VOLCOM V.CO-LOGICAL

The Volcom Giving Back Blog is a place where we will continue to update you on Volcom's environmental and charitable happenings. We will be letting you know the steps that we are taking in attempt to protect our rapidly depleting environment and ways to lessen the impact on the earth's natural resources. In addition, we will keep you posted on the charities that we support through donations, events and more. Please continue to check back on what we're up to and hopefully you will be inspired to make small changes now that will have positive impacts in the future - Volcommence Change

VOLCOM V.CO-LOGICAL

19/07/2010

Last Sunday around 50 people, of all ages, showed up to clean the mountains of Grindelwald, Switzerland with us. It was a successful day for the Volcom V.co logical program and mother nature. 2 Containers of trash were picked up, sick! The hills are clean now and ready for the next winter season. We hope to pick up less trash next year!

The media interest was huge. Especially the mass medias (national and regional newspapers) showed up to see what the "shredding" youth is doing on a hot and sunny Saturday in Mountains. They were stoked because the society dont expect such an engagement of the young people from the boardsport scene.

Thanks to everybody for coming


Briefing


Group on the slopes


Hike and work


Go first group!

16/07/2009

Volcom V.co-Logical Series presents : GIVE A SECOND LIFE TO YOUR BOARDSHORTS.

From August 1st to September 30, you can give a second life to your boardshorts !

GIVE A SECOND LIFE TO YOUR BOARDSHORTS will take place at the Volcom Store Hossegor, 202, avenue Paul Lahary.

Drop your old boardshorts at the Volcom Store Hossegor and enjoy a 15% off discount on the purchase of a Volcom boardshort.

We will also pick 10 lucky winners who will receive Volcom products from our Fall 09 collection worth 50 euros! All you have to do is leave your E- mail address to one of the staff!

The boardshorts will be given to less fortunate people in Madagascar and Morocco through charities which act locally.



Terms of participation:

- Drop your boardshorts at the Volcom Store
- Enjoy a 15%* off discount on the purchase of a Volcom boardshort
(* 25% if you have the VIP card)
- Boardshorts must be in wearable condition
- We accept any brand
- Offer may not be combined with other promotions/offers/savings
- You can drop as many boardshorts as you would like
- Give a second life to your boardshorts will run from August 1st – September 30
- Winners will be picked at random on September 30th, 2009
- Volcom will contact you if you’re the winner.

This action is run with the following charities : Surfeurs Solidaires (Morocco) and Fotsika Mifangia (Madagascar).

The first European Beach clean Up happened on Saturday May 23rd in Vieux Boucau with the help of Vieux Boucau Surf Club. As the sun rarely comes out theses last few weeks (Landes coast), it was a good surprise and a huge motivation for people actively involved.

And people who came for the event really needed motivation, because the day before, mother nature brought tons of wreck and all kind of trash!!!!

Kids are obviously as usual the more motivated and involved but as the time goes, parents and event people who mainly came to lay down on the beach started to help because it’s not really funny to lay down between fishing nets and plastic bottles!!!! A V.co-Logical pack (contains 2 pairs of gloves, trash bag, an awareness poster and many stickers) was given to each participant.





After 2 hours of collect, almost 80 trash bags were filled up and a lot of others big stuff couldn’t fit in bags. Snacks and all kind of goodies were given to thank people who helped during this beautiful day, and many gifts were, as usual, thrown away.



The day ended by a big BBQ offered by Volcom and Vieux Boucau Surf Club to people who came and stayed despite a big storm in afternoon (Landes Tradition!)

Many thanks to VIEUX BOUCAU SURF CLUB and WISHBONE SURF SHOP

V.Co-Logical represents Volcom’s socially responsible movement towards sustainability.

Through eco-friendly products (V.Co-Logical series) or through the initiatives for a better environment, on both social and ecological sides, Volcom encourages change to improve the quality of our lives. The promotion of awareness inside and outside the company concerning recycling, carpooling, biking and/or skating instead of driving… is one the main goals.

V.Co-Logical in Europe also supports Surfrider Foundation Europe - a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to preserving the world’s surf spots and their surrounding environment, beaches and oceans - with the 1% for the Planet Donations (coming from our V.Co-Logical product line).

