At times it feels like we live in a very frantic world. Whether overtly or subversively, this life (or maybe it’s the Internet) shouts: More is better! Click here, now! Keep on scrolling! Hurry, hurry, hurry… And so on, and so forth. But there are still those with a more evened keel. Those who slow down and appreciate the wonder that the oceans giveth. Those, like former Big Wave World Tour champion, Greg Long, who want to enjoy it — but more so, protect it.

One of Patagonia’s official Global Surf Activists, Greg Long has visited cities around the world raising awareness about various environmental issues close to his heart, mobilizing communities in the process to enact change. And now with the new Patagonia Action Works social platform, Greg is showing folks that there’s no excuse for “not knowing where to start.”

Somewhere after his fourth XXL session with two friends this season and a trip to Europe in the fall, Greg gave us the lowdown.

Surfline: Are you still in pursuit of the largest waves out there — or are you looking for new frontiers?

Greg Long: Over the last couple years, my focus has significantly changed. Previously, the majority of my travels had been focused on chasing the biggest waves. Now, I’m concentrating on searching out the best waves — and preferably with minimal crowds, if that’s possible. And if that surf happens to be big, so be it. But the compulsion to be on every single big swell is no longer at the level it used to be. I think by sacrificing some of the giant swells that I once put so much energy into, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring a lot of new remote coastlines and riding some very special waves that seldom break.

Are you referring to a certain unknown wave on that Surfer’s Journal cover?

That was without a doubt one of the more memorable surf sessions of my life. Remote, immaculate beautiful landscape, trading barrels on a new perfect wave with only a few like-minded friends from different corners of the world…that is what I think we all dream of as surfers.

But the last few months on the West Coast have also brought some of the best days I’ve seen in recent years. Especially down in Baja. The abundance of west swells has provided the opportunity to explore beyond the regular go-to destinations. But there’s been no shortage of those as well. One mission in particular to Todos Santos with Jojo Roper, Troy Eckert, Taylor Evans and Ryan Hargrave was very special. It was one of the larger, more perfect days I’ve seen out there in a number of years — and surprisingly, nobody else came out. For a few hours, it was just us sharing those beautiful turquoise peaks.

And then last season there was Cortes Bank, which is so rare to score. That was unquestionably the best paddle day I’ve ever had out there. Perfect 30- to 40-foot faces, oil glass with not a drop of water out of place, just the five of us trading off big waves. It’s amazing to think that with how popular big-wave surfing has become, and the crowds that regularly grace the lineups — if you’re willing to put in the effort you can still find those magic days with nobody around.

Cortes Bank was where you had that near-death incident some years back, too, right?

Yes, back in 2012. I definitely hold a special place in my heart for that wave. After that incident, I promised myself I would never go back. Broke that promise two years later and still to this day get excited every time it looks like the conditions may align for a mission out there. There is without a doubt still a lot of fear and unsettled emotions in my subconscious surrounding that wave but that’s also why each session thereafter has been so incredibly memorable.

What you went through out there would make most mortals hang up the towel. With Patagonia being a kind of conscious enviro-adventure brand, does that open up some new frontiers for you?

Absolutely. Especially because of the gear they make. Having full trust in your equipment is one of the key components to entering the water or any environment and being able to perform at your highest level. Over the years, I attribute much of my surfing success largely to my attention to detail ensuring I was on the very best equipment. Now I regularly get to work with likeminded individuals whose expertise and passion for innovation far surpasses my own.

With places like Cortes, Todos, Maverick’s…you’re coming back from these adventures with some valuable product feedback. What about Patagonia’s line of wetsuits have you learned?

I believe there’s something new to be learned about every piece of equipment after any session or trip. This last year, I have had the privilege of working closely with the development of their new Yulex rubber wetsuits. Historically, the wetsuit has been one of the dirtiest products we consume as surfers. The last few years Patagonia took it upon themselves to change that developing the first neoprene-free suit. They took material exploration to another level and have constantly refined their product based on all the feedback we’ve been providing. The thought of spending a 12-hour day in the water in one of the new suits is a delight.

