Surfer Jodie Nelson has partnered with Emergen-C Pink, The Keep A Breast Foundation, and Boarding For Breast Cancer to become the first woman to paddle the 39.8 miles from Avalon on the island of Catalina to Dana Point, California as a participant in Ocean Ohana’s Catalina Challenge. Jodie will be the first female to attempt this solo paddle, something only three men have ever accomplished. Jodie’s fundraising goal is $50,000 and funds raised will benefit The Keep A Breast Foundation and Boarding For Breast Cancer.

In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan lies a shocking secret that a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep hidden from the world. At last, the truth of THE COVE comes to the fore in an act of covert filmmaking that turns a documentary into a gripping action-adventure thriller . . . and a heart-pounding call for help from the world’s oceans.

THE COVE will open in select theaters July 31, 2009. Find out where you can see the film and how you can take action.

Over the last decade, the Mentawai Islands have become a premier surfing destination. The tiny island chain now hosts almost 60 surf charter boat operations and 3 land-based resorts. As the number of surfers seeking out these world-class waves grows, so do the impacts on the marine ecology. In order to reach each surf spot, surfers must travel by boats which anchor on live coral. This can cause incredible damage to the coral reefs, which not only create perfect waves but also make up important marine habitat and sustain the Mentawaian people.

For those of you on the East Coast who would like to support a great cause, Stoked Mentoring is holding their Stoked on Spring benefit Saturday May 16, 2009 at the Openhouse Gallery in New York.

There is life for your old surfboard beyond the garage. Your used board could become asphalt or roof tiles, a lifelong passion for a kid in Central America, or money in your pocket. But what your board shouldn’t become is landfill waste. There are more options than ever for getting rid of used, vintage, or broken surfboards. And as the surfboard industry begins to make the transition to more sustainable materials, make sure your PU or EPS foam board fully lives out the rest of its life.