Cerveza Imperial, the world’s first water positive beer, and Surfrider Foundation hosted a clean up event Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the San Diego side of the Mexico border from the border wall to the estuary at the mouth of the Tijuana River. They also hosted a volunteer appreciation party for participants after the cleanup event from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. This project represents Cerveza Imperial’s investment to help fund and support efforts to restore and sustain San Diego’s clean water initiatives.
The clean up was originally scheduled to take place along the Tijuana River Valley in Goat Canyon and had to be moved due to dangerously high bacteria levels that were recently discovered through state parks’ soil sampling.
“The fact that the soil in Goat Canyon is too dirty to host a clean up in that area speaks volumes to how serious a problem this is,” said Scott Rideout, co-chair of Surfrider San Diego's No Border Sewage Committee. “Trash and sewage discharging into the ocean from the Tijuana River is one of Southern California’s most notorious environmental issues. This cleanup is particularly crucial considering that earlier this year, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage were discharged into the Pacific Ocean via the Tijuana River. Since then, there have been 14 small-scale spills of raw sewage from Mexico, but there have been no emergency cleanup efforts despite ill residents and dead wildlife. Participants can make a positive difference by taking part in this cleanup."
In late August, through the auction of four Aaron Chang surfboards commissioned by Cerveza Imperial, $8,500 was raised for Surfrider Foundation’s project to clean the Tijuana River Valley and ocean at the California border. Previously, Cerveza Imperial provided funds for Surfrider Foundation to hire a part-time policy coordinator, Gabriella Torres, to work with officials on both sides of the border to help with policies and systems that will help clean the Tijuana River Valley. Imperial also partnered with Surfrider Foundation to host a dedicated beach clean up at Imperial Beach, where more than 100 volunteers collected 74 lbs. of trash and 9 lbs. of recycled trash in less than two hours.
“Cerveza Imperial is excited to be partnering with Surfrider Foundation,” said Erv Frederick, a representative from Cerveza Imperial. “We are both working toward an important goal: find better ways to use, protect, clean and preserve our water for everyone to enjoy. That’s why Imperial is the “First Water Positive” beer in the world giving back more water than we use in the making of this great beer.”
Already, Surfrider Foundation has distributed an action alert to all local representatives encouraging them to form a bipartisan coalition to come up with a plan to present to U.S. Congress to stop the U.S. Border pollution and is also supporting a lawsuit that is going to be filed by the City of Imperial Beach against the International Boundary and Water Commission. Torres is advocating before all local City Councils, working with the International Boundary and Water Commission to develop a more comprehensive water quality-monitoring program, attending bi-national meetings and workshops, speaking with stakeholders and environmentalists in Mexico, advocating in front of local state and federal agencies and liaising with local environmental groups and social grassroots organizations that have formed in Imperial Beach as a result of the February 2017 spill.
Cerveza Imperial, Costa Rica’s, most popular beer, is a product of FIFCO, Florida Ice and Farm Company S.A., founded in 1908. FIFCO is a Costa Rican food and beverage company and has a portfolio of more than 1,500 products, including beer, spirits, wine as well as a non-alcoholic portfolio of juices, water, carbonated soft drinks, milk, amongst other. FIFCO operates under a triple bottom line business strategy, reporting its economic, social and environmental results through the Integrated Report following GRI Standards and Integrated Reporting methodology.
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 500,000 supporters, activists and members, with more than 80 volunteer-led chapters and 60 clubs in the U.S., and more than 400 victories protecting our coasts. The San Diego County Chapter is one of the largest and most active U.S. chapters of the Surfrider Foundation. Learn more at SurfriderSD.org.
