As CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, Chad Nelsen drops hammers on the people who tread on your surfing experience. And he’s damn good at it. From saving Trestles, to stopping off-shore drilling to banning single-use plastic bags in California, Chad has directed Surfrider through their most successful year ever in 2016, with 60 coastal victories achieving outcomes such as stopping the flow of up to 240 million gallons of waste into Huntington Beach waters each day, and ending the way gambling boats used to dump 44 million gallons of waste into the sea each year in Florida. See, if you’ve ever ridden a wave in North America, there’s a good chance the Surfrider Foundation has, at least in a small way, enabled your ability to enjoy whatever surf break you got wet at, and that’s the reason we asked Chad to join us for this episode of The Wire - he is uncommonly good at organizing action and influencing change. This episode is both a mood enhancer and a how-to guide; listening to it will make you happy if you surf because we discuss the many ways surfers won in 2016 and the progress being made this year, and anyone in a non-profit or startup will benefit from Chad’s perspective on everything from fundraising to spending funds effectively for maximum benefit. Please enjoy, and rate this podcast 5 stars if you want to make it easy for others to find, but of course, the choice is yours.