ABSTRACT
As we’ve just seen in the previous chapter, surfing and surfers have recently been identified as perpetrators of a certain double standard or form of hypocrisy. They generally abide by an ethos that pronounces the glorification of alternative lifestyles and a loving respect for nature, yet eschew acknowledging certain fundamental contradictions – most significantly that the one essential piece of equipment in the contemporary pursuit of riding waves is amongst the worst culprits of environmental disregard of all sporting equipment. The modern surfboard, made up of a toxic cocktail of plastics, resins, glues and fibreglass, has been held up as a model demon of un-sustainability in a world of growing ecological awareness. Hence, a niche for an eco-friendly design has opened up.
