Repurposed Goods
I recently came across this term and way of ecological thinking. It´s another “R” word that should be considered and used in the consumer chain of events and life of a product. The practice is not so revolutionary. Reclaimed lumber is perhaps the most popular, easily understandable example: Taking old weathered and wide planks of wood from a broken down barn for example and incorporating them into modern architecture. By doing that, these otherwise forgotten pieces of trash gain a new life and can be appreciated for the beautiful objects that they are.
A few years ago, a fisherman on Öckerö called me up and wondered if I wanted these old windsurf boards that were just lying around in his garden. At first I was skeptical since I don´t really windsurf that much but after taking the dimensions, I started thinking of the possibilities. I could make a catamaran or better yet just use the thing as a paddleboard since the width allowed me to paddle lying down in the prone position or even knee paddle. Then I gave it a go with my stand-up paddle and it worked just fine although a little less stable than real SUP boards. The length and shape was great for tracking and long distance paddling. Since then Touring models have been released that are pretty much the same as my board.
The story could have stopped here but I decided to make it bit nicer by some simple and cheap improvements. Starting by a simple cleaning of the board then stripping all the unnecessary hardware. To make it more comfortable I silicon glued a basic non-bacterial bathroom mat to the deck. More expensive SUP mats are also available but my goal was to make it as good as possible for the least amount of cash. A hundred Swedish crowns or so later I was more or less done. I attached a bungee cord so I can stash gear & food in a drybag for longer even overnight trips. After a test run out at sea towards Vinga I decided that it would be a good idea if I could make my vessel more visible to large ships and high speed boats. I don´t want to get run over. So I painted the board “rescue orange” and put on some SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) classified reflective stickers for good measure. I´m thinking about one of those flags that you put on kids bikes but I haven´t gone that far yet.
Windsurfing was so incredibly popular in Sweden in the 80´s, hundreds, if not thousands of boards are just waiting for a new chance to get wet. There are all shapes and sizes out there and chances are pretty good that you can find one that fits your “Purpose”.
Here are a few other “R´s” to think about especially when it comes to plastic
Refuse first. Chances are you can do without whatever single-use plastic you’re being offered. You can bring a bag to the grocery and use a reusable bottle for water. You’re smart, figure out an alternative.
Reduce what plastic you use. If you absolutely must take a piece of single-use plastic find a way to use less of it. Get your coffee without a plastic lid unless you absolutely need it.
Reuse the plastic you have. If you’re in a place where you have no alternative to taking a single-use plastic item, reuse it. The absolute worst thing you can do is take a plastic bag, use it for 5 minutes to carry groceries and then throw it out.
If you’ve failed at all the above, Recycle. Recycling isn’t something to be proud of because it means you’ve failed at the first three options. That said, it’s better than NOT recycling.
Artikel av Matthew Fader / surfrider.se