Los Angeles skateboard maker District Skates has seen the skateboarding mature but it continues to do things it owns way. This privately owned company has looked to carve out a niche for itself using eco-friendly materials that include reclaimed wood and taking the custom approach with each order. The company does all the planning, laminating, gluing and pressing for each board in downtown Los Angles. But the skating is left to the rider.
Category: Sustainable
Made in America: Dead Trees to Usable Skis
Around since 2009 Meier Handmade Skis makes – as the name suggests – handmade skis. The Colorado-based company also is looking to take what might otherwise be unusable and is finding a use for it. The company is now sourcing wood from pine trees that have succumbed to beetles.
The proliferation of beetles has killed millions of acres of trees in Colorado, but companies such as Meier have managed to find a use for the wood. The result is a quality ski with a wooden core and at the same time it has found a use would the dead trees.
Meier Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Beetles killed trees, Meier made skis]
Looking to Be Common
Protecting the environment and finding new uses for old things shouldn’t be rare, it should be commonplace and that’s just what Rareform Surfboard Bags are looking to do. We first heard about this company last fall, and now it has gone from concept to reality. The Los Angeles business is up and running and with surf season’s waves picking up we decided it was time to remind our readers about this company.
Rareform is a company that upcycles used products – in this case vinyl often reclaimed from billboards – and this makes each of its surfboard bags totally unique. These are made of UV-, hat-, water and mildew-resistant tarpaulin along with a quarter inch of foam padding so the board inside will be protected. The bags feature a mesh interior pocket, plus a 600D polyester nose protection, and even come with a removable shoulder strap. We expect these Rareform bags to be commonplace very soon.
The Green Mile
Bicycle chains have seen competition from beltdrives but keep on turning. It isn’t likely we’ll get off the chain gang anytime soon, but possibly the biggest annoying part of the chain might be slowly fading away. That is the greasy, dirty mess than most bike chains become almost immediately.
KMC has introduced a line of chains that feature a coating technology that is eco friendly. It can still fight off rust but feature a whole lot less of the nasty stuff.
Made in America: Natural Ride
We’ve seen a few wooden bikes over the years, but the Connor Wood Bikes are ones that could really turn heads. Produced in Denver, these American made bicycles feature frames made of steam bent, hand-sculpted, Kevlar reinforced ash and walnut. The bikes are coated with marine spar varnish to protect them from the elements. Two models are now available – including the Scorcher and Cruister – and both feature 29er wheels that let riders head through the woods on wooden bikes.
Recycled Skate Decks
We’ve seen companies such as MapleXo turn used skateboards into sunglasses and iPhone cases, but apparently other companies are looking to ensure that old skate decks don’t end up in landfills. Streetwear maker Diamond Supply Co. is launching its own mini-accessory line that includes an iPhone 5 case and companion sunglass frame.
These products are made from 100 percent recycled skateboard wood, and feature the words “BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED” etched onto the frames. Brilliant and sustainable.
Leg Up
We’ve seen many attempts to recycle bikes and build new bikes for those in need, but one young inventor is looking to turn bicycle parts and creating durable, well-functioning prosthetic legs. 19-year old Parker Owen of Mobile, Alabama studied the diagram of a bicycle and created a method to create the “Cycle-Leg,” a low-cost prosthetic that could be used by those who couldn’t afford more expensive prosthetics. He hopes to create between 20-30 of these when he visits Honduras this winter.
[Via AL.com: Alabama student makes prosthetic leg from bicycle; will make more in Honduras]
Inflatable Light
There are inflatable pillows for camping, but the LuminAID isn’t for resting your head, but rather lighting up the tent or campsite. It is a PVC plastic light that can be used as a lantern, and features a solar panel that charges an internal battery. As a light source it offers up to six hours with about 35 lumens. During the day it can compress to a small formfactor and clip on a backpack and soak in the rays of the sun to recharge for the coming night. Video after the jump
From Cars to Bikes
httpv://youtu.be/6XqJiXdkFiU
The video above tells the story of how Bicycled Bikes is turning cars into bicycles. Some of the uses are truly inspiring.
Unlimited Golfing Goes to Dubai
When we think of Dubai and much of the modern Middle East we think of excess. It is the land of man-made islands, indoor ski resorts and other seeming disposable aspects of our modern culture. However there could be a change coming, as Dubai-based We Ace Golf has partnered with American-based Golf Balls Unlimited.
Established more than 10 years ago, Golf Balls Unlimited offers used, and more importantly recycled top quality golf balls at a discount. Perhaps those in the Middle East are seeing that disposable isn’t the only way to go. Press release after the jump
Biodegradable Clothing Line Introduced
Puma’s new InCycle Collection is made with its end of life in mind. The collection, which includes shoes, clothing and accessories, that only contains items that will break down in one of two processes. This “biological cycle” features fiber materials that are organic and non-toxic and can be broken down by microorganisms into biological nutrients; while “technical cycle” items such as metal and plastic fastenings can be reclaimed through Bring Me Back programs and even sent to factories to be used in new items.
One example is the Puma Track Jacket (above), which is made of 98 percent recycled polyester that is derived from used PET bottles. Even the zipper is made of recycled polyester and the entire jacket can be turned back into polyester granulate and serve as a secondary raw material at the end of its run. The Puma line of InCycle products will be available for the spring collection.
Friendly Business
The buzz word for 2013 could very well be “upcycling,” a term we first heard last year. Instead of scrapping old materials to make new, upcycling efforts build new products with the old and save the process of using energy to recreate a fresh material.
We recently came across such a venture in Toronto, where Friends of 2 Wheels looks to recycle used bikes, repair used bikes and refurbish donated bikes and even upcycles new bikes from what otherwise might go in the landfill. This not-for-profit business even uses the sales of bikes to cover the cost of new bike parts and equipment. The company even offers bicycles for those in need, helping to change one life at a time. We think of this as the “cycle of life.”
Michigan Governor Calls for Truly Massive Trail
Imagine riding from just north of the Ohio border in Michigan – from Detroit anyway – all the way to Wisconsin? That would be a serious ride, but Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) has lauded Michigan’s trails and called for a multi-use trail that could run from Belle Isle Park in the City of Detroit all the way through the state. (Click on the map above for a closer look)
The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance has reportedly helped with the trail routing, which would tie together existing bike lanes and even sidewalks through Detroit and further north. We call this in a word ambitious but it could certainly be an epic trail for runners, riders and anyone else who wants to get away from it all.