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May 25, 2014

The World’s Most Sustainable Skateboard

Posted by in category: sustainability

Tosten Burks — GOOD

http://lh3.ggpht.com/S1c0X35TLGZSOZPcdEJoz3xJVYm9X_D-5lbvYdceiIbRVrDqUcdxBPq6hOR88gbbU7zzx-sm8yfo1Y6tnz3M2xqRo5Y=s0

You’ve seen the pictures — dolphins, fish, and turtles lie trapped, writhing and dying in abandoned fishing nets, permanently wrecking the fragile balance of our ocean ecosystems. These “ghost nets,” as they’re called, are a particular problem on the vast coastline of Chile, where landfills are privatized, and where fishermen have to dispose of old nets on their own. Even if the infrastructure was in place to do so effectively, many can’t afford to cover the price.

But three American mechanical engineers are rolling in with a solution: they’ve spent the last year and a half designing a skateboard that offers an ingenious and affordable way for fishermen to recycle plastic waste. After raising more than twice the project’s original funding goal of $25,000, “The Minnow” is set to start its first full production run later this year.

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