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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters buy a long-lasting eco-board instead of two conventional boards, we'll keep enough boards outta landfills to stretch, end-to-end, the distance of half an Olympic marathon.
COCKTAIL FACT
Off the coast of Brazil in 2007, a record 84 surfers caught the same wave.
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Wish your life was a neverending surf vacation?
The Bite
Then make waves by choosing longer-lasting, sustainable surf gear. Regular, petroleum-based stuff ends up staying in our ecosystems for a long time, and it isn't any more durable than eco-friendlier options. Shaka, brah.The Benefits
- Less petroleum use. Try apparel, boards, and wax that are free of oil byproducts. (Newsflash: Oil doesn't biodegrade easily, and it's a finite resource.)
- Sustainable wood. Our board-maker picks use only wood harvested from trees that aren't cut down faster than they're replaced.
- Giving your cash to conscientious companies. Support brands that are thinking about the long-term health of our oceans - some donate to ocean conservation orgs.
- Longer-lasting gear. More durable boards mean you'll buy fewer over time.
Personally Speaking
According to Sara, if you're surfing near a reef off Hawaii, keep your toes curled while they're underwater (unless you wanna get 'em bit off by reef sharks).Wanna Try?
- Grain Surfboards - lower-than-average-VOC, U.S.-made sustainable cedar surfboards ($1,400 and up).
- Hess Surfboards - custom-made using reclaimed and sustainable wood, cork, and only half the fiberglass of a conventional surfboard ($1,000 and up).
- Ocean Green Surfboards - made from balsa wood harvested from sustainable forests, with a hemp (not fiberglass) skin ($795 and up).
- Body Glove Eco Wetsuit - the world's first eco-wetsuit; petroleum-free and produced with a tenth of the energy of standard wetsuits. Also: surf shirt ($90-$325).
- Mantunas Wax - petroleum-free, biodegradable surf wax in recycled-paper packaging ($5).
- Surfrider Foundation - join other surfers campaigning for cleaner oceans.
May 22,2008
Sponsor
My boyfriend is a native Angeleno (that's LA-born for you non-Californians) and an avid surfer. On one of our first dates he thought it would be a good idea to take me surfing with him in San Onofre, near San Diego. Unbeknownst to him at the time, I'm of the Type-A variety, so riding unpredictable waves wouldn't be an activity that I'd ever seek out (let alone be caught dead in a wetsuit, which is about as flattering and sexy as a unitard). Anyways, he paddled us out with me on the front of his long board, and through runny mascara and a forced smile I remember thinking, "Are we having fun yet?"
Now that he actually knows me, he's blown away that I ever got in the water with him and we still laugh about it. I'm happy to help him wax his board with biodegradable surf wax and then wave to him from the beach.
-LA Editor Molly...off to "surf" in Dana Point this weekend with my beau...
Biter Comments...
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Maureen | May 22, 2008 at 09:43 AM