MEET THESE SKATEBOARDERS WHO ARE GROWING GREEN
* Accessibility * Authenticity * Inclusivity * Comedy * Community * Sustainability *
When we started BIGFOOT these were values we set on the front lines. How would we apply them? We weren’t exactly sure.
Sustainability is not about perfection. You will never reach the top of the mountain. But as you create, you can identify ways to make your home or work life greener and try them out. For instance, when we learned how disastrous clothing and textile waste is, we started a system of upcycling our merchandise. Since then, Curb/Cut has developed a life of its own (need swag?)
Along the way, we met a bunch of great people doing rad environmental projects that are changing the world of skateboarding. Joining forces with these radical people and sharing ideas in pursuit of a greener future for skateboarding (and beyond!) felt like the natural next step.
Jessie Frietze-Armenta grew up skating and surfing in Southern California. With an unstoppable love for the natural world, she set our to create solutions to waste issues in her own community. Her focus zeroed in on the virtually “un-recyclable” polyurethane wheels on her skateboard.
Now with a mail-in recycling program intact and recycling buckets stationed around Southern California, Shred Cycle is committed to creating new uses for skate wheels and building an all-around more sustainable skate industry. While all usable wheels are donated to underserved youth via the Bridge to Skate program, everything else is upcycled or recycled. Large-scale art installations and handmade jewelry are among the creative uses for wheels Jessie has partnered on so far, while developing a full-scale recycling system that will be the first of it’s kind.
Claire Beaumont is the founder of FOREVERYWEAR, a mail in clothing repair business devoted to keeping your favorite clothes alive and out of the landfill. Because don’t we all want to look and feel good without destroying the planet? As a shredder herself, Claire has a clear understanding of the special needs of skateboarders (pants blowouts are a specialty).
A sustainable shoe designer in DTLA by day, Noah Chavez-Stedman considers his ethos before anything while innovating ways to make skateboards more sustainable in his free time. So far, Hyena offers 100% recycled rails and a 100% recycled (and recyclable) wheel is in the works. While he innovates sustainable change in skateboarding, he keeps these values in mind:
REDUCE: All products are made to order.
REUSE: Everything is sourced and remade locally.
REINCARNATE: 100% of HYENA’s products are 100% recycled.
A Kickstarter Campaign is in the works to help bring Noah’s 100% recycled and recyclable wheels to life! SIGN UP TO RECEIVE HYENA’S EMAILS for all the breaking news!
