Protecting Our Beaches
Posted on July 21 2017
Stash Tea Teams Up with the Surfrider Foundation
With summer upon us, we are spending more time outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest. In our ongoing commitment to help protect the beauty of our waterways, Stash Tea recently teamed up with the Portland Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation to sponsor a volunteer cleanup of public beaches along our city's waterfront.
Working together to clean up Portland's riverfront
Armed with reusable bags, buckets, and gloves for trash collecting, 18 members of our team (along with dozens of other local volunteers) cleaned debris from the beach along Sellwood Riverfront Park. Local outdoor store Next Adventure provided kayaks and canoes for paddling to nearby Ross Island, where we collected some unexpected items from the shore, including rusty pipes, an old sink, a discarded BBQ, several tires, and a massive block of styrofoam. In just a few hours, we collected bags and bags of waste leaving the beach cleaner and safer than we found it.
Fueled with a generous supply of food and drinks provided by New Seasons and Ninkasi Brewing, volunteers also enjoyed two flavors of Stash Nitro tea on tap — refreshing Vanilla Rooibos and Root Beer Iced Tea. Thanks to Poler and Patagonia, the Stash Team took home some awesome gear as first and second place prizes for the most unique finds.
Participating in this event was not only a fun and rewarding way to roll up our sleeves together outside of the office, but provided our team with a few good reminders on reducing waste in our daily lives, especially limiting the use of single-use plastics like cups, bags, straws, and utensils. (Noted: reusable tote bags, bottles, and mugs are the way to go.)
At Stash, we are committed to supporting organizations that have local impact and help to protect our precious resources. While we are proud to have contributed to the biggest turnout at any Surfrider Portland Action Day to date, there is much more work to be done to keep our beaches pristine.
Interested in volunteer opportunities? Learn more about the Surfrider Foundation and the important work they do to protect and preserve our oceans, waves, and beaches here.
