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PRESS

February 20th, 2008 | Published in ECO NEWS

Pulp Fact
by Will Henry

I sit atop a rocky seamount under cold, overcast skies, and gaze out over a glassy river mouth line-up and contemplate my options. Head-high waves peel flawlessly down a well-formed sandbar without a surfer in sight. Under normal circumstances I would be in a pre-surf frenzy, scrambling to get into my wetsuit and hit the water. But today I can’t ignore the commotion behind me, no matter how hard I try to focus my attention on the surf. Usually I’m more concerned with unknown dangers that I might encounter when pioneering a new spot: like rocks, sharks, or hostile locals. Yet none of these factors are currently giving me cause for worry. The waves aren’t big or dangerous, there is no feeding frenzy, and there’s not a local in sight, but my stomach is turning as though I’m heading out for a virgin session at thirty foot Mavericks.

The reason for my hesitation is not one I’m familiar with, although the surf crew during the 1980’s in Humboldt County, California, could certainly relate. Behind me looms a massive industrial pulp mill, one of many in this part of Chile, all of which are notorious for spewing thousands of gallons of toxic waste into the ocean. This particular mill, which occupies the entire beachfront in the city of Constitución, has towering stacks that bellow a foul stench, and a pipeline that spews mysteriously brown liquid less than a cutback away. But damn, the waves sure are good.

I remember a story I was told some years ago from a guy who surfed this place. One of the first gringo ex-pats to settle in the area had driven down to this spot about ten years ago. The waves were perfect, and as usual there were no surfers around. The mill’s toxicity was already notorious, and local surfers avoided it like the plague. But as he described it, the waves were just too good to resist. Finally he paddled out against his best judgment. He caught a few great waves, but within minutes grew dizzy. After twenty minutes he paddled for shore, overwhelmed by nausea. By the time he reached the beach he was retching.

His Chilean friends told him afterwards that he was crazy to even attempt it. “If you had seen how good it was,” he replied, “you would have surfed it, too.” No doubt many of us would have made the same leap of faith, or perhaps you could call it surf-induced stupidity. And here I am, the next idiot in line, ready to ignore common sense and be a human lab rat.

Constitución is known as “Constipolución” by many surfers, but its not the only pulp mill polluting the waters of Chile. A company known as CELCO owns the majority of the nation’s pulp mills, including this one, and has been responsible for numerous environmental disasters over the past five years.

In 2005 the Rio Cruces watershed was devastated by an “accident” that killed thousands of rare black neck swans, after a spill from a CELCO mill flooded a Ramsar-designated Wetlands Reserve. Then in 2007 the company was responsible for another toxic disaster that killed millions of fish in the Mataquito River and estuary, once a healthy and productive fishery - in fact the same river that lets out where I am currently considering a potential toxic overdose. Thousands of local fishermen and their families were out of work with no way to put food on the table. The most worrisome is CELCO’s new facility, the largest pulp mill in Chile, at Nueva Aldea. Its pipeline, which is nearly complete, will pump waste directly into the sea near some of the world’s best left point beaks, just to the south of where I am now nervously biting my nails.

There is a growing grass-roots movement against CELCO’s practices, led by an alliance of fishermen, surfers, and environmental groups. In Mehuin, Mapuche fishermen have twice blocked attempts by CELCO to construct a waste pipeline into the sea near their village. Using their wits and a great deal of bravado, their small flotilla of fishing boats thwarted both a scientific vessel and an armed navy war ship escort, breaking the ships’ windows with slingshots and sinking their zodiacs with spears. But one wonders how long the little guys can hold out against such a behemoth of an industry. CELCO’s ties run deep within the government.

