We heard about Danny Hess of Hess Surfboards and like what he’s doing a lot. He saw that a lot of commercial surfboards are full of petrochemicals and carcinogens – not exactly the kind of materials that surfers probably think is good for the waves.
Instead he is using salvaged wood, natural finishes and organic resins to craft his boards, which are built to last – ironically unlike many boards made of synthetic materials. The other irony is that when Hess’s boards reach end of life they should decompose naturally, whereas those synthetic boards can’t ride the waves but won’t exactly biodegrade anytime in the next dozen lifetimes!
We’ve seen a number of innovative bags from Timbuk2 this season, but this month the company has gone Full-Cycle, with its new brand of recycled/upcycled bags. These feature fabrics and webbing that come from recycled plastic bottles, while the straps and buckles are made from post-industrial and post-consumer materials.
Last month we noted in our Friday Made in America profile that RAMP Sports was looking to ramp up production of its various skis and other products by moving back to America. Now Mike Kilchenstein, CEO and founder of RAMP Sports, a 32 year industry veteran tells us why they made that decision. 
The sun can do many great things besides heat the earth and make the planet sustainable for life. It can also give great tans, but more importantly it can be used as a way to recharge our electronics on the go. And now it can also purify water.
Bamboo as a material for bicycles isn’t really that new. There have been a few companies that have used the fast-growing, ultra-strong grass as a material choice for frame design. The latest is German-owned Zuri, which might seem as an odd choice as bamboo isn’t exactly native to the Rhine or Black Forrest.
This week we came across two unique – and very different – concepts for cooking while camping. The first is from Energia USA, which makes it cooking containers out of paper. That didn’t sound right to us either, but you’re reading that right. The cooking pots are made out of paper.
Given the amount of athletic competition that will take part in the Olympic Games it would be interesting to see how much power could be generated by the athletes. Unfortunately that isn’t actually possible in this year’s games, but many of the attendees will be powering some of the walkway lights leading to the Olympic Park.
Nike is a big player on the grid iron for the way football is played in America, but it also has a new boot for the pitch as well. The new Nike GS Football Boot – designed for what we in the States call soccer – promises to be the lightest and most innovative shoe yet. It is also quite green, and not just in color.
Wood remains a viable building material for many things. Who wouldn’t want hardwood floors for example, or a nice wood deck for a sunny afternoon? On the fitness side of things we’ve seen wooden bicycles, but F&Y Les Classiques from Montreal have taken this a step further with hardwood handlebars.
There is an old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Seattle-based Alchemy Goods essentially operates on that principal, and it creates new products from what many of us would likely just toss in the garbage.
Don’t call it recycled, because for Sourced its new messenger bags aren’t so much “recycled” as these are “upcycled” from tractor trailer curtains, which were previously used to protect cargo. These tarps are cleaned, and hand sewn into very durable bags from the UK-based company.
While no one would probably want to be “waterboarded” or experience “waterboarding” we think a lot of wave riders might want to experience the Waterboard. These new eco-friendly boards are made of partially-recycled material and are hand crafted in the USA.
Last December