Love Your Beach Clean: How Surfrider is Protecting What We Love
If you’ve ever walked Cox Bay at low tide, you know the feeling. Wide open shoreline. Salt in the air. That sense that everything just… resets. It’s easy to take that for granted. But just beneath the surface—on remote islands, below docks, and carried in on ocean currents—there’s another story unfolding. One that a passionate network of coastal advocates is working hard to change. This Earth Month, we’re shining a light on that work and the people behind it at Surfrider Pacific Rim.
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Meet Lilly Woodbury
For Lilly Woodbury, protecting the coast is more than a job; it’s a calling. She’s been part of Surfrider for nearly a decade, first with the Surfrider Pacific Rim chapter and now supporting multiple chapters as a Regional Manager for Surfrider Foundation Canada. But her connection to Tofino runs deeper.
She grew up here and even worked at Pacific Sands as a housekeeper at 18. And somewhere between the shoreline and the surf, something clicked.
In Lilly’s words, “I had this moment where I realized I needed to dedicate my skills to ocean conservation work. It just became crystal clear.”
Today, she helps lead campaigns at the local, provincial, and national levels, advocating for cleaner water, reduced plastic pollution, and long-term ocean protection.
More Than a Beach Clean
At its core, Surfrider’s mission is simple: protect and enjoy the ocean, beaches, and waves… for everyone. But the work goes far beyond picking up litter through the Love Your Beach Clean Program.
“We’re not just cleaning beaches endlessly,” Lilly explains. “We’re collecting data, understanding the root of the problem, and pushing for real change. Stronger laws, policies, and systems that reduce pollution at the source.”
That includes everything from plastic reduction and ocean conservation to climate action and beach access. And the impact is real. Since 2015, the Pacific Rim chapter has helped remove nearly 200,000 pounds of marine debris from this region.
(200,000 pounds… let that land for a second.)
From Local Beaches to Remote Shorelines
Here’s the good news: local beaches like Cox Bay, Chesterman, and Tonquin are cleaner than they’ve been in years. Not by accident, but by community effort.
From locals and businesses to visitors, people are packing out what they pack in. Stewardship is becoming second nature. Which means Surfrider’s work is evolving.
“Now we’re focusing on remote areas, including offshore islands in Clayoquot and Barkley Sound, where debris continues to wash in, but no one is there to remove it.”
These are the places most people never see. But they’re where the problem is often most visible.
The Bigger Issue: Why it Matters
Plastic pollution isn’t slowing down. In fact, it’s increasing every year.
And as Lilly points out, we can’t clean our way out of it.
“We need to establish an ambitious cap on plastic production through a global plastics treaty and move towards reuse and refill systems as part of a circular economy. Otherwise, we’ll be cleaning coastlines forever and continue to be exposed to plastics and the toxic cocktail of chemicals they contain.”
What’s surprising for many people is how close to home this issue really is.
Everyday items, such as single-use packaging and food storage, can break down into microplastics. These particles make their way into our oceans, our ecosystems, and ultimately, our bodies.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about awareness, and small shifts that add up.
Join a Beach Clean
One of the most powerful ways to understand the impact? See it for yourself. Surfrider hosts beach cleans throughout the year, and visitors are always welcome.
Surfrider Pacific Rim’s upcoming events:
- April 25 (Earth Month Clean) – First Street Dock, Tofino: An underwater cleanup in partnership with local dive teams. Come down, learn, and see what’s beneath the surface.
- May 28 – Clayoquot Sound (remote cleanup)
- June 12 – Lennard Island (remote cleanup)
- July 16 – Clayoquot Sound (remote cleanup)
- August 12 – Clayoquot Sound (remote cleanup)
- September 14 – George Fraser Islands (remote cleanup)
- October 3 – Kennedy Backroads Cleanup with Redd Fish Restoration Society
No experience needed. Just show up, lend a hand, and be part of something meaningful.
Pacific Sands x Love Your Beach Clean
This year, Pacific Sands is proud to support Surfrider’s Love Your Beach Clean Program as a 2026 sponsor.
It’s a natural partnership. For years, the Resort has supported local stewardship efforts. From an onsite Love Your Beach Clean station to ongoing sustainability initiatives across the property.
Because protecting this place isn’t separate from the guest experience. It is the experience.
A Shared Responsibility
What makes Surfrider’s work so powerful is that it’s community-driven with volunteers, advocates, businesses, and guests all playing a role.
“Our goal is to support people in becoming coastal activists in their own way,” Lilly says. “To give them the tools, knowledge, and confidence to create change.”
And maybe that’s the real takeaway. You don’t have to do everything. But you can do something.
Pick up a piece of debris. Skip a single-use item.
Or better yet, join a beach clean, explore the shoreline, and experience the coast in a whole new way.
Photo Credits: Nicole Holman / Surfrider Pacific Rim
