What potential do we have as a community to make a big change?
Skateboarding has the potential to be a carbon neutral industry. What would it take to get us there? Some of the biggest ecological challenges with skateboarding are the concrete parks, the production of steel trucks, the maple tree deforestation, and the waste and emissions from the garment industries. Thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom. Some workable solutions are within reach, but skateboarders, ironically, can be die-hard traditionalists, especially when it comes to the fundamentals.
Words by Talia Kaufman
Illustrations by @k.k.reate
The rise of womxn in skateboarding and the proliferation of new skateparks being built everywhere from Syria to Jamaica are fruits of direct actions from within our community. We established new norms that we couldn’t imagine living without today. Could we apply the same determination to greening a not-so-green industry?
Let’s start with laying out a few ideas to get us all on the same page. First of all, yes, the climate is changing and we’re running out of time to stay within the 2 degree celsius (3.6 fahrenheit) warming threshold defined in the 2018 Paris Agreement. Scientists warn surpassing a warming threshold of 2 degrees would mark a tipping point towards an uninhabitable and crucially, un-skateable planet Earth for humankind. According to the European Commission, 175 countries agreed to try to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5°C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change. It will take focused collective action from everyone, including the global skate community, to change the course we’re on.
A (brief) history of environmentalism in skateboarding
Skateboarding as an eco-friendly way of getting from A to B is about as green as it gets. There has been a lot written on the relationship between skateboarders and the environment, though, usually the environment in question is an urban one. As skateboarders, we are highly attuned to our environments. That’s already a great foundation for greening an industry.
We’ve shown relentless obsession with building and preserving spots and spaces for non-commercial public use. The relatively recently-formed movements to carve out space for womxn, non-binary, queer and trans people in skateboarding have been a microcosm of our decades-long efforts to carve out space for ourselves in the public sphere. As skateboarding becomes more inclusive, why not extend that compassion to planet Earth, the only place in the known Universe where the conditions for skateboarding are just right.
What are we up against? Facts & Data
Trucks
According to the sustainability consultant, PRé, our trucks are the part of our skateboards that creates the most greenhouse gas emissions during production, by a long shot. PRé was commissioned by a small UK board company to do a sustainability assessment of their bamboo skateboards. They concluded that a switch to recycled aluminum would have the most potential to lower the ecological footprint of our boards. Sounds pretty straightforward but nobody’s doing it yet.
Decks
The seven plies of hard maple in our decks come with their own layers of problems. Decks are the most abundant skateboard part. They endure the most wear and tear compared to other components and they literally grow on trees so they are relatively straightforward to manufacture. But, according to a September 2019 article in Forbes, Skateboarding for Sustainability, “…With an estimated 100,000 boards being produced a month, skateboard production has become a major contributor to maple deforestation.”
Replacing the Canadian maple in decks with a more sustainable or durable material is practically sacreligious for skateboarders. We’ve been presented a number of alternatives, some verge on ridiculous and some seem a little more viable. One company offers a board they claim is eight times more durable than a regular deck, made of patented materials with names like Fokus Carbon, Glyd Graphics and Interlite Pop. Maybe it’s these names, or the fluorescent green branding, but even though the company is independently owned, the concept feels gimmicky.
The experiences of scuffing up your deck, possibly breaking it, and choosing a new one when it runs out of pop all seem pretty essential to the experience of skateboarding. On a deep level we enjoy the disposability of the deck. The wear and tear is a testament to how hard we’ve been shredding. Incidentally, planned obsolescence, or essentially making sure a product doesn’t last forever, is also good business sense. Just as your phone will inevitably meet an operating system that will slow it to a crawl, skate companies don’t want us to be able to ride a board forever.
One skate company offers a sustainable deck that presents a middle ground between disposable decks and gimmicky alternatives. It’s made of 5 thin layers of hard rock maple, infused with epoxy resin and reinforced with a patented fiber on the top and bottom levels. With the backing of a major skate brand, it offers authenticity and durability without compromising style.
One alternative material that has potential but has yet to gain mainstream attention is bamboo. Bamboo skateboards are renewable, strong, flexible and show promise as a viable alternative to maple. Handmade and reused or repurposed boards are also an option. A UK-based charity recycles old decks into new shapes for use in skate-based social programs. Non-profit organizations like Donate for Skate and Skateboards for Hope also engage in recycling by re-distributing used boards.
For the past few years, Michi Mackrodt has been skating handmade decks. The maple boards are pressed one at a time, with an organic glue replacing the epoxy resin. They’re then hand shaped. “It’s really a choice. Bit more pop vs durability and sustainability,” Michi explains. Now he’s able to travel for a few months with only one deck, where before he might have brought three or four with him. “But most importantly,” he says, “I really like the whole process and appreciate each board I ride way more. Each one is made with passion and love and that’s really nice. I guess that’s not what big companies are looking for.”
