2014 Bodhi Initiatives

The Ocean Guardian Journey

Introduction
Page 1

Travelers Philanthropy
Program
Page 5

Ocean Guardian Contest

Page 9

Ocean Guardian Pledge

Page 11

Yoga For The Community

Page 13

Service & Surf Saturdays

Page 17

Blue Mind & Blue Marble

Page 19

Student Groups
Page 21

Grenada Conference
Page 24

Donations
Page 25

Volunteer Program
Page 27

Final Words
Page 28

Introduction
1

Its the journey that matters,

not the destination

Bodhi Surf Schools Ocean Guardian Journey is the name of our corporate
social and environmental responsibility initiatives, an area in which we are
constantly learning, growing, and developing. We have the utmost respect
for the ocean, for nature, and our environment, and we strive to give back to
these entities without which we would not exist!

We operate out of what is both a coastal community and a marine national park, and many of our
services revolve around the ocean: being near it, playing in it, working in it, living near it,
benefitting from it. As a surf and yoga school, all of our impact-reduction strategies will have some
effect on the ocean, so we have two main reasons for being passionate Ocean Guardians:
1. Philosophical, spiritual, emotional: we feel connected to the ocean and that we owe it so much.
2. Commonsensical: its a bottom line issue if our ocean becomes dirty, if the marine animals
start to disappear, if it turns into a trash pit where would that leave us as a business?

All things go to the sea

Ocean Guardian Journey

Bodhi Surf begins its Ocean Guardian Journey

Our Corporate Social Responsibility program

We have several ongoing initiatives that constitute the Bodhi Surf School Ocean Guardian Journey,
measures that have been designed to:
1. Give back to our community
2. Help to protect the health of our environment, both terrestrial and marine
3. Energize the people that we come into contact with to become environmental stewards and
take an active role in shaping the world into a better place
4. Participate in different community projects and to take advantage of opportunities to help
others with their initiatives, whether its by donating our time, capital, or support

Give Back
Protect
Energize

Participate

Create a better world

Joining a movement
Imagine all of the tiny little streams that have to merge with the creeks that later join the rivers that finally
funnel into the ocean. We may never know how much we contribute to the larger movement towards
environmental stewardship, or how far the effects of our actions may reach. Yet just like that water moving
towards the sea, when many individuals act, their combined efforts will gain momentum until it becomes a
nearly unstoppable force. With that said, our Ocean Guardian Journey is a contribution to a much a larger
movement that we are just a very small part of. We are humbled and inspired by others who are taking
amazing, wonderful, completely innovative actions to create a better world, and additionally, we hope to
inspire people who may just need a little help getting their feet wet literally!

Travelers Philanthropy Program

A new take on Travelers Philanthropy

Along the course of our companys development, we decided we wanted to employ the general
idea of travelers philanthropy but to go a slightly different route with it. Our guests already
spend a lot of money to get to Costa Rica and enjoy their yoga and surf vacation. So instead of
asking our them to donate, Bodhi Surf School has committed to take a portion of what our guests
spend and give them a travelers philanthropy gift card whereby they donate it back in a final
symbolic gesture. This furthers their connection to the community as they are able to see exactly
where their reinvestment is going; guests also have the option to go above and beyond and donate
additionally if they choose.

Connecting cultures

6
Do Good, Receive Good

The time for transparency

Since our formation in 2010, we have been [fairly informally] donating our time, energy, and resources back to the
community, but we have been searching for a way to formalize this process. We want to be transparent about where
our time and resources go in this day and age when any business can claim to give back and be sustainable,
we want to be able to prove it. We have three main intentions for such transparency:
1. To help us keep track of our own contributions
2. To motivate other businesses to do something similar
3. To demonstrate that exercising conscientious business practices is compatible with success

How it came together

We are very fortunate to be able to work with two administrative organizations, the Costa Rica USA Foundation
(CRUSA) and its 501(c)(3) partner, Amigos of Costa Rica. CRUSA donated their wonderful fellowship recipient/
intern, Shengxiao Yu, for a full month to work with the Bodhi team and the future recipient organizations to help put
a plan in place. Amigos of Costa Rica, by virtue of being a non-profit, is the way Bodhi Surf School accepts donations
and channels them to one of the three locally-operating organizations that we collaborate with.

