Being an Active Citizen

Being an Active Citizen

I have chosen to write about the pressure group Surfers Against Sewage

(SAS) and my involvement in their activities and demonstrations. SAS

campaign for clean, safe recreational waters, free from sewage

effluents, toxic chemicals and nuclear waste. Using a solution based

arguement of viable and sustainable alternatives, SAS highlights the

inherent flaws in current practises, attitudes and legislation,

challenging industry, legislators and politicians to end their 'pump

and dump' policies.

SAS was started by water users for water users and exists to give

recreational water users a voice. The SAS mission is to ensure that

anyone who wishes to enjoy the water environment should do so without

fear of sickness or long term illness. The SAS campaign has had

considerable impact on the whole sewage debate and the UK is now on

the way to having some of the cleanest beaches and bathing waters in

Europe, but there is still much more work to be done, as is not only

sewage that can degrade the quality of the water environment and the

health of the people that use it. Chemicals and heavy metals,

radioactive waste and oil find their way into rivers and oceans and

all have the potential to seriously damage the health of humans and

wildlife. These contaminants enter the system through many different

sources, directly from factories and industrial complexes, from the

use of domestic products in the home, through inapprpriate disposal

methods, from light industry, in runoff agricultural and urban land

from shipping, these pollutants are turning the UK's waters into a

cocktail of contaminants. The affects on health of some of these

contaminants are already known. Some cause cancer, others have been

genetic defects, decreased sperm counts and neurological disorders.

Sometimes exposure to these substances may result in immediate affect

such as burns and sores, in other cases the effects may not be seen

for generations.

I joined SAS last year, after rading about the subjects i have

mentioned in greater and more gruesome detail, and also, i had