The Hill News

As a former member of the California Coastal Commission, the California Air Resources Board and current member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have long been an active steward of environmental issues. What these experiences have taught me is that it is difficult to be an environmentalist without encountering some sort of paradox that suggests otherwise. 

As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important to take a moment and understand these paradoxes and the challenges they present. Take surfing as an example. I have been a surfer all my life and deeply understand how surfing compels those devoted to their vocation to be in harmony with the environment.

But what many surfers don’t realize is that we leave a larger footprint than what is washed away by the tide. Surfboards are made of toxic polymers, wetsuits and wax are made from petroleum, and surfers leave a significant carbon footprint as they travel by air, land and sea with their boards i! n tow.

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