Lately V.Co-Logical in Europe did an educational part on the beach clean up, because we think that it is important for the future generations to be aware of the environmental issue.

Do your part.
Keep it green
& Keep it clean.

Text in French:

Le premier Beach Clean Up Européen s’est déroulé le samedi 23 Mai à la plage nord de Vieux Boucau (15mn au Nord d’Hossegor) au Vieux Boucau Surf club.

Les jours de beau temps sont rares en ce moment sur la côte landaise, et c’est pourquoi voir e soleil a donné un bon coup de motivation à tous les gens présents.

Et de la motivation il en fallait, car la veille, mère nature a eu la bonne idée de nous déverser un nombre impressionnant de déchets sur toute la plage qui du coup ressemblait plus à un bourbier qu’à une plage de sable fin avec cocotiers….

Comme souvent dans ce genre d’event, les plus motivés sont les kids (une bonne cinquantaine), mais au fur et à mesure que le temps passe, se greffent les parents, mais aussi les vacanciers présents, surement blasés de devoir bronzer entre une bouteille plastique et un filet de pêche.

Un V.Co-Logical pack (deux paires de gants plastiques, sac poubelle, poster sur la sensibilisation, et stickers) a été distribué à tous les participants et au bout de deux heures de ramassage, pas loin de 80 sacs étaient empilés avec les autres plus gros déchets, impossibles à faire rentrer dans un sac. Pour récompenser tout ce monde, un gouter leur a été offert, avec distribution de goodies et le désormais classique lancer de cadeau, du haut du surf club !!!

Et une bonne journée en printemps dans les Landes, se finit toujours par un BBQ, et nous n’avons pas dérogé à la règle, en offrant avec le VBSC saucisses et bières à tout les gens ayant osé braver l’orage de fin d’après midi (autre spécialité du Sud Ouest !) Un grand merci au VIEUX BOUCAU SURF CLUB et WISHBONE SURF SHOP.

V.Co-Logical :

V.Co-Logical reflète la responsabilité sociale et l’engagement de Volcom pour le développement durable. A travers des produits eco-friendly (V.Co-Logical series) ou via des initiatives pour améliorer notre environnement sur un plan écologique et social, Volcom travaille pour améliorer notre qualité de vie. La mise en avant d’informations à l’interne comme à l’externe, concernant le recyclage, le co-voiturage, l’utilisation de moyens de transport propres comme le vélo ou le skate, est une des missions principale de V.Co-Logical.

En Europe, V.Co-Logical soutient la Surfrider Foundation Europe –association dédiée à la protection des spots de surfs et la préservation de l’envrionnement – en versant 1% de ses ventes sur sa gamme V.Co-Logical. (1% for the Planet).

Récemment, V.Co-Logical Europe a développé une partie éducative sur ses beach clean ups, car nous pensons qu’il est important que les futures générations soient informées des problèmes environnementaux.

22/01/2009

While most of you were feasting on turkeys before drowning your snowboards in this year’s exceptional Pyrenean powder, on the African continent and more precisely along the Moroccan coastline, an original V.Co-logical mission took place.

It is now a well known fact that the Moroccan coast is littered with beautiful beaches and great surf spots; what is less known is how for only a couple of years the locals have been surfing the waves there. With the help of the French Basque association Surfeurs solidaires, new local surf clubs are now popping up even in the remotest villages.



Surfeurs solidaires (S.S.), created in 2001 and based in Bayonne France, is all about providing coastal African youths with equipment for surfing. The equipment, new and second hand, is collected by volunteers in France and Spain. The association encourages locals to create their own scene by helping them set up surf clubs and schools. They are taught about the ocean, the surf, the environment and how to intelligently take advantage of it all. Thanks to the hard work of the members of the association, young surfers from Morocco, Senegal and Madagascar have already become actors in their villages, on their beaches… and of their own lives.

A meeting between Nadia (the IT manager and miss V.Co-Logical for Volcom Europe) and Iban (founder of S.S.) gave birth to a great V.Co-logical collaboration: while S.S. provided most of the surfing equipment, Volcom lent their van and paid for fuel in order to power a 10 day and 5000 km solidarity spree - Moroccan style!

