Plant a tree for every surfboard
The issue
Surfing is a pastime with a pretty heavy carbon footprint, with the production of surfboards contributing significantly to this. Alternative shaping methods, such as using hollow wooden blanks, and glassing with hemp cloth and bio-resins, are on the rise. However they are still, relatively speaking, in their infancy and so cost-prohibitive for the average surfer. Buying well made boards that do not snap easily and last many years is a way to reduce unnecessary landfill waste.
Changing the status quo is needed to improve sustainability of the surf industry, so while we wait for improvements in surfboard construction methods to allow this, we pledge to plant a tree for every surfboard sold at Black Sheep Surf Co.
Primarily these are native Irish trees including willow, alder, rowan, hazel, and black and white thorn.
Where are the trees?
Profits from the sale of each new surfboard are used to buy trees which are then planted on pasture situated in coastal County Clare. Trees are bought bare root & bulk planted during the winter period.
The long-range aim is to plant within 4 acres of available grassland, creating hedgerows and also using silvopasturalism to allow for both tree growth and animal pasture.