Clothing & Shoes
The fashion industry is problematic because its seasonal trends encourage a culture of disposable goods. Overseas production and shipping also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. A 2016 article, Rubber processing is detrimental to the environment: a case study, explains in detail why the process of making vulcanized rubber for our shoes is also a big issue for the planet. A growing movement toward handmade and locally produced fashion is a step in the right direction.
Luckily a few solutions exist. To start with, skaters with the cash to do so can choose to move away from fast fashion and opt for high quality, more durable clothes. Second hand clothes are also a great way to reduce your fashion footprint.
Companies can also take positive action. For example, one big skate shoe company plants a tree in Brazil or Costa Rica for each pair of shoes sold. In mid-March 2020, they reached 2 million trees planted. Other options for producers and distributors include B Corp Certification and purchasing carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are the equivalent of paying someone else to plant trees or do activities that contribute positively to the environment to offset the damage done by your own consumer activities. People can buy personal carbon offsets, and companies can also do this. Whether this is effective or not is up for debate, but think of it as one tool in your green toolbox.
They paved paradise and put up a skatepark…
It’s no secret that concrete isn’t green. Not only because nothing green can grow on it, but also because of how it’s made. The construction industry is the biggest single source of CO2 emissions worldwide, emitting more than the aviation industry. According to carbonbrief.org, “If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world.”
Fortunately, there are some great green skatepark design solutions that can help clear our consciences. Multipurpose skateparks can double as benches, pathways and incorporate other greenspace design elements.
Many who grew up with a love for skateboarding are drawn to urban planning professions. This was obvious at 2019’s Pushing Boarders conference which was co-organized by academics and urban planners and held a “Spaces” break out session. This melding of urban design, architecture, and skateboarding gives rise to some grand solutions that bring value added to the built environment. One great example is the skatepark drainage ditch, an innovative design from a Copenhagen based architecture firm that functions as a skatepark when it’s dry out, and a drainage ditch to prevent flooding when it rains.
In the case of skatepark construction, environmentally friendly innovations offer a whole range of advantages, including cost-saving, more inclusive spaces, more durability and smoother surfaces.
Everett Tetz with New Line Skateparks explains that adding more green space to a park’s design offers a win-win. “Including planted islands and internal softscape viewing areas allows for a more dynamic, inviting, and arguably inclusive public space,” he says. “Integrated green space also reduces the urban heat island effect and offers some good opportunities for capturing and treating storm water naturally through the use of biofiltration techniques.”
Concrete generally contains three ingredients: cement, sand and aggregate (rock), and these are mixed with water. The process of creating the cement is the main environmental offender here.
New Line uses a substitute called fly ash to reduce the cement needed in the concrete mix. Fly ash can be made from recycled materials, making for a building material that is more environmentally friendly but also stronger and more durable than traditional concrete. Recycling can also play a part here. When old skateparks are refurbished, the existing skatepark can be crushed, milled, and used as the sub-base for the new skatepark, a practice New Line frequently uses.
When strengthening the concrete, New Line has found that plant-based fibers are a cost-effective and greener solution to the synthetic fibers often used in the concrete industry. Hemp fibers hold water longer and thereby reduce the amount of surface cracking in the concrete over time. In contrast to many board and clothing manufacturers, skatepark companies are building for longevity. “We want our skateparks to last as long as possible, well beyond 25 years,” says Everett.
Events
As skateboarding gains global visibility, the size and environmental impact of its contests will grow proportionally. This is where the industry should look to strategies from well-established events and leagues like the NFL and Winter Olympic Games for models of carbon neutrality for large scale events. These measures usually take the form of carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions from spectator and participant travel to the event, and better construction practices and design for event venues.
What impact could we make on carbon outputs
According to a 2019 report from Grand View Research, skateboarding is the third most popular sport in North America, after football and basketball. The report suggests that increased construction of skateparks in North America and internationally by municipal governments and the World Skateboard Federation is driving market growth. According to climatecentral.org, we’ve already warmed the Earth by 1 degree above pre-industrial temperatures, and at this rate Earth will reach the 1.5°C threshold between 2030 and 2052. By 2025 skateboarding will be a $2.4 Billion industry globally, but what will be our impact on the planet?
Leaders, Solutions, Challenges
The goal of lowering the negative effects of our favourite activity on our favourite planet is within reach. Traditional mindsets and a cash bottom line for large companies will be major obstacles to any efforts to go green, but a lack of willpower won’t be. Changes can catch on quickly across communities, continents and supply chains. People can be motivated and take individual and collective action. Our work now is to decide on that collective vision.
