U.S. Leadership on Global Plastics Treaty
In unexpected-but-welcome news last week, a potential global solution to the plastic pollution problem received a big boost from a surprising source: the United States government.
Global Plastics Treaty - Final INC-4 Recap, Next Steps
(Missed our first installments? Start here with Part 1 and find Part 2 here.) After days of oft-circular discussions and final agreement on what sort of work should take place before the final negotiations happening near the end of the year, the fourth meeting of – get ready for it – the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for a global agreement to end plastic pollution wrapped at 3 a.m. Tuesday, April 30.
Making change: Booze
Let's talk about alcohol, creator of (sometimes toxic) relationships, (occasional over-) sharer of secrets, balm to some (destroyer of many). Welcome to the final installment of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. I type this from Ottawa, where I'm with people from frontline communities and Indigenous rights groups fighting to end toxic plastic production.
Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations - Scenes From the Ground as Talks Continue
(Demand a Strong Global Plastics Treaty to Protect Our Ocean!) Cape Fear Vice Chair Sam Athey, Surfrider Club Network Coordinator Carolyn Curtain and Cal Poly SLO Sustainability Coordinator Audrey Gregg in Ottawa for the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations Surfrider staff and activists continue to brave snow flurries and a barrage of false advertising by the plastic industry at the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Ottawa, Canada.
Making Change: The Internet
Let's talk about the faces we show to and hide from the world, and how the internet magnifies them all. Welcome to part five of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. For as long as I can remember, I've experienced the phenomenon I refer to as being "wrong-Jenned." With 11 other Jennifers in elementary school, no wonder our teachers couldn't keep us straight.
Stopping the Flow of Plastic Pellets
The Surfrider Foundation and FIDRA hosted a webinar explaining the pressing issue of plastic pellet pollution on a national and global scale. The webinar featured Dayana Del Puerto from Noia Lima, Jace Tunnel from Nurdle Patrol, Paulita Bennett-Martin from 5 Gyres Institute, and Xavier Curto Zafra from Surfrider España.
Making Change: Love
In honor of this week's Green Issue, let's talk about ... love. Welcome to part four of Making Change, a six-week series on the how and whys of personal, social and political change. Sometimes to define what one means requires explaining what one does not. I confess to an inner eye-roll when people talk about Mama Ocean and Mother Earth. Clearly these are people who have never been in rough seas, in currents cold, powerful and indifferent. And children who treat their mothers like we do our planet?
Making Change: Consumerism
Let's talk about opting out of an economic system that neither our psyches nor our planet can sustain. Welcome to part three of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. I love to talk about money. (I even wrote a column about it in this paper.) This makes some people uncomfortable. But in American society, almost every conversation is, at heart, about consumerism and how we participate in it.
Making Change: Comfort
Let's talk about how too much comfort makes you boring, weak and small-minded. Welcome to part two of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. Describe surfing in Humboldt County to someone unfamiliar with the sport and they look at you like you're bonkers.
Fight for a Strong #PlasticsTreaty Now!
With the 4th United Nations international negotiating session (INC-4) less than one month away, Surfrider joins our colleagues in the Break Free From Plastic Movement to demand the United States government take a strong stance on the Global #PlasticsTreaty. Specifically, the U.S. Government must recognize that: Plastic pollution starts with extraction of fossil fuels. Plastic pollution disproportionately impacts BIPOC, rural, and low-income fenceline communities.
Making Change: Attention
Let's talk about how we want to show up in — and for — the world. Welcome to part one of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. Oh sure, people have struggled to pay attention for centuries. Each distracting advance in technology has provoked commentary that the downfall of society is nigh.
Committing to your Partner... and the Planet
WEDDING TRENDS MAY SHIFT WITH THE SEASON Wedding trends may shift with the season but a couple bits of advice remain evergreen. The first is to remember that by the day of the event, the plans that you've put into place will either unfold as hoped or they won't, so the best course of action is to savor what goes right and laugh about anything that goes awry — this advice may come in useful for the actual marriage, too.
