5/9/08 - Rants’n’Raves Let me be the first to welcome you to spring. "Welcome, my slashy friends, to a glorious time of year." If you live in the right area you can ride almost year round. But, it is good to take a break from snowboarding. My wife likes this cause she sees me more. She rips, we just don’t always have time to rip it together. So, to keep up in the off season we at powdertools.com or “Me” will be informing you on the new trends, styles, pro moves, sponsor switches and products and other HOT items you don’t even know about yet… This is the “GREEN” movement. For those of you that have been sleeping on this issue you should really learn more about Manufacturers that are working to fight Global Warming while at the same time making an effort to improve their environmental standing in the industry. Arbor for instance has been the environmental leader in snowboarding since 1995. They are using the most sustainable resources found in nature, such as, bamboo, poplar, paulowia, diamond wood and cork. They utilize these materials in their board manufacturing at the same time donating 5% of their profits to the conservation group “Hawaiian efforts.” Mervin manufacturing or (GNU, Lib-Tech, Bent Metal) is running their plants on bio diesel. They only use renewable fast growing woods and bamboo. Mervin Man. Has also been experimenting with bio plastic derived from plants and beans to put in their cap sheets. Optical companies like Smith are utilizing unused and reground waste material from the medical industry. In Smith’s helmets the liners are made from Cocona. Cocona is coconut husk and considered organic waste from the food industry and has odor resistant and temperature-regulating properties. Also Smith was smart enough to use vegetable based inks for all of their printing. Sole Technology or (ThirtyTwo, Etnies, Es’, Emerica) installed 616 solar panels on their headquarters and launched a sustainable footwear and apparel collection, known as the “Etnies SEED Project.” Every shoe that gets sent back to Sole Tech. will be ground up and re-used for playgrounds in community projects. 686 is stepping it up and using organic wools and bamboo. 686 use's bamboo that has been recycled into a down-like insulation for all filled jackets and liners. Burton, finally launched a collection called the “Green Mountain Project” coming to you this winter. Burton is putting recycled materials into their outerwear and layer pieces. Holden, a clothing and outerwear company that certainly is no newbie to using recycled plastics or PET uses a naturally durable and water resistant material found in nature called “Hemp.” Holden remains to be the pioneer in environmentally friendly clothing and outerwear, and style I might add. Most companies use 100% recyclable materials in their tags, catalogs, and recycle all paper products as well as ship products in 100% recycled post-consumer and post-industrial packaging This is NOT enough. We need to support the companies that are changing the face of snowboarding. Let’s be serious, some super smart scientists are saying crazy things could happen 10 years from now. Basically, East coast riding will be non-existent. The Rockies may only have snow above 10,000 feet. Nobody really knows whats going to happen in the PAC-NOR. We need to understand the severity of this situation. Let’s take a stand. Do some research? It may cost a little more to get a “Green” product, but, it’s worth it in the long run. Keep posted, yO. We will as always have great deals and prices on all hard and soft goods. I gave you a start, support the Earth first… And have fun…… …oNe………t-mo……