Toscana SUP is a surf and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) school recognized by the Italian Federation (FISW) and CONI, staffed by qualified professionals with multidisciplinary expertise to ensure safe SUP practice. Toscana SUP also promotes environmental education initiatives along the Arno River and actively participates in international projects such as Surf 4 All and Plastic Planet Patrol.
Surf 4 All is a project dedicated to promoting Paralympic surfing and SUP, offering an inclusive school with qualified staff and innovative equipment adaptable to various types of disabilities. The Surf 4 All athletes, along with coach Tommaso Pucci, are permanent members of the Italian Paralympic national team, which has competed in the World Championships in La Jolla, San Diego, California since 2016.
Through its expanding network of community scientists, Planet Patrol is revolutionizing the approach to environmental issues by filling critical information gaps and democratizing data, providing the public with real-time information about pollutants through an interactive dashboard. Planet Patrol is a non-profit movement—a united force driven by the urgent challenges facing our natural environment, powered by a global community committed to environmental action.
In 2016, founder Lizzie Carr MBE launched Planet Patrol after witnessing the extent of pollution in our green and blue spaces.
The protection and enhancement of the environment with particular attention to rivers, including their urban parts, and inclusiveness in water sports. Toscana SUP with its instructors promotes the themes of inclusiveness and environmental protection to its customers. Redefining what can be achieved through collective action and people-powered data.
Planet Patrol community scientists around the world have been monitoring freshwater environments and natural spaces, recording their findings in the Planet Patrol app. This information would otherwise be impossible to capture at scale and is creating a robust archive of evidence that can then be used for further research and campaigning. This is essential to driving lasting change by holding polluters to account, influencing decision makers and shaping government policies. Planet Patrol is committed to environmental conservation, helping to safeguard our precious freshwater environments and green spaces. Together we can create a lasting, positive impact on our planet, protecting our natural environment for generations to come.
Importance of water sport:
Surfing and Paddle Boarding are water sports related to nature and suitable for promoting environmental issues and ESD. A paddle boarding relay was organized to monitor quality of English rivers; The results, which highlighted high levels of pollution, were used to drive lasting change by holding polluters to account, influencing decision makers and shaping government policies.
Added values:
Paddle boarding is a good activity to generate an interest in the river environment and re-establish a more balanced relationship through the recovery of the roots and cultural identity of the territory.
Target group:
School students; young water sports and adventure enthusiasts; family tourism, responsible tourism. By promoting sustainability in water sports activities, the project can encourage responsible and virtuous behaviors, such as waste reduction.
Good practices:
- In the Plastic Planet Patrol project, using an app to collect and enter information on pollution is an interesting idea to encourage citizen participation and create a sense of contribution and belonging to the project.
- Ability to create a civil society movement capable of influencing and positively conditioning decision makers and shaping government policies.
- Using water sports as a tool for inclusivity in the project Surf 4 All.
Synergies:
Create synergies and network different skills to promote educational models, awareness-raising actions for citizens and strategies to actively involve institutions, schools and local companies. Collaborate to promote water sports as an effective tool for inclusivity and ESD.
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