Closing a Plastic Litter Loophole with the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act
Let’s take a deeper dive into one of Surfrider’s biggest campaigns for 2024, the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act. In July of 2023, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin reintroduced the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act (S.2337), which would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prohibit plastic manufactures from spilling, dumping or otherwise discharging the pellets used to make plastic (also known as “nurdles”) into America’s waterways.
On the Finding of 'Human Remains' in the Dunes
As I write this on a Sunday night, more than 48 hours have elapsed since the sheriff's office "received a call regarding human remains found by beachgoers in the area of the Manila Dunes" about a half-mile from my house. I learned about it the next morning when my county supervisor texted that a body had been found in an encampment near my dune-adjacent neighborhood. A press release would be forthcoming.
Jennifer Savage: Exercising the right to protest
I have been sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance at City Council meetings since June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, I felt powerless in a country that doesn’t see me or my daughters as whole people with full rights to our own bodies.
Plastic Pollution Initiative Update: States Leading the Way, Microplastics in the Clouds
Photo Credit: @hannahtizedes Programs Your plastic pollution team has been crisscrossing the country attending Surfrider's regional chapter and club conferences. Our amazing network of activists include ocean lovers in the Hawaiian Islands, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, the Great Lakes, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic.
False Solutions Exacerbate the U.S. Plastic Pollution Crisis
From opting for electric vehicles to installing rooftop solar panels, Americans are choosing more sustainable products for their everyday lives. This includes looking for alternatives to single-use plastics, 85 percent of which end up in landfills or as litter.
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023 Introduced!
If you're involved with Surfrider (and you clearly are, since you're reading this!), you're surely aware of how much joy the ocean provides and want to undo and prevent the harm being done to it by plastic pollution. You likely know that current levels of plastics production are inconsistent with a sustainable, healthy and equitable future.
Plastic Pollution Initiative Update: OFR Milestones, Global Inspiration
Beach Cleanups Even though the summer season has officially come to an end, Surfrider activists are still hitting our coasts to clean up hundreds of pounds of trash. So far this year, Surfrider chapters and student clubs have hosted 771 cleanups, with 26,627 volunteers removing nearly 190,000 pounds of trash and recycling from our beaches.
equilibrium/equinox
I sit here at my dining table wondering if I should go catch the sunrise instead of edit this piece I wrote yesterday, lazing in bed instead of dashing out to surf. The sky caught my eye as I walked from the kitchen to great room. I haven’t seen dawn this shade of purple for long enough I don’t know when the last time was. The purple fades to lavender to pink over the mountains. Gold shimmers between the peaks. I sip my coffee and am grateful for the view.
Plastic Pollution Initiative Update: Big Wins, OFR Gains
Big news from the Northeast and West Coast! Big news coming out of Massachusetts! During climate week, Governor Healy announced an executive order banning state agencies from purchasing single-use bottles effective immediately. This action is the first of its kind in the nation to adopt a procurement ban. Congrats to our MA chapter for this epic win! California is in the home stretch of its legislative session.
'Zero Draft' of Global Plastics Treaty Released
Surfrider activists know the litany of harms plastic production and pollution cause to ocean life and human health, and how the making of plastic collectively emits more greenhouse gasses than most countries. From beach cleanups to signing up Ocean Friendly Restaurants to urging city councils to ban toxic single-use plastic products, our volunteers understand that the ocean’s future is bound by the future of plastic.
seasons
lluvia, niebla, sol, fuego That was how I answered, ¿Cuáles son las estaciones en su ciudad? (I am trying to learn Spanish.) What are the seasons in your city?
Surfrider Continues to Fight for a Strong Global Plastic Treaty
While public discourse on the forthcoming Global Plastic Treaty has slowed down, internal efforts continue to ramp up in advance of the next International Negotiating Committee meeting taking place in Nairobi, Kenya this November. Along with members of the Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) movement, Surfrider Foundation continues to demand the United States commit to mandatory measures that include reducing plastic production and promoting reuse/refill systems.
