Could there be a anything more eco-friendly than a skateboard, the ultimately in zero-emissions rolling transportation? Actually, yes there could - and there is, from Comet Skateboards, a San Francisco skateboard manufacturer that uses poplar and hickory from sustainable forests for the core of its boards, and tops them with a vaneer of bamboo or maple coated with water-based paints. Comet Skateboards also says it is working with manufacturers and universities worldwide to help develop ‘green’ epoxies, reinforcements and coatings to make the manufacture of its skateboards even more environment-friendly.
Plus - Comet Skateboards’s factory in downtown San Francisco is solar-powered, and the company says it sources supplies locally as much as possible. That cuts down on carbon emissions by suppliers as materials and supplies are transported to the Comet factory.
“We’re striving to build the strongest and lightest skateboards on the planet using the most ecologically sustainable materials,” says Jason Salfi, CEO, Comet Skateboards, in this video on YouTube featuring a look inside the Comet manufacturing process.
Best quote from the video: “Ninety percent of the skateboards sold in the U.S. today are mass-produced in China and they suck.”
Also, here’s a TreeHuggerTV video on Comet Skateboards from 2006.
Skateboards aren’t a viable transportation option for most people, of course - but there’s no reason manufacturers of other types of products can’t learn from Comet Skateboards’ example. Making a product eco-friendly isn’t just about the product’s impact on the environment, but the impact of the manufacturing process on the environment too.
Incidentally, my first, and last, skateboard was a thick chunk of wheeled plastic bought at a suburban Philadelphia K-mart back around 1980. The technology has certainly improved since then, though I guarantee you my skateboarding skills never did.
One Comment
Heh. Nice. I am proud of my logical ratio A JOKE! ) What do you call a frightened scuba diver? Chicken of the sea.