Just met with Ed Lewis from the Leucadia Project and he inspired me to "keep the blogging going". It has been a while and there are new events, projects and updates that we are excited to share.

Ed and I discussed his cool new bodysurfing boards made from discarded old surfboards, and how much fun he is having on these new boards. They are beautiful, and Ed's buddies are watching him catch some of the best waves they have ever seen him catch. How cool would it be to have these boards reshaped by the shaper who made the original board? he asked. Rerip is starting to save locally shaped boards for this project. If you would like your old or broken board turned into one of these to enjoy, please contact us or Ed.

The conversation led to how we were more inspired by our neighbor's surfing, projects and ideas expressed through their blogs, than what's in the mags. If only there was a way for these creative people to make money off of sharing their thoughts and expertise. A great idea and a great conversation with a talented mind.

Help Rerip--6/5/09

The Beginning

The Rerip.com recycling program started simply as a way to reduce waste from the surf industry. We noticed that many of the boards people were throwing away or not surfing were still valuable, either as refurbished boards, canvases for art work or as furniture. Waste or by products associated in the fabrication of new boards also seemed to hold potential for creative uses. As Rerip evolves, new uses and ideas for boards are continually being tested. One of the most innovative is the use of them as concrete fillers to be utilized within the construction industry.

Through preliminary research and development many questions have been raised, however a set of central questions are now at the forefront. (Many basic questions are answered on our site.)

The Questions

Is this effort and proposed action really going to reduce waste, and is it viable? What is the carbon footprint of this process, from collecting the boards to the end product? How much energy will it take to transport, deconstruct, mix and then reapply the used boards and scraps to applicable material? Would the amount of energy used be more costly than to simply allow these boards to sit in a landfill?

Current Collection and Logistics

We do know a few things about viability as we have been testing the idea for about a year now. First of all, we are amazed at how successful the program has become. We receive emails and calls almost every day from people around the world either wanting to give away a board, or replicate what we have created in their local area.

Rerip has established partnerships with the City of San Diego, Patagonia and Holmen Surf Designs to aid in promotion, education and board collection. With these partners, Rerip launched its initial program to facilitate its ability to collect large numbers of unwanted or damaged boards, as well as small amounts of cuttings, dust and old foam for R&D purposes. While there is no program in place for the scraps, there is now broad recognition across the community that surfboards can be "recycled".

Current Reuse Opportunities

Many of the donated boards are resold for low prices to local artists or given to non-profits and schools. Unrideable boards are given to EcoCentric Renovations, a green construction company and think tank in Los Angeles currently developing ways to incorporate the old boards into concrete for lightweight, non-structural applications.

Sarkis Vartanian, Head of R&D at EcoCentric, has found a way to incorporate the old foam in a way that has attracted the attention of many stakeholders in the concrete industry, as well as others in the composite and reuse industries for other convergence applications. Testing is still underway and waiting for approval for public and widespread use.

Where We Are Today

Because of the tremendous outreach and support, Rerip and EcoCentric are now experiencing growth beyond our current capabilities.

To this point, we have had amazing luck every time we have reached out to the surf, environmental, and scientific communities for ideas, help and support. We are now realizing the magnitude of the program's potential and its applications outside of the surf and construction industries. In order to be able to reach our next milestone, our two companies need help. You have shown your support already by bringing out your old boards, being stoked about what we are doing and simply spreading the word. We are now in a position where if we want to execute on the opportunities within reach, we need financial support, either through sponsorship, donations or other contributions. We are also seeking expertise in life cycle analysis to validate that this program will indeed benefit us and those that come after.

Composite Recycling--6/19/09

Attention grabber, right?

Much interest for our program has come from people who see the correlation between the ability to recycle or reuse a surfboard and the ability to do the same with other composites, such as wind blades, airplanes and automobiles. This connection intrigues us as well, and we have set out to understand the state of the composite recycling industry.

A Long Way To Go

So far, we have scratched the surface, mainly because we agreed to limit ourselves to 5 pots of coffee and 3 hours of computer time a day. What has kept us stoked about going on has been the positive response from people outside of the surf industry, other like-minded professionals who are willing to contribute time, ideas, advice and have also reached out to their networks for more of the same.

We have found numerous sites and studies that talk about the need now, more than ever, to recycle composite materials. We are now entering the stage where wind turbines and airplanes have outlived their life cycles and are becoming obsolete to newer and more advanced technologies.

Rerip's Place

Part of our personal dilemma at times is which movement we want to actively participate in--the new, continually advancing one, or the one that is dealing with the remnants of the old. After bouncing this question off our favorite people, we always come back to realizing that having the proper balance between the two extremes is how we can avoid becoming too narrowly focused on one single objective or direction.

Composite Recycling Leaders Identified

Over the course of the past week, with help from our new and growing network, we have found many websites, companies, research papers, and articles which all address the current state of composite recycling. Companies that continue to surface as leaders are Boeing, Adherent Technologies, Milled Carbon, and the European Composites Recycling Services Company. Our preliminary research is, of course, still ongoing.

The more information we find and that is shared with us by supporters, the better. If you have any leads or know anyone that can elaborate on the state of composite or surfboard recycling or other comparable applications, we would love to hear about it either through this blog or via email: recycle@rerip.com.