It can easily be argued that surfers, perhaps more than all other groups, should have a very high awareness and concern regarding the environment in which they enjoy their sport.
Clean water matters because we are submerged IN the water.
Dirty water = sick surfers.
Compromised environment = compromised waves.
It’s for these umbrella reasons that Surfrider exists… for the protection and enjoyment of our oceans, waves and beaches.
Michael Stewart and Kevin Whilden started Sustainable Surf with a similar mission. They’re asking important questions like… can a performance surfboard have a smaller, much smaller, environmental impact?
To drive that point home, last evening they hosted a gathering in San Francisco at the Saatchi & Saatchi SÂ headquarters.
In the middle of the party they glassed Shaun Tomson’s new Channel Islands surfboard.
In fact, they glassed four or five surfboards. It was wild.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then glassing a board in the middle of a party is worth… many more. They chose to glass boards in the middle of a party to drive home the important message that alternative, less toxic options exist… now.
Bio-resin isn’t an abstract concept… here it is.
This process works for performance boards, this board is for a world champion.
I wrote about the options surfers have in a recent series of blog posts. Here is a post about high-strength EPS blanks made from recycled TV-packing materials, the second post (here) was about choosing the best shaper you can find and the last post was about the glassing with a natural, super sap, bio-based epoxy resin.
For the event last night, Sustainable Surf brought together a number of thought leaders to talk about sustainability and surfing. More importantly, they brought together the local surfing community in San Francisco.
I sat there and watched Shaun’s board get glassed, and I was truly blown away. When I think of surfboard glassing, an image doesn’t come to my mind… a smell does. If you’ve ever been to a facility that glasses boards you’ll know what I mean. The smell gets in your clothes, can make you light-headed, etc.
I encourage you to read this blog post. It explores this alternative glassing option.
I also encourage you to ask the same questions Kevin and Michael at Sustainable Surf are asking… “how can we maximize enjoyment of the ocean while doing the least amount of harm to it?”
Kudos to Todd Patterson and Ryan Harris from Etech glassing for doing the actual glassing in the pics above and for continuing to show us alternatives. Big props also go out to resin guru Rey Banatao at Entropy Bio-Resins. And heartfelt thanks to Adam Werbach from Saatchi S for helping make it all happen… in the middle of their offices.
It was a memorable evening where the surf community came together, had some fun, and left with their eyes wide open.