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Marine conservation

Youth development

Education

8
Recipients of Bodhi Surf Schools Travelers Philanthropy Program
Bodhi Surf School guests are given a gift card upon their departure which can be redeemed at the Amigos of Costa
Rica website. Donations will go to one of three organizations which operate in our community in three sectors that
are very important to us at Bodhi Surf School marine conservation, education, and youth development:
1. Fundacin KETO: a non-profit that promotes marine conservation and best practices for marine-based
tourism operators
2. Geoporter: a geospatial technology-based non-profit that aims to empower community members in
identifying and solving environmental issues
3. Forjando Alas: an educational non-profit youth group provides an after-school center where children can gain
additional knowledge and skills to help them in their lives

Ocean Guardian Contest

My Ocean Guardian Journey Contest

For two years now, we have been running the My Ocean Guardian Journey Contest a place for
people to either showcase the things that they are already doing for the ocean and environment, or
to share a new and original idea for marine conservation. Because we believe that the world needs
environmental innovation, and this contest is designed to celebrate awesome, albeit outside-thebox ideas! We donate several prizes, including the Grand Prize of a Yoga & Surf vacation, because
we want to show how stoked we are with some of the actions that people are taking, and because it
is our hope that people will be inspired to get involved.

Inspiration

10

Hope
Categories & Intentions
The 2014 My Ocean Guardian Journey Contest consisted of two categories which are designed to get people
thinking about, and more importantly, taking actions to protect our oceans and our planet.
1. Best Actions: this category allows participants to describe actions that they have taken in the past or
are currently doing to help protect and conserve the ocean, and/or help spread marine conservation
and environmental awareness
2. Best Ideas: this category is designed for participants to explain the great ideas for marine
conservation and ocean awareness that they have in mind, but have not yet put into action

Ocean Guardian Pledge

I pledge to do my part to help protect the worlds oceans and will implement one or more of the actions
above. I understand that I can make a difference that no act is too small, and that even small actions
made by individuals can have major impacts. One small gift that I can give to the world today is to love
and appreciate worlds oceans and their entire splendor.
Our Ocean Guardian Pledge is a commitment that anyone can take to help reduce their impact and
protect the ocean. We firmly believe in the 6 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Reinvent, Recycle, but
for those who need a little help, our pledge highlights 10 concrete actions that one can take on a regular
basis. And remember, it is together that we will have the greatest impact of all!

I will do my part

11

Make a point of making less impact

Use less plastic
Choose safe and sustainable seafood
Be kind to the beach
Dont purchase or consume products that exploit
marine life
Engage in responsible ocean tourism
Do not disturb the coastal environment
Invest time or capital in marine protection
organizations
Become an ocean spokesperson
Affect change in your circle and community

12

Yoga for the Community

13

Yoga for everyone

Even before opening the doors to the Bodhi Shambala Yoga Center in July of 2013, Pilar Salazar knew
that she wanted to offer an option to her fellow community members in Bahia Ballena who were interested
in learning more about the practice yoga but who perhaps didnt have the disposable income to do so or
even know where to begin just a few years ago, there were few to no class options offered to the nonEnglish-speaking constituency of the community. Pilar never forgets how her personal yoga journey
fundamentally changed her life for the better, and she wants to ensure that others have the same
opportunities she has been granted in her life. Thus began the Yoga for the Community Program.

How the program works

The program gives community members the opportunity to participate in a weekly yoga class. Like in all of Pilars
classes, the goals include helping practitioners quiet the mind and be more present, creating awareness through
physical movement, and of course, improving flexibility. During each class, she works one-on-one with her students,
and over the course of time and as they become ready, she encourages them to push themselves in a safe and
comfortable environment. The Yoga for the Community program is lead by Pilar as a donation of her personal time,
with the caveat being that her students donate the equivalent amount of time to their community paying it
forward.

Generosity

14

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Testimonials from attendees

When you do yoga, you become a more relaxed, healthier, and happier person. And when you
have more peace with yourself, you can give more to the world and to other people.

Aria, 6 weeks of yoga with Pilar

Its great that young people come, and they are creating [a] conscience and mentality [regarding
the environment]. (Es bueno que venga la gente joven y ya estn creando esta conciencia y
mentalidad).

Alejandra, 2 months of yoga with Pilar

My understanding [of yoga] changed a lot, because before I thought it was only stretching,
but now I see that there is breathing, muscular [strength], and coordination. (Mis
pensamientos cambiaron mucho, porque antes pensaba que solamente fue estirar, pero
ahora veo que hay respiracin, mucho muscular, coordinacin).

