Jason from Comet Skateboards was taking a phone call with one hand, while trying to repair a broken machine with the other.This was no easy task due to the cast that was covering his lower right arm and most of his hand.The electrical panel was open and its guts were spread across the floor as Jason worked furiously to puzzle it out.We had arrived unannounced as we had kind of stumbled across his company on the net.Despite the fact that he was preparing for a meeting, and had a balky machine he was trying to repair, he said to come on down after we told him what we were up to.
After a brief stint in the Action Sports Video business, I had redeveloped my attraction to skateboarding that had lurked slumbering since my youth.Amazed by the advanced art of this generation of skaters as they work the pools and the ramps or the never-ending labyrinth of the urban landscape made me feel lucky to have been living in California when some kids first took their sisters cut up skates and hammered them on a on a board shaped like a mini-surfboard and carved their first turn.
Jason was deep in his phone call, and continued to talk for a bit as he gave up on the machine and spun around the shop on his skateboard.Once finished, he gave us a nickel tour of the shop, and explained some of the sustainability initiatives his company was developing.
Skate decks by their nature are somewhat disposable, and have to be replaced on a regular basis.Comet’s manufacturing decisions are guided by the concept of eliminating waste through "closed loop" manufacturing, which examines the entire life-cycle of all products and bi-products of the system. Instead of synthetic fiber, Comet uses annually renewable natural fiber from plants such as jute, flax, and kenaf. They then bond these fibers together with a soy-based resin forming a super strong bio-composite.
Comet's Action Steps: ∞ Renewable energy ∞ FSC-certified hardwoods ∞ Low VOC water-based clear coat ∞ Water-based inks ∞ Zero formaldehyde glues ∞ Renewable bio-composites ∞ Regional supply chain ∞ Compost or repurpose all scrap
They are also very aware of the waste that they produce, and have developed a program for dealing with most of it.The shavings from the boards are gathered up and delivered to a local chicken farmer that builds small home composting units that are given free of charge to local residents.The farmer then picks up the composted waste, and uses it to feed his chickens.The larger scraps are picked up by another neighbor for a biomass fuel project, and anything else that is left goes to build bonfires for the students at the nearby University.
They have found a source for natural water-based finishes from nearby Vermont Natural Coatings, made from they leftover “whey” used in making cheese (a popular pastime here in Vermont).
The survival of any skateboard company depends on one thing; acceptance by the kids who skate.If you are a skater, or the parent of a skater, we urge you to check out the cool boards that Comet makes at: www.cometskateboards.com
While we were talking we discovered a mutual friend in the skate business, Jack Smith from Skateboarder’s Journal, and holder of a Guinness Book of World’s Records for skateboarding coast to coast across the U.S., not once but THREE times for charity.You can check out his website here ( www.skateboardersjournal.com ) as he prepares for his forth attempt next year!
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