Skateboarding for eco-conscious riders

(Credit: SuperGreen Boards)

My colleague Hunter Smith of frog design has used his entrepreneurial spirit to launch a budding start-up based on his two greatest passions: eco-design and skateboarding. Hunter's company, aptly named SuperGreen Boards, employs some of the most advanced eco-friendly technologies for producing custom longboards, slalom, and speedboards.

SuperGreen Boards uses bamboo, which is not only beautiful, strong, and flexible but is also sustainably harvested. Maple wood, known as the gold standard for skateboards because of its strength under the pressure of the rider, takes a minimum of 100 years to mature before it can be used. Bamboo, in comparison, takes only five years for a stalk to mature, converts eight times more CO2, and is 17% harder than maple. Adding even more strength to the board, Hunter uses a fiberglass alternative made entirely of finely woven strands of bamboo fiber, and bonds it to the board using very low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) epoxy. In the next few months, Hunter is hoping to convert from low VOC to a soy-based epoxy as the technologies become available.

Hunter says: "I'm delighted to see skaters adopt a green mentality and a desire to preserve the Earth for future generations. I am proud to provide boards for down-to-earth, eco-conscious riders with an eye for style."