2 guys, 2 girls, our mascot “petit Louis” all piled into the Volcomobile. Surrounded by wet-suits, rash vests, shoes, Volcom t-shirts, leashes, magazines, 4 body boards, 3 short boards, baby food, diapers, creepers we even just about managed to squeeze in a change of clothes for each one of us.



We left on the freezing night of the 22nd of December from Anglet. Under the cover of dark we drove straight through Spain and into Morocco: our first stop and rest was in Asilah where we enjoyed our first Moroccan night. We had a great welcome by Rachid the founder of the first surf and skate club of this area. After giving him some equipment we decided to get back on the road and head south towards Salé.



In this remote suburb of Rabat, we were surprised to discover, a few meters from the sea, an ancient fortress transformed, by a local musician, into a cultural center and also hosting an AMESIP (Childrens charity) center. This association not only provides adapted schooling to underprivileged street kids but also brightens up their life with numerous activities such as a great circus school and a big surf club initiated by S.S. The teachers took us on a complete tour of the school for all ages. We saw the big circus top, the music lessons, the dance training and finally also the surf club.











After Sale, our mission took us a few hundred kilometers further south where we ventured upon the beautiful medina of Essaouira. Much needed rest with friends and delicious food was provided by our hosts Léa (ex-Girlie Magazine) and Arafat.



We continued on our journey until we arrived in Tafna, a tiny fishing village one hour south of Essaouira. Ahmed, the first and only fisherman-surfer of this village greatly welcomed us in his surf club/restaurant, we all sat around and enjoyed his awesome barbecued fish while he told us stories about his surfing life until the wee hours of the morning.





At the furthest point south on our journey we met Bouba who lives in the remote village of Sid R’bat, some 50km south of Agadir. Bouba is the first surfer of the village, his awesome “La grotte surf bled”, a natural cave in the cliff surrounding the beach, is the first surf club/school of this spot. Bouba is now a master in local surfing competitions which are held with Agadir and Taghazoute locals.











He organizes surf lessons for those coming to visit the nearby Massa natural reserve or for those wishing to take advantage of the endless stretch of deserted waves that starts from his cave. Bouba is now also organizing beach clean up sessions. There exist no words to describe the “warmissimo” welcome of his family house.



The volcomobile now almost empty we made a U-turn and began our return trip for Anglet, our heads full of images of beautiful beaches, deserted breaks, tajine aromas and life long memories of our great new friends.



Thanks to Volcom Europe for their support and to Volcom Europe’s employees who gave away some gear, this adventure was a great success and could very well be just the first episode! If you have any surf or skate equipment you no longer need (even broken) please don’t hesitate to contact Surfeurs solidaires you cannot imagine how stoked some little African boy or girl will be to get their dirty little hands on that toy.

-Guillaume Vignali

Photos : Nadia Rasamoely and Filip Devocht

19/11/2008

There’s something V.Co-Logical going on out in the San Juan/Dana Point area. Last week was the groundbreaking of a great new concept and we were glad to be there in support of it…

Centrally located in the suburb of San Juan Capistrano, The Ecology Center at South Coast Farms is an upcoming venture conceived by surfer and founder Evan Marks as a hub of possibility for both the people and environment of Southern California. With the support of local volunteers, the nonprofit organization is currently underway in developing a unique and poignant eco-conscious learning facility.

Located in San Juan Capistrano, The Ecology Center seeks to inspire and involve people in the stewardship of Southern California’s environment, providing education in sustainable agriculture, ecological design and the heritage of San Juan Capistrano.



“The Ecology Center’s mission is founded on the principle that people can make a difference. I firmly believe that individual actions can transform the community,” said Marks in a recent interview. “I hope that the implementation of an interactive learning center will empower local citizens and businesses alike to adopt strategies that invigorate and enhance our natural environment. I envision that one day our collective actions will secure a better future for generations to come.”

The Ecology Center aims to not only involve, but to inspire people in the preservation of the regional environment through fun, hands-on activities and eco-friendly workshops.

“The solutions we’ll be demonstrating are designed to empower individuals to embrace green living.”

To contact The Ecology Center and/or to become a member at any level (starting at $25) contact info@theecologycenter.org. Learn more at TheEcologyCenter.org

Look for news on the grand opening sometime in the New Year!

photos by Jon Rinek