Waves: they get greener with eco-friendly surfboards

Is your surfboard environmentally friendly? What is the total carbon footprint of your surf quiver? The Surfboard Carbon Calculator is a new online tool that measures the carbon emissions associated with the production of surfboards.

There are two calculators: a simple and a full version with over 190 variables.

You type in the dimensions, the resin type, the fins and plugs used, the foam, the ding repairs made, etc. The tool will then calculate a final value.

The Surfboard Carbon Calculator is a way of engaging and educating extreme sports enthusiasts on more eco-friendly practices in daily surfing.

More than 750,000 surfboards are made every year, with a total carbon footprint of around 220,000 tons of CO2.

It's our duty as surfers to reduce this, as it usually costs between 1-2 percent of the retail value of a surfboard to carbon offset it, e.g., £4.50 ($7 or €5) to carbon offset a 6' PU shortboard.

Carbon offsetting is an amazing way of making already-made surfboards green and can make our sport sustainable.

Alessandro Piu, Angus Murray, and Lucia Griggi are the first ambassadors of the green surfboard movement.

Decarbonated, the developer of this online tool, is an extreme sport-based environmental consultancy company run by Rick, a Surf Science Graduate, and Matt, MSc in Environmental Management.

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