HomeBlown U.S. Announces "Green" Surfboard Blanks

Surfing remains one of those activities that portrays an environmentally friendly nature, reveling in the majesty of the ocean's power and beauty, yet utilizes very non-environmental gear. Polyethylene foam is very toxic to produce and work with and the largest supplier of surfboard blanks, Clark Foam, was shut down a few years ago for continuing to violate EPA regulations. Homeblown, a UK company, has developed deployable foam technology with an environmentally friendly twist. The stateside sister company, HomeBlown U.S., has announced the availability of a "Green" surfboard blank, with 50% of the material made from plant-based products. They claim 36% less global warming emissions and a 61% reduction in non-renewable energy use. The company is also making "Biofoam" for other applications such as insulation and panels and is employing a deployable system for site-based production, realizing that shipping raw materials is much less energy-intensive than shipping a final product. The prices of these surfboard blanks is competitive with traditional polyethylene foam yet is 10% lighter and 20% stronger! Another UK company, the ecosurfstore, has developed environmentally-friendly surfboards using balsa ribs overlayed with hemp cloth and resin. Now all we need is for all us surfers to start utilizing this technology and keep demanding eco-friendly alternatives!

via Wetsand.com