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The Outsider: Outdoor Gear Going Green |
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Written by By Greyson Howard
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
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As green continues to grow as today’s current catchword, gear companies are getting on board with eco-friendly gear for your next outdoor adventure.
Manufacturers are looking to their factories, transportation, and the materials they make their goods with and figuring out ways to reduce, replace, or offset some of the things that might damage the very places their gear is supposed to help you go.
 Locally, Makboard is making a 100 percent recyclable snowboard, and offers a recycling program. Lake Tahoe rider and inventor Bob Candler was turned off by the waste created when snowboard reaches the end of its usable lifespan. He spent 15 years tinkering in his garage, perfecting a revolutionary snowboard made entirely of Makrolon — a clear polycarbonate material that is 100 percent recyclable.
Designed to carve, slash and surf the mountain, the Makboard looks and rides unlike any other snowboard on the market today — and it’s 100 percent recyclable. All riders are invited to demo the Makboard for free at the Lake Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival this weekend on Saturday, April 26 at the Village at Squaw Valley.
Since Makboards are manufactured in the USA, recycling an old Makboard is as simple as sending it back to the company with a pre-paid shipping label. And snowboarders who do choose to recycle their old Makboards will be given credit towards a credit toward the purchase of a new Makboard.
Made of a clear polycarbonate material called Makrolon, the Makboard can be melted down and reborn into another snowboard when it’s life is over, rather than ending up as part of the waste stream.
For a good night’s sleep and a clear environmental conscience, Pacific Outdoor Equipment’s Insul Mat line of sleeping pads now includes the Eco Ether series.
Just like their other pads, the Eco Ether uses six plump 2.5 inch-thick air tubes filled with insulation to be the comfort king for backpacking pads.
But unlike other pads in their line, or elsewhere on the market, the Eco Ether uses bamboo fibers, carbonized bamboo fill, and undyed bamboo fabrics to make for an earth-friendly pad.
But when companies can’t replace their petroleum based products with natural ones, they can take other steps to stay earth friendly.
Golite, a lightweight hiking, backpacking, and trail running company in Boulder is 100 percent carbon neutral.
Their gear, while still made of high-tech synthetics, is simple and lightweight, meaning less material was needed to make your pack or tent.
And hey, lighter packs are a nice bonus too.
But running out and replacing your perfectly good existing kit with green gear isn’t exactly eco-friendly either — so buy less and use it longer, rather than going out and buying the latest and greatest every season.
Find new uses for old gear, or hook up a friend, rather than dumping it in a fit of spring cleaning.
For more information, visit www.makboard.com; www.pacoutdoor.com and www.golite.com
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 April 2008 )
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