The purpose of the Rise Above Plastics campaign is to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the marine environment by raising awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution and advocating a reduction in the use of plastic at source. The aim of Surfrider's Rise Above Plastics campaign is to make the public at large and also packaging producers aware of the impact their consumption and production is having on the sea and ocean, the coasts and river banks.

The campaign hopes to encourage citizens to change their consumer behaviour with four tenets:

• Refuse: The ubiquitous presence of plastic in our lives by avoiding over-packaged products.

• Reduce: Our consumption of plastic, especially single use items such as plastic bags and plastic bottles.

• Re-Use: Old and used items

• Recycle: Our waste, which goes along with reducing our consumption. This is not the most sustainable solution since recycling has an environmental cost

During the spring Rise Above Plastics campaign hundreds of clean-up operations will be ongoing throughout Europe and the world. As well as beaches, lakes, rivers and the seabed will also be targeted by locally organized volunteers. Details of clean-up schemes near you can be found on the Initiativesoceanes website and members of the public can also start organizing their own local clean-up operation via the same website with the support of Surfrider Foundation Europe.

For ideas on how you can  Rise above Plastics please see our article '10 Ways to Reduce your Plastic Footprint'