When he was alive, my father worked for a blood sucking chemical corporation. His job essentially was to sell the little plastic pellets that other blood sucking companies use to make all kinds of things from TV shells to styrofoam cups. The last time anyone gave a crap about the planet was back in the 70’s. Remember the big green “E?” It was about that time that my father began to be involved in learning about recycling plastics. I think it all started when one of his clients got scared by the hippies. For many years they had been packaging their corporate death burgers in styrofoam containers, and it was my Dad’s job to manage that sales relationship, because he ultimately sold the plastic pellets. When the fast food joint went to paper packaging due to public pressure from environmentalists, the writing was on the wall. The Blood sucking chemical corporation decided to investigate and push recycling technologies to combat a potential loss of business.
Fascinating huh? But what does this have to do with green skateboards? Every time plastic is recycled it becomes less and less usable in practical applications. It’s basically only a couple iterations away from ending up as a brown lunch tray in a school cafeteria or correctional facility. And really, how many of those do we need? Green skateboard technologies applied to longboards are nice but not particularly effective in terms of environmental impact unless they can be used to produce a respectable short board for the kids that are going through a deck every three weeks. That’s the reason skateboards have reportedly become the worlds top consumer of hard maple. The market segment for longboards is dramatically smaller than short boards, and once sold, a longboard tends to remain in use over a much longer time period. In fact a year or more isn’t unusual at all.
That being said, the latest entry into alternative green skateboard construction is a Brazillian joint effort between a Let’s EVO and materials developer Fibra Sustainable Design. And it looks like a leaf!
[Source: Treehugger.com] – Thanks to Denny Renshaw for the tip.
The point of my story wasn’t to denigrate the Eco Sk8 project. I’m playing the Devil’s advocate, or in this case Rachel Carson, and pointing out that these technologies so far have not been demonstrated visibly in a way that applies to the overwhelming majority of the hardwood consuming, toxic adhesive applying shortboard riders. So let’s not kid ourselves into being complacent about it. Every time I read about one of the new green skateboards, my immediate reaction is “Great! But it’s nothing more than media fluff unless it works for the average kid acid dropping and kickflipping in the streets and skateparks.” Let’s face it, low impact skateboarding is not even close to the lion’s share of resources being consumed. Maybe Michael Brook has the numbers. He lurks here occasionally, so if you’re reading this, what say you?
Eco Sk8 from Let’s EVO and Fibra Sustainable Design
The outer plys of the Eco Sk8 are made from something called Papunha Veneer, which is a by product of waste from Papunha “plywood” that is actually a non-wood Palmheart plant. The second layer is a composite made from 70% natural fibers native to South America and 30% recycled polypropylene, AKA the plastic lunch tray! Actually, I don’t know which molecule is used for those lunch trays, but you can bet there’s a “poly” or an “ene” in there somewhere. The remaining three inner plies are constructed from an organically produced Brazilian bamboo variety. The whole thing is held together with a vegetable based adhesive.
Enlarge the materials info.
The official web site for Let’s Evo is in English when you get there, but without warning the skateboard project links to another language that I have to assume is Portuguese. It’s a bummer (for honkys) becasue it looks like there’s a lot of information there. The abundant pictures occasionally have an English caption.
Of course they have to test these things once they build them.
13 comments
spk
u should come.
tons of girls, cheap beer , cheap w**d, gnarly and bad constructed skate parks.
masterochicken
One of my favorite quotes. “I’m from Brazil, and that scares the shit out of me.” fuck I’m drunk
talentlessquitter
I know that one! It is about the children’s tv-character. That Warthog thing.
Kilwag
Sure, next time I’m in Brazil I’ll look you up! Oh wait, I never go to Brazil.
Bevilacqua
you should sometimes : check it here:
http://sakaroule.blogspot.com/2011/07/rio-vacances-virtuelles-n1.html
How about an pic of you in a Sakaroul
talentlessquitter
How can I get/buy a Sakaroul
Bevilacqua
send me a mail with your size and address at sakaroule@gmail.com
and I’ll send one for you in the next batch !
spk
but the one with fiber inside worked NICE. still have some here. want to have a ride ?
spk
i have a skate deck company here named yerbah here and most of brazilian decks ar made from a wood named MARFIM and this wood is far away of being sustainable. it comes straight from the jungle (paraguai)
still the same here. my decks are hard maple maden. this MARFIN wood is a steal form the nature.
ive tried some diferent constructions with some brasilian sustainable wood and the problem is here the anual media temperature is warm so the wood is light but very weak. to solve this problem i had to use fiberlam inside. i made one also with organic glue and green wood….
it broke on the first lipslide.
still on the endless search.
damienhialation
I picked up a skate while I was in Brazil made out of some Brazilian wood. The dudes at the skateshop down there were selling US Maple decks for like 80 bucks each, but the Brazilian wood deck was only $40. The guy told me that the wood is harder and heavier than maple decks, but really, my decks are already heavy, so…. Anyway, couldn’t help myself from picking one up, and it’s one of the best decks I’ve ever skated. Poppy as hell and strong to boot. Twas a bit heavier than a regular deck, but I’m heavier than the average skater, so whatever.
brad
Working for Dow Chemical sounds like fodder for a song off Plastic Surgery Disasters- no wonder you turned out a punk.
oldfatjeff
Wow, those guys sure are smiling. Thanks to DuPont, FMC, Union Carbide (now Bayer and Dow) the residents of the “chemical valley” in which I live got some cool shit for Christmas. My Dad got some cancer. This place is Fu@#ed man. I guess it is time to move to Brazil and ride some leaves and be happy.
conahan
No way, my dad worked for Dow Chemical too. I think they made styrofoam for napalm-B at the Torrance, CA facility where he worked. One year for christmas we got a push-car made from a napalm bomb casing.