E N V I R O N M E N T
Cliff Kapono
Parley for the Oceans, Sustainable Surf, Surfdome, and all the Shapers and Glassers. There’s still room on the team if you’re interested. Our next challenge was getting the materials on island. Lack of supply forced us to ship blanks and resin in from the mainland. We’re encouraging Fiberglass Hawaii to prepare for the increase in demand and blank manufacturers are already preparing.
IGNITE ECOBOARD ADOPTION: A PROTEST UPDATE By Kahi Pacarro Photos Jake Marote
Two months ago, I introduced the ProTest to Freesurf Magazine readers. It’s a double entendre on the word Protest: It’s a protest against the conventional surfboard and an opportunity for the Pro’s to Test a quiver of ecoboards we are creating in collaboration with the world's best shapers. The best part is that you, too, will get a chance to ride these same boards. Also, a prize purse of $10,000 is up for grabs for the best ride of the winter on an ecoboard plus $1,000 for the team that submits the video. The competition will run until February 28, 2018. Now, the ProTest is in full swing and the entries have been rolling in. At the end of the winter, someone is walking away with a 76
cool $10,000 for ripping on an ecoboard. But getting this project off the ground was not as easy as you’d expect. Our first challenge was getting support. With a goal of 30 ecoboards available on Oahu along with raising enough money for the winning surfer and submission team, finding $25,000 to fund the overall cost of this unprecedented project without any compensation for Cliff Kapono or Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii was a huge hurdle. In similar fashion to their forward thinking as it relates to sustainability, Vans stepped up to the plate first to financially support the project. Others continue to follow and we want to send a mahalo to Surfer Magazine,
Next, the shapers. Ecoboards have been among the lexicon of our community for a few years with mixed connotations, primarily negative. Yellow boards and soft glass were just a few of the bad opinions being thrown around. But the materials have come a long way and are now as good – if not better – than the status quo. Stepping into the room where our craftsmen have been shaping the vehicles that keep our batteries charged creates an uncomfortableness similar to when meeting your heroes. Imagine trying to encourage them to take a risk and change the way they make boards to be a part of something you believe to be the future. More than one shaper told me, “This whole green movement is a bunch of BS.” The ProTest’s response below brought them onboard. Let’s get to the crux of this project. We’re not saying the ecoboard quiver we are creating is the solution. We are the first to say these boards are not perfect. They’re still toxic, but they are less toxic than the status quo: 25