1% for the Planet: Rob Machado Foundation

The Rob Machado Foundation was founded upon the fundamental belief that our planet needs to be taken care of, and that there’s no better place to start than with our local communities and our children.

It was a natural move for Mizu to team up with Rob and his crew, to encourage reusables over single-use plastic water bottles and the water filling station program across a growing network of schools is a fantastic showcase of the commitment for a better future. 

Rob Machado is not just one of the world’s greatest surfers, he’s also one of the sport’s most recognizable characters -- a living icon who continues to expand the definition of what professional surfing is all about. Known for his zen-like flow both on land and in the water, Machado was consistently seeded at the top of the rankings as a competitor on the ASP World Tour. With 12 career WCT victories, Machado was ranked among the top ten surfers for eleven straight years and was inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and re-inducted in 2006 and SIMA Waterman of the Year in 2011. 

Since his departure from the ASP tour in 2001, Machado has been one of surfing’s most committed ambassadors, roaming the globe, surfing the world’s best waves, and deepening his commitment to various environmental causes. Inspired by becoming a dad, Machado founded the Rob Machado Foundation in 2004 to educate and empower young people to make sustainable choices. Today he is directly involved in the programs run by the foundation, often appearing at schools and volunteer events. 

It all started out as an introduction of gardening programs at local schools -- encouraging children to connect with the land they live on and the food they eat – and today RMF provides clean drinking water stations and water bottles to thousands of kids in schools across California and Hawaii. It really encourages kids to use reusable bottles over single-use plastic water bottles. 

While this is the core focus of the foundation, TMF also put their efforts into keeping plastic and other trash out of our waterways with trash and recycling solutions at beaches, schools, surf events and local beach clean ups.

Machado and his team believe that our youth are the stewards of our planet. They believe communities can come together to impact change. And they believe the future starts here.

To see how you can get involved in your area, check out the website here.