What’s your role been over at Patagonia lately?

I’ve assumed the role as one of their “Global Surf Activists.” The objective, simply put, is to utilize the platforms we’ve established in the surfing and ocean communities to help protect our natural world and facilitate positive change. In the last year, a lot of my time has been spent traveling to different ocean communities raising awareness and presenting viable solutions that may help some of the more pressing environmental challenges we currently face. In my travels, I’ve also been speaking and sharing the new Patagonia Action Works (PAW) platform that’s recently been set up to make it easier for people to become involved with the local grassroots environmental organizations in their respective areas.

What’s that platform about?

I think a lot of people want to help or contribute in their lives — but they don’t necessarily know how or where to begin. And that moment of uncertainty or confusion keeps people from moving forward from doing so. So PAW is basically a social network that helps connect you with grassroots organizations that have already been vetted by Patagonia and are legitimately out there doing fantastic work. For example, this weekend, If I wanted to help out with a beach cleanup somewhere, I could go onto the Action Works site and see all that is happening in my geographic region. What organizations may need volunteers or help of another type that I may be able to assist with.

So now, people who want to help pretty much can breeze through those first two steps and are already towed into the peak.

Exactly. This provides an easy onramp to getting involved. I believe one of the greatest threats to our existence is our own complacency. With the education and awareness that has been established about many of our environmental challenges it is staggering how few people still choose to act or change their ways. I think an assumption is often made that somebody else will fix these problems or clean them up. But the truth is, if they’re really going to be solved, we all must play a role in doing so, since we have all had a role in creating most of them to begin with. Myself included. One that I’ve been very focused on for the past few years has been ocean plastic pollution. Most of my travels this past year were to speaking at different events, businesses, schools, etc. about the topic. Patagonia also just came out with a wonderful film called Nevertown which documents some of the environmental challenges they’re currently facing down in Australia and how empowered communities can be, and have rallied together to stand in opposition and make a difference. I got to spend some time touring with that film and hosted a series of events showing it through Europe this past fall.

And what are some steps people can take to cutting down their plastic usage?

The solution to the problem is multi-tiered. While beach cleanups etc. are great, they’re not going to solve the problem. They are 100% necessary, and provide a great platform to raise awareness and educate people about the problem, but the real solution will come from eliminating plastic and re-designing the material altogether.

But in each of our daily lives we can make a huge impact on the problem by cutting down on our consumption of it. If you were to slow yourself down and mindfully looks at every item you purchase or consume throughout the course of your day, chances are there is single use plastic involved in some capacity. It may be packaged in it, covered by it, a utensil given to you to eat with, the number times and forms it will appear in during your daily life is actually overwhelming when you pay attention. Utilizing re-usable alternatives wherever possible is a practice that needs to be adopted by all of us. And as consumers, our purchasing behavior is what drives change. We need to support the stores, brands and companies who are utilizing environmentally friendly practices. Doing so will ultimately pressure those who are not going to change their practices to fall in line with our demands.

“Whenever I address a surfing crowd, I ask them to think about the amount of love, happiness, and fun that the ocean and its waves brings into their lives…and then think, what if that same amount of love and happiness were brought by a person — you’d in turn do everything in your power to keep that person close and to love and look after them” Video: Are Frapwell

As a surfer, what are some things you could recommend for us to be kinder to the environment?

There are many recommendations from changing consumptions behaviors, managing carbon footprints, supporting legislation and politicians who protect our environment. But going beyond, I think we all need to really understand the fact that life for humans on this earth, is entirely dependent on the health of the ocean and our natural environment. Without it, we cannot exist. There is an extremely delicate balance that exists between all living things on this planet that allows us to survive and thrive and our behavior is throwing that balance off at a staggering rate. Whenever I address a surfing crowd, I ask them to think about the amount of love, happiness, and fun that the ocean and its waves brings into their lives — and then think, what if that same amount of love and happiness were brought by a person. You’d in turn do everything in your power to keep that person close and to love and look after them. We need to think of our ocean and planet in the same way. It’s called Mother Earth for a reason.