Certification DetailsDate: 07/12/2021Evaluator: Afonso TeixeiraView Bio

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Surf Clube de Viana
Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Portugal’s First Surf School

Surf Clube de Viana (SCV) is a non-profit founded in 1989 as the first surf school in Portugal that also created the first Portuguese Surfrider chapter in 2005. SCV aims to develop recreational, cultural, and sporting activities in its local community of Viana do Castelo. Housed within the energy-efficient Surfing Viana High Performance Centre (HPC), SCV is an elite training facility for athletes with a commitment to high-performance surfing alongside the promotion of health, well-being, inclusiveness, and respect for the environment.

SCV is active in the environmental education field, as it continually develops environmental awareness actions and strives to be an example of sustainable practices. The SCV team, composed of over 120 athletes, 600+ members, and 20 trainers, regularly organizes beach clean-ups, environmental education seminars for school kids, and other activities that aim to further the interest of the local community in preserving the natural coastal resources.

In 2019, the SCV’s EuroSurf Adaptive became the first STOKE Certified event in Europe and it was the first surf event in Portugal completely powered by renewable energies. The following year, the SCV was officially designated the caretaker of the natural area surrounding the beach of Cabedelo—their home break. The area is known for being a natural reserve with native ecosystems and for its geological monuments that belong to the geopark of Viana do Castelo.

Surfers from all over Portugal and the EU come to SCV to train, compete, and enjoy the local surf and culture of Viana.

SCV was certified against the new STOKE Surf 3.0 standard, which is divided into eight impact categories instead of four. The following percentages and best practices are listed according to the previous impact categories. STOKE’s website will be redesigned in late 2023 to reflect these changes. Thank you for your understanding.

Sustainability Management
Section Performance - 86%
Social and Economic Impacts Management
Section Performance - 86%
Cultural Heritage Impacts Management
Section Performance - 100%
Environmental Impacts Management
Section Performance - 56%
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Commitment to a Sustainable Future

As Portugal’s first surf school, we could not be more proud to represent our community and country as the first surf tourism operator to be STOKE Certified at the Best Practice level.

Building from the certification of our Eurosurf Adaptive event in 2019, we were able to adapt our sustainability management system and leverage STOKE’s new sustainability SaaS platform to bolster our surf club operations even further to reach the Best Practice level. Even though we are the first to break through the highest level of STOKE certification, we know there is always room for improvement. Below are goals for the next few years:

  • Strengthen zero waste initiatives including adding a composting solution for food waste.
  • Collaborate with vendors and find new partners to increase the sustainable sourcing of our equipment.
  • Continue to be as inclusive as possible and seek creative ways to infuse more of our beautiful culture and community here in Viana.

We could not have achieved this milestone without the incredible dedication of our team, our volunteers, and our community. Obrigado!

Sincerely,

Surf Clube de Viana