To give a brief explanation of the pulp industry, essentially it is the process of turning trees into paper. Trees are clear-cut from huge monoculture plantations (which have replaced the native forests), trucked to the mill, ground up into sawdust and then bleached and processed to create the raw material from which paper is made. The bleaching process is generally the most harmful to the environment, but the tree farms are also hugely detrimental to wildlife, causing massive erosion, loss of habitat for many land creatures, and negative impacts on rivers due to excessive silt. Pulp mill effluent is even worse, carrying a brew of carcinogenic chemicals that contaminate the water, which then enter the food chain and poison fish, wildlife, and eventually make their way into the food on our dinner tables.

I contemplate all these horrid facts as I watch another perfect set roll down the sandbar and into the river. My companion, Josh Berry, who has been watching from the beach, gives the thumbs up. What the hell, I think. I’m here to learn, so I might as well sample the filth firsthand. Or at least that’s my lame excuse. As I’m suiting up a man walks by and eyes us suspiciously. He waves his finger. “I wouldn’t swim in that water,” he says. Then he holds his nose.

So we paddle out anyway and the water is foul-smelling – it has the slippery consistency of soap and strange bubbles floating on the surface– but we manage to exit the water after a fun session, without any strange tumorous growths on our foreheads or other bodily disfigurations. I feel a little queasy, but Josh feels okay. He does point out, however, “ I wouldn’t want to surf here every day.”

So what does this mean to us? Does this pollution have any effect on our lives if we live outside of Chile? And if so, what can we do to help the situation? For one, there is really only one ocean in the world, and it’s all connected. What happens in other parts of our ocean inevitably effects us all. Secondly, we as consumers of paper can force the industry to clean up its act. The United States is the largest consumer of pulp from Chile. So the next time you go to buy paper, think twice about what you purchase. It’s not difficult at all. Demand the paper with the highest recycled content possible, and even better ask for a product that is chlorine-free. If the store doesn’t have any, ask why not, and see if they can order some. There are many pulp mills in the world that produce chlorine-free paper and if we start demanding it, the market will adapt. In fact, this magazine is printed on 100% recycled chlorine-free paper. Paper doesn’t cost much, but the damage the industry is doing to the environment does, so make your choices wisely. Someday, the fish will thank you. And so will the next generation of groms who hit the water.

Environment NewsPro surfer and eco-warrior James Pribram spokesperson for International Year of the Reef campaignSurfersvillage Global Surf News, 9 May, 2008 : - - Professional surfer and recipient of the 2007 John Kelly Environmental Achievement Award James Pribram, joins the International Year of the Reef campaign as spokesperson to help the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to raise awareness about coral reefs with a focus on the following theme: ‘Every Act Counts.’Coral reefs after all provide habitat, income, food, protection and medicine. Besides being a famous surfer, James is known for being a positive public figure who tackles many environmental issues. Popular for his philanthropic and environmental endeavors, James is co-founder of They Will Surf Again, an organization that supports individuals with water-related spinal cord injuries.James also founded the Aloha School of Surfing, which teaches aspiring surfers of all ages to get in the water and learn the power of surf stoke, and was the recipient of the 2007 John Kelly Environmental Achievement Award and appointed to the Laguna Beach Environmental Committee and as board member for the Clean Water Now! Coalition in 2005.Most recently, James was featured in Men’s Journal, CNN and news outlets for paddling out with fellow surfer Dave Rastovich, Actress Hayden Panettiere and over 30 professional surfers and activists into a killing cove in Taiji, Japan, where scores of pilot whales, their calves and dolphins are herded and killed each year.“The ocean has taught me respect, and shown me with dedication and desire, I can attain my goals in and out of the water,” said James Pribram. “Being apart of the ICRI is the best way I know of giving back to something that has given me and so many others so much.” ICRI is extremely happy about partnering with James and expects to reach new audiences and develop a consumer conscience in relation to saving coral reefs.Pribram looks forward to being able to utilize his platform as Host of Fuel TV’s Eco Segments to bring awareness to the Coral Reef issues as well as other key environmental issues. More information on James Pribram is available at ecowarriorsurf.com, and for more information about IRCI’s Year of the Reef please visit ivor.org.