Posted on August 4, 2021
If you ask Mitch Silverstein how he became the San Diego manager of the Surfrider Foundation, he’ll tell you he’s “just a scrappy environmental activist” who was lucky to be hired.
But it’s clear from his expertise and enthusiasm it wasn’t just luck.
After graduating from Sonoma State University with a lot of debt and little direction, Silverstein drifted between unsatisfying jobs for years before moving to San Diego in 2015 to focus on surfing warmer waters and getting back to his activist roots.
He joined Surfrider as a volunteer, spearheaded the Rise Above Plastics committee, was elected to the local board of directors, and three years later, became chapter manager.
Surfider’s work focuses on five causes: clean water, coastal preservation, ocean protection, beach access and plastic pollution.
Recently, the San Diego chapter completed an annual beach cleanup report and convinced the city of Vista to ban single-use plastics. A long-term goal is to see the United States pass a comprehensive plastic reform bill like the existing Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which Surfrider and other organizations support.
As a chapter manager, Silverstein juggles jobs, overseeing volunteers, influencing public policy and living advice his mom once gave him: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.”
