Discuss the past & current work of the Blue Water Task Force, a Surfrider Foundation program.

The Rotary Club of Waikiki is pleased to welcome Arleen Velasco as our guest speaker this week.

Arleen Velasco is an engineer with a small research firm in Honolulu and has worked for Hawaiʻi-based companies for more than 30 years. Fourteen years ago, she moved to Hawaiʻi and finally had the opportunity to devote more of her time to causes she has long cared about: protecting the ocean and strengthening local communities.

Arleen currently serves as Vice Chair of the Oʻahu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and Vice Chair of Diamond Head Neighborhood Board No. 5. Her engineering research background, combined with her deep love of the ocean, has led her to become actively involved in many of Hawaiʻi’s environmental challenges, including plastic pollution, coastal erosion, and ocean-water contamination caused by sewage.

Arleen will discuss the past and current work of the Blue Water Task Force, a Surfrider Foundation citizen-science program that tests beaches on Oʻahu for evidence of sewage pollution. Through this program, community volunteers help monitor coastal water quality and provide valuable information that can help protect Hawaiʻi’s beaches, ocean, and communities.

We look forward to learning from Arleen's experiences, insights, and contributions to our community.