Look To The Stars News: Surfrider Foundation

Pearl Jam And Incubus To Be Honored At Charity Gala

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0000

In celebration of the organization’s 25th Anniversary, the Surfrider Foundation will host a star-studded gala on Friday, October 9, 2009 at the California Science Center’s Wallis Annenberg Building in Downtown Los Angeles.

The event will be highlighted by the presentation of the Surfrider Foundation’s Keeper of the Coast Award. The award, which is only given out once every five years, is presented to celebrities who have made significant contributions towards helping the Surfrider Foundation fulfill its mission. This year, musical acts Incubus and Pearl Jam, along with Baywatch actor David Chokachi will join previous winners including Jack Johnson, Perry Farrell and Bruce Johnston and Mike Love of the Beach Boys.

The event will feature a performance by the legendary CAMP FREDDY, featuring members from Jane’s Addiction, The Cult and Guns n’ Roses.

Additionally, the event will feature a live auction, with one-of-a-kind art by some of the world’s most revered contemporary artists including Raymond Pettibon, Shepard Fairey and Thomas Campbell. The artists, 25 in all, created a commissioned piece depicting the world’s most recognized (and in some cases threatened) surf breaks.

To find out more, visit the official website

Blue Note Karaoke For Environmental Charity

Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Fans of Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob will want to head down to the Key Club in West Hollywood tomorrow night, May 20, to attend the Surfrider Foundation’s inaugural Blue Note Karaoke Experience.

Clerks star Jason Mewes is one of the stars expected to attend the event, along with 10 Things I Hate About You’s Andrew Keegan, The L Word’s Kate French, Ben Grouley, David Chokachi and many more.

Unlike traditional karaoke, Blue Note will allow you to get up on stage and perform your favorite songs with the help of a live band. LA’s own Mister Mister Miyagi will perform pop songs from the 80’s and YOU are their lead singer.

Blue Note will help remind us that we’re all center stage when it comes to helping conserve and protect our valuable water resources. Water quality is one of the nation’s biggest environmental issues. Each year, there are over 25,000 beach closures and advisories issued in the United States due to unhealthful water quality.

Admission to Blue Note is a $10 donation. Blue Note will benefit Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit working to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches.

To find out more, click here.

Jack Johnson Goes Barefoot For Charity

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Jack Johnson is kicking off his shoes to lead a host of celebrities in a new auction to save America’s shoreline.

The singer is just one of many conservation-minded stars who have donated their footwear to the auction, which benefits the Surfrider Foundation, an organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.

The Barefoot Wine Rescue Project auction also features shoes donated by Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey, Kelly Slater, Sophia Bush, Andrew Keegan and many more.

“Barefoot Wine is committed to helping make beaches ‘barefoot-friendly’ through the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project,” said Jeremy Soine of Barefoot Wines. “We’re donating 100% of the proceeds from this charity auction to support the Surfrider Foundation’s ongoing efforts to keep our world’s beaches healthy for generations to come.”

“This charity auction is an additional step towards improving the state of our coastlines,” added Matt McClain, Director of Marketing and Communications for Surfrider Foundation. “We’re stoked and grateful to see some of our long-time celebrity supporters kicking off their shoes and going ‘barefoot’ for the Surfrider Foundation.”

The auction runs until December 12 and can be accessed through eBay Giving Works.

Jack Johnson Energizes The Village Green In Germany

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Look to the Stars co-founder Myrlia volunteered with Jack Johnson’s All At Once Campaign at his recent concert in Munich, Germany.

At the age of 17, professional surfer Jack Johnson had an accident which left him hospitalized, and gave him the time he needed to discover that music is where his heart lies. While recovering, Jack wrote songs and played his guitar, and since 2001 has released five albums and built up a huge fan base all around the world. The ocean definitely has a hold on him, though, and in Jack’s relaxed yet energizing music you can almost hear the sound of the cool waves caressing the golden sands of Hawaii.

With his surfing past, Jack and his wife, Kim, find it natural to work at educating people about the environment. At each one of his concerts, a “Village Green” is set up, and here a booth for Jack’s All At Once Campaign is manned by volunteers who share the same passion for this cause. Several local charities are invited to set up tables in the Village Green, and help concert-goers learn how they can make a difference close to home.

Davis Eckard, who organizes the volunteers for Jack’s concerts, says that Jack and Kim are the driving force behind the All At Once Campaign and the Village Green, and that their enthusiasm for protecting the planet is why Jack spends so much time on the road.

