Eden Project Introduces Sustainable Surfboards

During the Summer of 2005, The Eden Project* teamed up with the British Surfing Museum for a special exhibition on surfing history on the south coast of Britain and have introduced a prototype surfboard—the Eco Board—that could offer a better environmental option to the modern man-made boards.

The original Hawaiian boards of 200 years ago were made from native trees such as the koa and wili wili. Then in the 1950s came the advent of boards made of environmentally damaging petrochemicals.

Now, riding the crest of the technological wave is the Eden Eco Board, which is made from balsa wood and is laminated in hemp and a plant based resin. The Eco Board has much more in common with its Pacific ancestors than the modern fiberglass and petrochemical based versions.

Despite surfers�Eunique link with nature through their wave riding, until recently little thought was given to the environmental effect board building had on the environment.
According to Chris Hines, Eden’s Sustainability Director and a keen surfer “While board design in terms of shape and performance has come on in leaps and bounds since the 1950s, little has changed in the way the boards are manufactured. Many surfers pride themselves on protecting the sea and natural environment, but the vast majority still ride some of the most toxic pieces of sports equipment on earth.�E/p>

Chris, who was a founder of the pressure group Surfers Against Sewage, added: “We are very proud of our Eco Board. In fact, it is so environmentally friendly that at the end of its life we could break it up and feed it to our new composter. You certainly can’t do that with a fiberglass board. This fits perfectly with our Waste Neutral philosophy.�E/p>

Eden is also hoping that the iconic imagery of the Eco Board will stimulate other industries, including those who use surfing to sell their wares, to look at the materials and processes involved in their manufacture and disposal.

* The Eden Project was established as one of the landmark Millennium projects in the UK to mark the year 2000 and is working “to promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people and resources leading to a sustainable future for all.�Ebr> SOURCE:
Eden Project http://www.edenproject.com/index.html
LINKS
Surfers Against Sewage http://www.sas.org.uk/
IMAGE: freefoto.com http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp