---

There’s no secret that litter, particularly plastics, is a threat to the nation’s oceans and waterways. But what is hardly known, is a grassroots movement organized by individual chapters of the Surfrider Foundation that is beginning to take hold.

Working to rehabilitate the worst offenders, the Rise Above Plastics campaign is aimed at changing dependency of single-use plastics, such as single-serve water bottles and plastic grocery bags, Surfrider Foundation Jersey Shore Chapter Co-chair Bill Williams said. And now, through its Ocean Friendly Restaurants [OFR] program, eateries, particularly those near oceans and waterfronts, are being recognized for practices in support of Surfrider’s initiatives.

Local restaurateur Marilyn Schlossbach was recognized Saturday [during national Coastal Cleanup Day] for being named the first Jersey Shore ‘Ocean Friendly Restaurants’ by the Surfrider Foundation.

The campaign is new to the Jersey Coast Chapter, but with Schlossbach’s commitment, it means a total of 6 venues across the state are doing what they can to reduce their impact on the environment.

“We’re very excited to be one of the first to do this because we have been advocates of the ocean and these practices for decades,” Schlossbach said. “We’ve never had a Styrofoam container at one of our restaurants, and the only time it seeps in is when we do one of our communities dinners when we serve 4,000 people.”

Schlossbach’s Kitschens Hospitality Group includes Langosta Lounge Asbury Park Yacht Club, and Pop’s Garage – on the Asbury Park boardwalk, as well as Labrador Lounge in Normandy Beach, What’s Your Beef in Rumson, as well as a second Pop’s Garage location in Shrewsbury. She also runs a Catering by Marilyn.

Joined by local activists and supporters on the Asbury Park Boardwalk in front of her Langosta Lounge vacation destination eatery, Schlossbach said she has been practicing sustainability at her venues for years.

“I am born and raised at the Jersey Shore and have operated restaurants here for 30 years,” Schlossbach said. “I have always tried to be as compliant as I could within the times because in the ‘80s our oceans were shut down repeatedly for offshore dumping, plastics, and contaminants. It really had an effect on tourism here, which has an effect on all the people that work in these businesses at the coast.”

Schlossbach, who launched a no straws practice at her venues two years ago, said she recognizes the challenges of changing consumers’ mindset.

“We see over thousands of people a week in these venues and part of this is about awareness and teaching our customers about the programs that are happening around them,” she said.

Committed to educating her patrons and employees on community outreach programs and best practices in business and at home, Schlossbach also banned the use of Mylar balloons at her venues.

“When we do a beach cleanup there are remnants of four things that you will see,” she said “You will see  Mylar balloons; tops of plastics bottles -because even though you think you are recycling the bottle, the top is not recyclable; straws; and cigarette butts,” she said. “These are ongoing problems for my industry and takes constant monitoring. When you have 150 employees every summer, it is a feat in itself. So, to have and organization give us credit lends  credibility with our staff that this is now an action you have to follow to be part of our company.

The campaign was born from a grassroots movement initiated last year by Surfrider’s San Diego chapter and quickly spread, Mid Atlantic Regional Manager John Weber said.

“There were chapters in other parts of the country that were working this Rise Above Plastics program really hard [when] they realized we have a lot of Styrofoam take out containers and plastic utensils coming from restaurants,” Weber said. “Chapters started doing their own thing; calling it Ocean Friendly Restaurants.”

The first eatery to be recognized for its sustainable practices was Morris County’s Potbelly’s, said Surfrider volunteer Karen Herrera.

The OFR program criteria  includes no use of Styrofoam in house or to go; following regulated recycling practices; water conservation; and proper disposal of fats, oils and greases, said Chapter Secretary Zach Zeilman. Eateries must also meet three of seven additional benchmarks, including energy efficient practices, sourcing locally grown organic produce and Seafood Watch best choice and good alternative products.

“I am the son of restaurant owners and having worked in a restaurants for many years myself, it is clear to me how critical businesses are, especially in the food industry, to making a systemic change in the way that people behave and think about the waste that we produce,” Zeilman said.

The day ended with Surfrider volunteers collecting litter from the oceanfront to Main Street, ending with a celebratory event at Dark City Brewing Company.

For more about the Surfrider Foundation, visit the Jersey Shore Chapter’s website and Facebook page. A Chapter meeting is being planned for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at Second Life Bikes on Main Street.

——————————————————————————-

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---

---