“[The Village Green] is why we are all here today. If it weren’t for this, for you, Jack wouldn’t be touring,” Davis told the volunteers before the show. “Without you, this doesn’t happen.”

Helpers car-pooled, took trains, cycled and walked in from all over Germany for this event, with one large volunteer contingent even coming over from Slovenia.

Dennis, a local volunteer, told me, “First of all, I love the music. It’s a good chance to combine music with doing something sustainable.”

I spoke with New Orleans resident, Mary, and her sons, who were in the area on vacation. Mary signed them all up as volunteers as a surprise.

“We come from New Orleans, and we’ve had many volunteers come through. I thought it would be neat to see how we can help give back,” Mary explained.

Her son Mark added, “I think this is an important cause, because if we don’t start now, what are we leaving for our kids?”

Introducing kids to nature is exactly what one of the local charities, NaturSchutz Jugend (“Conservation Youth”), is doing. NaJu is the biggest environment organization for young people in Germany, focusing on environmental education and nature conservation. They help children experience nature through games and adventures at parks, rivers and in nearby forests.

Another charity in attendance was Munich’s Green City. With more than 40 highly-active volunteers, this group works to improve the city’s quality of life through ecological urban planning.

The Surfrider Foundation was also on hand to let Jack’s fans know about their Rise Above Plastics campaign. They are urging people to reduce the use of plastics, illustrating the problem using the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” — an area twice the size of the continental US which is filled with 100 million tons of plastic.

Jack greeted the volunteers personally before the doors opened, and spent time talking to each of the charities’ representatives. He ignored the urging of his crew to hurry backstage so the doors could open, and instead graciously listened to the volunteers, posed for pictures, smiled and thanked everyone for taking the time to be there.

Once he was backstage, the fans came pouring in, eager to get as close to the stage as possible. It was time for the All At Once volunteers to get to work, handing out Village Green Passports. The booklets explain what the campaign is, and give fans access to downloadable music and the chance to win prizes – such as a skateboard – only available to win at Jack’s concerts, or the opportunity to watch Jack’s performance from the stage.

Volunteers enjoyed tunes played by G Love and Special Sauce and mingled with the crowd, sharing stories about Jack’s music and the environment. Veronika, one of the volunteers, said she wanted to meet new people, see Jack Johnson and help protect the environment, and she was easily able to do all three things that sunny afternoon.

Sadly, however, the weather didn’t stay nice, and about four songs into Jack’s set it began to rain. But the downpour did nothing to dampen the crowd’s spirits, with the music and cheering drowning out the storm’s thunder.

Jack will be back on the other side of the Atlantic starting in August, with concerts scheduled across Canada and the US until the end of the month. For more information about how you can volunteer, visit the All At Once Community.

Eddie Vedder Rocks Kelly Slater Foundation Benefit

Fri, 02 May 2008 19:06:50 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Eddie Vedder, actor/activist Sean Penn, big-wave mogul Jeff Clark, and host Marty Colombatto paddled out in front of Colombatto’s estate overlooking Cotton’s Point (California) last Sunday, the morning after a private benefit concert by Vedder raised over $350,000 in support of the Kelly Slater Foundation.

Only about 600 lucky people, including Sean Penn, were invited to Colombatto’s estate for the concert to benefit the newly formed Foundation, which raises money to create awareness for environmental groups such as Miocean, Reef Check and the Surfrider Foundation.

Popping in to lend their support for the king-o-waves, were Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper. “Half of every song I’ve ever written, was written in the ocean so that’s sort of my way of giving back,” says Vedder.

The highlight of the night was impromptu jam session, with Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper and Kelly Slater pumping out the evening’s final song, Pearl Jam’s “Indifference,” to a standing ovation.

Congratulations to Kelly Slater and his new foundation for an incredibly successful launch which ended on a good note, thanks to the help of some environmentally friendly friends.

Look To The Stars News: Surfrider Foundation

Pearl Jam And Incubus To Be Honored At Charity Gala

Related past articles

Blue Note Karaoke For Environmental Charity

Related past articles

Jack Johnson Goes Barefoot For Charity

Related past articles

Jack Johnson Energizes The Village Green In Germany

Related past articles

Eddie Vedder Rocks Kelly Slater Foundation Benefit

Related past articles