{"id":192032,"date":"2026-01-14T11:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=192032"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:15:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:15:42","slug":"the-cigarette-surfboard-documentary-draws-attention-to-dangers-of-beach-litter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/the-cigarette-surfboard-documentary-draws-attention-to-dangers-of-beach-litter\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Cigarette Surfboard\u2019 documentary draws attention to dangers of beach litter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The film will make its Rhode Island premiere at URI on Jan. 28<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jan. 13, 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

During the International Coastal Cleanup in Rhode Island from September to November 2025, cigarette butts made up 17.8% of all trash collected. In all, 20,908 cigarette butts were picked up from Rhode Island\u2019s beaches\u2014making up the largest single category of trash items collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documentary \u201cThe Cigarette Surfboard<\/a>,\u201d which will make its Rhode Island premiere at URI\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography<\/a> on Wednesday, Jan. 28<\/strong> at 6:30 p.m. in Corless Auditorium on the Narragansett Bay Campus, draws attention to this environmental hazard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film screening is free and open to the public, but reservations are required<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Taylor Lane, surrounded by surfboards he designed using cigarette butts that were littered on the beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The film is a collaboration between two friends who met through California\u2019s surfing community and had a common interest in environmental issues. Taylor Lane, who has a bachelor\u2019s degree in industrial design, began designing and making surfboards with thousands of littered cigarette butts to inspire surfers to be good stewards of the sea. Filmmaker Ben Judkins documented the surfboard fabrication process and the impact the finished boards have had on making people aware of an ongoing environmental problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone has the capacity to take action in their personal lives and local communities to help protect the ocean and planet,\u201d said Judkins. \u201cIt feels good to stand up for something you believe in. No matter how big or small, our collective actions add up, and our local efforts help catalyze global change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n