Plastic Pollution Initiative Update: News From D.C.
(Note: At the time of this post, catastrophic wildfires are overwhelming Maui and the surrounding Hawaiian islands, and impacting Surfrider staff, activists, chapters, friends and family. Find ways to help here.) As heat waves continue to set new records around the planet, a reminder that slowing plastic production is critical to slowing climate change.
Plastic Pollution Initiative Update: Plastic Pollution Action Month!
July is a particularly great month to talk about and take action to reduce plastic pollution. We're celebrating Plastic Free July, cleaning up after the "Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year," eating at our Ocean Friendly Restaurants, looking forward to the release of this year's Beach Cleanup Report (watch this space on Monday!) – and now Congress is getting in on the action.
two years without drinking
Monday, June 26 marked two years of sobriety. Let me be both fair and forthcoming: Some parts of drinking, I miss. That series of moments involving a drink landing in front of me, lifting it as anticipation flutters through my brain, the first taste on my tongue, the immediate response from my body as the alcohol does in a split second what exercise would take a full hour to achieve.
Calling on Congress to ‘Break Free From Plastic’
Surfrider returned to Washington, D.C. as part of the Break Free From Plastic coalition earlier this month, continuing to call on Congressional leaders to support legislation designed to eliminate plastic pollution by reducing production, prevent plastic trash in our national parks and waterways, and ensure environmental justice is upheld during all phases of the plastic manufacturing process.
Global Plastic Treaty Talks Conclude on 'Meh' Note
“It is sad to think that nature speaks, and human beings do not listen. When we listen to nature and we act, we can make progress.” – French writer Victor Hugo, quoted at INC-2 Surfrider Europe's Diane Beaumenay-Joannet and Surfrider's Jennifer Savage Despite initially successful efforts to delay progress, the second round of talks to solve the global problem of plastic pollution concluded late Friday night with just enough accomplished to make the week count.
Global Plastic Treaty Negotiations - Work Begins, U.S. Still Lags
This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. Donate (Jump straight to taking action here!) After seeing the first day of work on the Global Plastic Treaty derailed due to procedural delays by nations vested in expanding plastic production, those of us dedicated to stopping plastic harm felt our frustration grow as the situation repeated itself for the next two days.
Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations in Paris, Day 1
Few ocean-related activities spark the combination of satisfaction and frustration as Surfrider’s beach cleanups. Satisfaction because leaving a place better than you found it feels good! Frustration because the beach shouldn’t be covered in trash – especially plastics – to begin with.
Despite Labeling Claims, New Study Finds Bio-Based Plastics and Plastic-Blend Fabrics Do Not Actually Biodegrade in the Ocean
Buying clothing, rugs and other fabric products marketed as "sustainable," "biodegradable" or "recycled" seems, on the surface, to be a better choice for the environment. But under the surface – specifically, in the ocean – those textiles are proving that plastic always remains a problem. A new study from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has determined that only natural fibers degrade in the marine environment, while plastic fabrics remain intact one year later.
A Chance to Stop Plastic Harm - Globally
In the fight to stop plastic pollution, Surfrider’s volunteer activists and on-staff experts continue to make a difference through winning local, regional and state victories across the United States. This work has helped create groundswell toward the kind of global solutions needed to solve the massive global mess created by plastic pollution and production – and we’re seeing the results of that momentum.
5 ways to stay off your phone during vacation (or any time)
On a recent week-long, long-awaited trip to Mexico, I stayed almost completely off my phone for the first six days and, wow, did it feel good. So good that I’m motivated to share what worked for me in hopes of inspiring others to experience the same clarity, peace and revitalization I felt. Why disconnect from your phone’s constant demands on your attention? You’re better able to truly relax and make the most of being away.
in which I almost accidentally cause the loss of a beloved Mexican street cat
The day begins well enough. Quite well, in fact: I’m on vacation in Lo De Marcos, Nayarit, a coastal town about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. This is the third morning I’ve set off to find some surf, and the first that my friend and hostess has decided to sleep in and leave me to my own devices.
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