Gilberto, 1.5 months of yoga and Pilar

[Pilar] gives us a lot of freedom [in terms of] options [of yoga poses]. If you cant do [a
pose], its ok. (Ella nos da mucha libertad, nos da opciones y si uno no puede hacer algo, pues,
est bien).

Steven, 1 year of yoga with Pilar

I think the idea [of Yoga 4 Community] is wonderful. Its like when you throw a rock into the
water, and everything reflects. (Me parece super buena la idea, es como cuando se tira una
piedra al lago y todo se refleja).

Alexia, 7 months of yoga with Pilar

[Yoga] helps me with surfing. (Me ayuda mucho con surf).

Paz, 6 months of yoga with Pilar

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Give Thanks
Reconnection with nature
All of Pilars classes highlight a reconnection with nature. Having lived in the city for so many years, when she
moved to Bahia Ballena in 2008, Pilar felt the blessing of being close to nature, and how it immediately
benefited her yoga practice. Since then, she has been incorporating the wisdom of being present and in tune
with nature into her own practice and her teaching. For some of the attendees who have lived here their
whole lives, this may be a very new and enlightening perspective. Yoga for the Community promotes an even
further connection, as many of the attendees choose to give back through the Service and Surf Saturdays. A
positive cycle has indeed begun.

Service & Surf Saturdays

What does it mean to be a surfer?

You go whenever you can: that means going to bed early so you can get up early, traveling great
distances for waves, surfing even when conditions aren't great. But it also means being a good surf
citizen: taking care of your beach, reducing your impact to help conserve the health of the ocean,
being a part of the surf community, and helping guide the next generation of surfers and ocean
lovers. Being a surfer is much more than being able to ride the waves! For all of these reasons, we
started our bimonthly Service & Surf Saturday events for the local youth of the Costa Ballena area.

Smile

17

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself 18

in the service
of
others
-Gandhi

Event intentions
1. Keeping trash (specifically plastic) out of the ocean
2. Setting a positive example for beach-goers, community members, and visitors alike
3. Promoting environmental responsibility, especially to the younger attendees
4. Highlighting corporate responsibility
5.Teaching ocean awareness, safety, and ultimately how to become a surfer
6. Bringing people together: community members & visitors
7. Having fun and doing something positive at the same time!

Blue Mind Blue Marbles

Dr. Wallace J. Nichols & Blue Mind

Wallace J. Nichols, conservation activist and hero of the Bodhi Surf team, is a marine scientist who uses
science to prove why we as humans need the ocean and, consequently, why we should protect it a
simple concept that most surfers and avid ocean-goers understand well. Blue Mind Your Brain on
Water, is the official name of the movement (and book, a few copies of which are kicking around the
Bodhi Surf Lodge). The two main premises behind this idea are:
1. We as humans need the ocean and other bodies of water, they heal us, calm us down, make us
feel good. So good, that we travel huge distances to just get to the beach, pay exorbitant
amounts of money to live near bodies of water, or to recreate them in our own yards.
2. Once we recognize just how much we need these natural sources of peace, tranquility, and
positivity, we will work harder to protect them:
People protect what they love. ~ Jacques Cousteau

Peace

19

Tranquility

Positivity

20

Our beautiful, fragile planet

Blue Marbles Project
The Blue Marble has become Bodhis parting gift and the token of our appreciation to our guests; for coming
to us, sharing their time, wisdom, opinions, stories, and stoke, and for listening to us share ours. The Blue
Marble is a tangible reminder of their connection with the ocean, how it made them feel, and their
commitment to care for it, so that when they go home they keep it at the forefront of their mind. For us at
Bodhi Surf School, these concepts fit so perfectly with what we are trying to achieve as a surf school: to use
activities like surfing and yoga to reconnect individuals with nature and help inspire future stewards of positive
change.

Student Groups

Global Leadership Adventures: Protecting The Pacific

This summer, Bodhi Surf School and the community of Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica hosted four groups of
high school students who came down to participate in the Protecting the Pacific program through the
travel company, Global Leadership Adventures (GLA). All four groups were in the community for 12 days
and each completed a total of 30 hours of community service work. The service project theme of this
summer was creating Biogardens and other water filtration systems to help tackle the communitys
greywater issue.

