Famous Timmy Curran Surf Traction Pad
Famous Surf Accessories make some great eco-friendly surf accessories and are probably known more for their wax than any of their other products. For this one they have teamed up with Timmy Curran, one of their sponsored surfers, to produce the Eco Timmy Curran Model traction pad. Made from 40% recycled EVA foam, it it available in three checkered color patterns. It is a three piece design with the all important contoured arch. The 27mm kick tail will help you bust those huge airs too.
This product is part of the Project Blue initiative so you know part of the proceeds are going towards making the water and beaches clean and safe fo eveyone to enjoy.
Buy online from Killer Dana.
Billabong Rasta’s Stand boardshorts
Rasta’s Stand recycled boardshorts”>Billabong continue to release great looking boardshorts made from 100% Eco supreme suede which is made from recycled PET bottles. Far too many PET bottles are used for things like bottled water and finally people are finding a use for them. Billabong now make a pretty decent range of boardshorts from this material.
David Rastovich is a well known activist for causes such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and imagines such as these are on the shorts. these are also seamless so the print continues around the shorts without interruption.
Pick up a pair of Rasta’s Stand boardshorts by Billabong.
Famous Green Label organic tee
Famous are well known for their surf wax products and whilst not all of their range of products are eco-friendly, some are. They have a range of apparel using American Apparel blanks.
The Famous Green Label t-shirt is a white organic cotton tee. It is made from 100% organic premium spun cotton. The print is down with water-based reactive dyes rather than the traditional screening dyes.
Buy Famous products online at Killer Dana or Pac Sun.
Billabong Recycler Series Boardshorts
Billabong, in conjunction with Project Blue have released a range of men’s and women’s boardshorts whereby proceeds from sales are donated back to the Surfrider Foundation.
The board shorts are made from eco-supreme suede, a 100% recycled polyester. To give you an idea, each garment is made from approximately ten recycled plastic PET bottles. These are so good they even won the 2008 Sima Product of the Year.
The men’s range includes the LSD, Tropical Itch, Eco Dots and Super Sonic (pictured) models. The women’s model is called Life and has a floral logo.
Check them out at the Billabong website or buy them from Killer Dana or Pac Sun.
ReSurf is recycling surfboards into industrial fillers
The harsh reality is that surfboards don’t last forever and the majority end up in landfill. As you can imagine, because of the materials used to manufacture them, they take forever to decompose. A few surfers from Orange County, California have come up with a way to use the surfboards by recycling them into a powder that is then used as a filling agent.
ReSurf are partnering with places like surf shops to act as collection points and then the used boards are transferred to a facility to be pulverised into a powder. This is being done in conjunction with Simba International who have affiliates worldwide with the necessary machinery.
The powder is then used in asphalt and concrete as a filler, with the added benefit of making it lighter and more flexible. Roofing tiles are another product benefitting from recycled surfboards.
The shaping waste is also being used, thus if a board is shaped by a shaper participating in the program and the subsequent owner ends the used board back, then it becomes a 100% recycled blank.
Learn how to donate, participate or find a collection point at ReSurf.
Famous Green Label surf wax
Surf wax is one of those items you don’t really think about much. Put it on the board and paddle out, so to speak. Problem is that you need to keep reapplying it because it comes off and is dispensed into the oceans. Not very ocean friendly if manufactured from petro-chemical based products.
Enter Famous Surf Wax and their green label line of eco-friendly surf waxes. It is a 100% petro-chemical free product that is completely biodegradable. This is an organic product, all natural and most importantly, earth friendly. Every surfer should be able to find a suitable one because it is available in five temperature from 60-Below F (15-Below C) to 78-Above F (25-Above C).
Even the packaging is recycled, FSC certified and printed with soy based inks.
The Famous Surf Wax website has more details.
Sea Captain shoes by Vans Surf
As written elsewhere, I think Vans shoes are the best. I’ve tried other major brands and keep going back to Vans. Perhaps because I never wear them out like the others. Tough as nails and big on style.
If you prefer a lace-up then the Vans Sea Captain is a better choice over the slip-on Low Crepe Vans model. Very similar low cut show made from similar materials. A quick rundown includes organic canvas, hemp and nubuck uppers, bamboo charcoal lined midsole insert, water based inks and glues. Finally, the Vans traditional waffle sole.
Click for the Vans Sea Captain range of colours and best pricing.
Vans Low Crepe shoe
I have been a long time supporter of Vans shoes since my early teens as a young BMX rider wishing I had a pair. Eventually I bought a pair and still have them. Just can’t get rid of them.
So fast forward many years and I was pleased to see them making footwear from sustainable raw materials. The Low Crepe model is a slip-on made from natural hemp and textiles, a bamboo lining, hemp infused gum rubber sole (waffle design of course) and all held together with water based glues. They come in a few colours all using water based inks.
These are part of their surf range so check out the Vans range.
Tom Wegener Surfboards Alaia Surfboard
Surfing, whilst trying to be eco-friendly, does have a problem with the way most boards are manufactured. Not the greenest process in the world.
Enter Tom Wegener from Queensland, Australia and his range of wooden boards. Not for everyone, the Alaia is made from plantation grown Paulownia, a native of China, Laos and Vietnam. The wood is suited to making surfboards because of its warp resistant properties. It is a fast growing tree and the wood sourced by Wegener is often grown organically and any unused parts of the trees are mulched and on-sold. Even the leaves are used as feed for cattle.
The boards are produced using a low energy process and only the small amounts of glue have petro-chemical properties. Everything else, like the linseed oil, gum terpentine and bees wax are natural.
The boards last longer than regular foam/glassed boards and when you finally feel the need for a new one, either hand it on or I’m sure you can come up with a few novel ways to use it rather than toss it out.
More information available at the Tom Wegener Surfboards website.
Body Glove Eco Surf Shirt
Body Glove don’t just do their Eco Fullsuits, they also have a 1mm surf shirt perfect for those winter swells in the tropics. Too warm for a wetsuit but too cool for just a pair of boardies. This surf shirt, like their wetsuits, is made from 100% non-petroleum bio-stretch rubber and claimed to be 100% ewnvironmentally friendly. Organic water based inks and recycled ykk zippers round out the equation.
Other features of the Body Glove eco surf shirt include 100% stretch, a boardshort connector, mini back zip and that all important exterior zip key pocket on the left sleeve.
See more about the Eco Surf Shirt at Body Glove.
