Non-Profit Spotlight: Surfers Against Sewage
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is an environmental charity protecting the UKs oceans, waves and beaches for all to enjoy safely and sustainably, via community action, campaigning, volunteering, conservation, education and scientific research.
SAS was founded in 1990 by a group of surfers who were literally sick of getting sick through repeated ear, nose, throat and gastric infections after going in the sea. Forming a local group they set about taking grassroots action to stop the sewage pollution at their local surf breaks in Cornwall and were swiftly joined by like-minded water-users from around the UK.
SAS has been very effective in delivering the virtual elimination of continuous sewage discharges that were so prevalent when we started back in 1990. This has seen water quality improve greatly in many areas, and helped us all have a cleaner, safer experience in the sea all around the UK.
SAS has today evolved into a broader environmental charity tackling the multitude of threats facing our oceans and coastlines, from marine litter to coastal development.
In many cases, such as marine litter, climate change, offshore development, toxic chemicals and shipping there is even more to be done than when SAS began. UK water companies still use combined sewer overflows as a means to regularly discharge raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches so the sewage issues still exists, albeit in a slightly different guise.
SAS projects today cover sewage, marine litter, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping, coastal development and protecting the recreational wave resource.
Learn more here: www.sas.org.uk
