Surf Summit, Capbreton, June 18. Eurosima

First of all, I would like to thank Iker Aguirre for giving us the oportunity to attend the Surf Sumit, a platform designed to meet, discuss and make networking for the European Surf Industry.

For all of us is known that this kind of initiatives located in France are not possible today the day in our land, but there´s hope someday we will be able to offer such an integrating service in order to integrate the little industry that involves us.



We only had the chance to assist to the two first seminars. The first one was about "French consumers and responsible consumption", and in the second one we could listen to women talking in an open discussion about "Women´s evolution at boardsports" by the hand of the girls and women who are the driving forces behind boardsports.

FRENCH CONSUMERS AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

Gilles Degroote from Ethicity talked about the way back to life!!

Creating awareness of responsible consumption on people between 15 and 35 yo sustainable development could succed. First of all we should realize what " sustainable development " for people means. Of course it is not only an enviromental development, also social and economic.

As Gilles explained based on the screening of his studies, to be ecofriendly manufactured it is not enough; using the product must be a relevant mirrow to look back, and feel that besides a manufacturing near to the marketing place of the product, we are checking the behaviour of a robust and durable product, and this is suposed to be what young french people think about.

A third part of the french population that had been asked thinks that the crisis is an oportunity to change. The main tendence will be clearly leaded by people who changes habits regularly, like those reducing the enviromental impact, managing initiatives, using public transport and avoiding non responsible consumption. And also if tendences are not necesarily the reality of the society, they hold on the energy to the definitive punch back to life.

I remember Gilles wondering how to mobilize people to change, cause to make people act should be the OBJECTIVE.

Nowadays, french people is interested on the product, its kind, its origin and morality, but it is also implicated to relation the traceability, the enviromental impact, what kind of social guaranties carries and of course the price and value it represents for the society.

I think Gilles was telling us that,  unless we make people understand, unless we give this whole information to young society, there will not be a change.

If it´s true that there´s a gap between sustanable and "better quality" products, we should understand that people buy ecofriendly products basically based on two criterias, one is Good for the planet, and the main one is focused on our own benefit, that surely could be managed as health. We´re on the line back to life!

WOMEN´S EVOLUTION ON BOARDSPORTS

It was nice to see face to face women claiming their rigth to choose, to break down statistics and to support each other in the right way, looking for their own space, their timing and flowing.

Thinking about  how miserable the human being has been by the hand of men  I would bet that changes will come up leaded by women inspirated in armony with nature, life and awareness of being part of instead of owner of.