Kevin Whilden was shocked to see how global warming was changing Antarctica when he visited as a young geology student.
So, he dedicated his career to working on climate solutions, first as a scientist and later as a clean tech entrepreneur. His professional passion merged with his love for surfing, when he founded an innovative ocean health lab.
Sustainable Surf’s mission is to protect the ocean by transforming surfers into stewards of the environment.
“As an organization, we want our money to work for us in solving climate change”
“Solving climate change is not an option. We have to do it,” says Kevin. “If we want breathable air and a future for our children, we have to make sure that our money is doing good.”
Sustainable Surf’s SeaTrees program connects surfers worldwide to calculate and offset their carbon footprint by funding the planting of new mangrove trees and reforesting the ocean.
Mangrove trees can store 5 times the amount of CO2 as terrestrial trees and provide critical habitat for threatened species. So far, SeaTrees global efforts have resulted in:
- 70,000 mangrove trees protected and planted.
- 24,000 metric tons of CO2 sequestered.
- 55 threatened species protected.
“When we learned about Bank of the West being a leading bank on climate change in the U. S., it was a no brainer. We were like, ‘we’re done, we’re switching,’” Kevin says. “As an organization, we want our money to work for us in solving the climate challenge.”
Learn more about Bank of the West’s position on banking sustainably.
Working together for The Changing World since 2019
