Push Don’t Pollute! Sector 9 cures my ‘land-sickness’.

Couldn't spend another minute on land without some wheels! Touring the Sector 9 Skateboards facilities here with Devon Beck. That's my new bamboo skateboard with soy-based wheels! yippee!

After a chat by phone with the immigration office in Tahiti a few days before my planned departure from California, I found out I’d be staying a little longer than expected…I couldn’t go back for another month! So with some extra time, I got to do a few things that I never get around to on my ‘California lists’. I finally got medical insurance…check!, did my taxes…check!, renewed my drivers license…check! and spent some QT with the fam… But something was missing…I hadn’t had a skateboard on this side of the planet in years…and that was just what I needed to inject some fun into the paved days of land life. So one sunny Monday, I went out to see the good folks at Sector 9 Skateboards in San Diego…

Devon Beck greeted me with a smile as we headed off on a behind the scenes tour of Sector 9’s hoppin’ headquarters. I eagerly filled my nose with the smell of sawdust as we ducked behind the wood-scrap recycling bin and into the construction warehouse where the magic began… There, I saw stacks of wood up to the ceiling being molded and glued into the shape of the decks, then sawed into cutouts. Next we wandered on to where the Sector 9 craftsmen were routing the edges, drilling holes, sanding off the splinters, applying colors and

All hands on deck!

laminates. Then an enchanting old man with long hair and a twinkle in his eye, loaded the finished decks on his forklift with his little dog riding shotgun, to move them across the street where they’re dressed in hardware: trucks, bearings, and wheels bring them to life. A skateboard wonderland!

Hankering for handywork after being so long away from Swell, I wanted to jump right in with the 60 or so fellows hand-crafting these wheeled masterpieces, but my urge to turn a wrench was transformed into environmental enthusiasm as I learned about the many ways Sector 9 is leading an example of green business:

1. They are reducing their carbon footprint by seeking out local suppliers whenever possible, reducing the carbon costs of getting things from far off lands.

2. They also buy wind energy credits to support clean alternative power sources to run their facility.

3. They’ve even converted some of their vehicles to run on 100% recycled vegetable oil!

4. On the forefront of discovering greener ways to build skateboards, they’re trying out non-toxic glues, using sustainable products like bamboo and soy, and recycling and reusing whenever possible.

5. They use only organic cotton for their clothing line, too!

6. They’re even holding an essay contest for ocean conservation…Check out more about their “green-ery”,  go tohttps://www.sector9.com/#/happenings/push-dont-pollute/ !!

Cheers to Sector 9 for making GREEN a priority, making a product that adds FUN and fitness to the world, is low-impact on the earth, and full of positive vibes! I am now the proud owner of a bamboo skateboard with soy-based wheels!?! Thank you Devon and Sector 9!

How much fuel to be saved and fun to be had!?