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Learning is fun

Service is joy

22

Between June and August 2014, we completed the following projects:

1. Building a Biogarden at Escuela Uvita, (one of the local primary schools), to allow them to filter their kitchen water
through what is is an aesthetically pleasing garden on the school grounds
2. Building four drainage systems for some of the showers and sinks in Marino Ballena National Park
3. Painting and beautifying several of the parks showers, sinks, and bathrooms: making them visible, bright, and
beautiful
4. Creating a series of signs with positive environmental and leadership messages for around the community
5. Helping make typical Costa Rican rugs using recycled fabric for the kids at the local youth group, Forjando Alas
6. Participating in the Pueblo Alegre community beautification initiative in Bahia Ballena

Case Western Reserve University

Bodhi Surf School has worked as a community liaison for groups from this university for several years running. This
year, in addition to working with the group, we also provided assistance with their organizers seed grant proposal to
expand the program to include interactions between bioethics and environmental engineering, including water quality, a project that the group will likely be working on in December 2014 and January 2015 when they are here.

French Broad River Academy

Another group that we have worked with for several years, Bodhi Surf School has helped facilitate cross cultural
exchange between these high school boys and the community of Bahia Ballena. We have also provided support and
assistance in facilitating the service learning portion of their stay.

Sharing Knowledge

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Bodhi Surf Schools Presentation

Travis traveled to Grenada this July on behalf of Bodhi Surf School to present at the the 3rd
Symposium for Innovators in Coastal Tourism on responsible surf tourism and our community-based
initiatives, emphasizing how our combined efforts can help achieve a more sustainable coastal tourism
model. We focused on the idea that small is beautiful, and that regardless of how small we are, we
believe we can influence (and be a role model for) the people we come in contact with (guests,
employees, suppliers, providers, etc.), our local community, and the environment. We discussed how
Bodhi Surf utilizes the Marino Ballena National Park (a marine protected area) and that since we
depend on the ocean as our playground for surfing experiences, it is only fitting that we give back by
working to build awareness for important issues such as marine conservation.

Grenada Conference

Forging connections

Big Brothers & Sisters Charity Golf Event

Bodhi Surf School donated a 7-day Inner Surfer Vacation package for 4 people in the 2013 event, which
was claimed this July by a group of friends from San Diego. A San Diego native himself, this particular
cause resonated with Travis who has also done quite a bit of work with the youth of his new home
community in Costa Rica. The 2013 event was a huge success, raising over $165,000 which will help to
take 100 kids off of the waiting list for adult mentors in San Diego county.

Donations

CRESTs Eco-Auction
Bodhi Surf School was stoked to donate a 7-day Holistic Yoga & Surf Vacation to the Center for
Responsible Travel's Eco-Auction. These auctions happen several times a year, and proceeds are to
benefit the non-profit and aid in their mission to "promote responsible tourism policies and practices
globally so that local communities may thrive and steward their cultural resources and biodiversity".

We make a living by what we get

but we make a life by what we give

25

Happiness

26

Harmony
Elsa & Sister Park Agreement support
This summer, Bodhi Surf School hosted a volunteer and fundraising specialist on her way down to the Osa Area of
Conservation where she was helping with an important project: the Sister Park Agreement, which links national
parks in our area with parks within the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Minnesota and Wisconsin. One of the
main goals of the agreement is to help protect the neotropical migratory birds that visit both regions.

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Be the change

Volunteer Program

While we have not created a formal program as of yet, every year since we started Bodhi Surf School, we
have supported volunteers from around the world who come to Costa Rica to further their education and
get their hands dirty. 2014 brought us the most interns (we rarely had a month without one!) who helped
us with many different projects. Bodhi Surf School thanks these individuals very much for their help in our
community and with our business!

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Final Words
We at Bodhi Surf School are committed to reducing our impact and helping motivate others to do the
same. While this is, at times, a daunting task, we have to remember: its a journey. We are all on our path,
and must constantly strive to do the best that we can. Because in lifes special moments when we catch
the perfect wave, or meditate after a powerful yoga session we really know how amazing it is that we
are alive and able to be living these perfect moments, and how much we all need to make sure that we
and future generations can keep experiencing them.

Many thanks to Melissa Rejeb,

2014 Bodhi Intern (and a very

talented photographer to boot), for

taking these beautiful pictures
which portray our home so

accurately that there can be no

doubt as to why we want to do

our best to protect it. You can
check out more of her work at

www.melissarejebphotography.com
www.bodhisurfschool.com