The Surfers Path Goes Digital (For One Issue, Anyhow)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 2.07
We’ve long had a soft spot for the Surfers Path. How could you not, for a magazine that is printed with non GMO soy based ink on 100% post consumer recycled paper. Plus their Green Wave Awards. And all that sumptuous aquatic photography. But what’s different about their 60th issue is that you can get it online. Yep, pixels over paper. And we discovered that their roving reporter does a delicious job of summing up the surf industry, viewing it through the lens of the Action Sports Retailer tradeshow in San Diego. “... there are glimmers of greeness to be seen”, Volcom are “soft selling a line of organic garments to tweeners and teenagers”, and their CEO “takes a diplomatic approach towards promoting an eco-friendly line of clothing”, saying “It’s really going to depend on the retailer embracing it and the consumer looking for it.” Reporter Enrique Gili then observes that, “Elsewhere, terms like ‘carbon neutral’ and environmental audit’ are met with incomprehension,” eliciting this gorgeous quote from Sean Smith, executive director of the the Surfboard Industry Manufacturers Association, “The surf industry is where Detroit was five years ago.” Talk about cutting in on somebody’s wave. May The Surfers Path long continue to nudge the industry to see the writing in the sand, and get on board the green rollercoaster. ::The Surfers Path.
