Surfers for Climate is an organisation committed to protecting the natural environment by engaging the surfing community in climate solutions. A large number of the surfing community are tradespeople working in industries that contribute heavily to global carbon emissions. Recognising this, Surfers for Climate saw a powerful opportunity to inspire change by equipping tradies to champion sustainable building practices and advocate for emissions reduction.
With support from a $20,000 Community Led Climate Solutions grant, funded by Boundless Earth, Surfers for Climate launched and evolved the ‘Trade Up’ initiative – an educational program designed to empower tradespeople to adopt and promote low-carbon building practices. The organisation identified the pivotal role tradies play in shaping residential construction, along with the clear gap in accessible, engaging sustainability education tailored to this cohort. Trade Up was designed to meet tradies where they are – on job sites and in surfing communities, providing relatable, practical learning experiences.
Through this grant, more than 350 tradies across coastal NSW and QLD have been directly engaged in hands-on workshops covering carbon neutral building, circular economy approaches, material recycling and increasing carbon savings through home electrification.
During these on-site visits, Surfers for Climate gained valuable insights into what coastal tradies care about, the barriers they face in adopting sustainable practices and how best to engage them. This knowledge helped shape the inaugural Trade Up Cup, which brought together 150 tradies from across QLD and NSW at Urbnsurf Sydney in November 2024.
Building on this momentum, the group is developing the Trade Up Building Innovation Expo for Sustainability (TUBIES), a larger-scale event combining interactive trade demonstrations, networking and industry showcases. The development of the Trade Up and TUBIES website is another exciting milestone, providing tradies with year-round access to resources, case studies and sustainable product information, ensuring these successes extend well beyond physical events. The organisation is also exploring Continuing Professional Development accreditation for its workshops, making it easier for tradies to justify participation while embedding sustainability into professional training pathways.