To most surfers, the “Green Room” is commonly known as the vortex or location on the face of the wave where the surfer is encircled by the pitching lip (as seen in the photo), but Joey Santley, Steve Cox, and Matt Biolos are not ordinary surfers. They’re environmentalists. They know that the surfer’s loyalty and respect for the “Green Room” should extend well beyond the water. And so, with their new start-up venture this year, ReSurf, they’re hoping to have a riptide reduction on the amount of waste their favorite pastime produces to better preserve the environment.
“Every day in Southern California about 800 boards are being shaped and produced and as much as 40% of each blank slab ends up in a landfill,” Joey Santley, a long-time marketing executive in the surf industry and one of ReSurf’s founders, explains. ReSurf aims to reduce the demand for carcinogenic polyutherene surfboards by recycling some of the leftover waste from the foam slab used to create the shape of new boards and by recycling old boards. The recycled polyutherene blanks – or the foam core of the board – can be used as a filler for asphalt and concrete mixes as well as to make top-quality roof-tiles and even new boards. ReSurf partners with individuals by accepting old surfboards and with business by creating contracts with surfboard shops and factories. From the factories and individuals, they take and break down the waste from old surfboards. But for the surf shops, they have a much bigger plan.
The trio hopes to sponsor “Green Rooms” in local surf shops where environmentally friendly surf products and recycled materials can be sold. For example, Santley and his crew already have prototypes of accessories made out of recycled neoprene wet suits that include a leash, sandals, and a surf deck. They have even sent polyutherene samples to automobile companies to see if they would be a viable component in vehicle dashboards.
Ultimately, they hope to take their environmental surfer’s conscience global, but for now, California is the ideal place to start. Green Foam Blanks, Joe Santley’s sister project to produce 100% recycled surf boards, has already produced 1,000 blanks this year. Stars such as Matthew McConaughey, Cameron Diaz, and Jason Mraz have all been seen sporting Green Foam boards that are better for the environment, but Santley admits it might take awhile for the rest of the surfing crowd to catch on….Surfers usually worry that even a slight change in the make-up of their boards may compromise its performance level.
Fortunately, this much is true: in the surfer slang riptionary, the Green Room now has more than one meaning. It’s that sweet little piece of surfer heaven between the rag-doll and the outside and it’s also a growing movement and reminder to respect the power and importance of Mother Earth. Thank you, Re-Surf.
Peace.
ReSurf
ReSurf collects broken, dead, or abused surfboards as well as shaping waste from participating surfboard shops and factories to use in the creation of concrete and asphalt mixes, roof-tiles, and new surf boards.
- Organization Type: For-Profit
- Website: http://www.resurf.org/
- Founder(s): Joey Santley, Matt Biolos, and Steve Cox
- Founded: 2009
- Location: San Clemente, California, United States
- See complete company list here
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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