Summer time summer time sum sum summer time...

sorry for the lack of quality updates, summer time is go time for Maku furniture and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the days lately. An NO we are not surfing the summer away, if there were waves we probably would be but it looks like the worst winter for waves on record could turn into the worst summer. The water is a chilly 58 degrees and blown out... BRRRR!

So I'm on my way to NYC for some east coast luv and meetings on various projects. And as I sit in the red carpet club at SFO waiting for my red eye to take off I found some interesting facts regarding purchasing habits and eco friendly product that I thought I would share with you.

- 28% of Sports participants say they would be more likely to buy a product if it "Stated" it was sustainble... (sounds like a greenwashing opportunity)

- 27% women vs 21% men say they would buy a garment that is made of sustainable fabrics. Come on guys get with it! One of my favorite pairs of shoes is the Grun by Adidas that is 100% recycled materials.

47% of the population said they would buy a green product if they also liked the style and function of that product.

Off to NYC I go, more to come from the road and don't forget to check out Maku Furniture on Twitter.

Maku Planter Box!

Here's a sneek preview of a new piece that will be debuting soon. The Maku Planter Box made of 100% Reclaimed Teak just like the rest of our collection!

Get yer Tweet on...

That's right we've officially jumped on the Twitter bandwagon with the countless millions of other social mediates and it sure is tweet....

You can find us on twitter now at - http://twitter.com/makufurniture

and just in case you didn't check our favorite Bali Surfing website here's what you missed today at Padang Padang. That wave is so good you gotta say it twice!

Oh how we love flat and blown out California surf...

Sherman Poppen, The Snurfer, and the History of Snowboarding

let me introduce you to the Grandfather (or maybe Godfather) of Snowboarding Mr. Sherman Poppen.

In 1965 Sherman invented the Snurfer for his daughters to go out in the backwoods of their Muskegon Michigan home. As we all know from there on out the rest is snow sliding history with the likes of Tom Sims, Jake Burton Carpenter, Dimitjrtie Milovich, Chuck Barfoot, Mike Olson, the list goes on as the founding fathers of snowboarding.

I had the distinct pleasure to meet Sherman in the early / mid 90's in Banff Canada during a Transworld Snowboarding Industry "Conference". (Which was basically a big excuse for key snowboard industry "execs' to get together and get our shred-on.)

Since then I have ridden with Sherman a few times in Whistler BC and his home mountain of Steamboat. Believe it or not, Sherman did not start "Officially" snowboarding until his late 60's and I can't think of a person that exuded more stoke and excitement to slide sideways than Sherman.

To this day after 25 years of snowboarding, countless EPIC powder days at some of the best resorts and backcountry around the world, the times I was able to ride with Sherman are at the tops of the list. (Right along with teaching my son and daughter to snowboard and watching them link up their first turns. Then a first decent of an amazing chute in AK that myself, Billy Anderson and Wooly from Volcom all enjoyed and aptly named Lil' Bitch afterward)

So sit back and check out this killer little video and here is a link to Sherman's Snurfer induction to the Smithsonian Museum in DC.

Red Bull Rodeo Flip by Jordy Smith

Check out this insane footage of Pro Surfer Jordy Smith.



By the way, sorry for the lack of updates, been swamped shipping tons of new Maku pieces all across the country. To those that have purchased a new piece for their outdoor space a big high 5 and thanks!

Fish for thought

I found this little gem - "Fish for Thought" on the LeucadiaProject.com. Ed and David are a couple of locals guys that surf the same spots as I do. Ed's zest for surf culture is second to none and David is an incredible photographer.

So check it out, Local North County artist Rodney McCoubrey takes trash found in and around our local beaches and re-purposes it to some pretty cool artwork. Combined with an Eco-Educational aspect with some of the local kids in Del Mar and you have a pretty rad little project going!

The event was yesterday and hopefully the dreary weather did not put a damper on things. (Yes you read right, I said "Dreary" weather.... This time of year we get a little May Gray and June Gloom...)

FISH for THOUGHT

MILE of ART on the beach in Del Mar

TEACHES KIDS, COMMUNITY, ABOUT RECYCLING

Featuring Rodney McCoubrey

Elementary students' artwork display from recycled materials (trash to treasure)

with local artist Rodney 'Rodrigo' McCoubrey this Saturday, May 30th. on the beach in Del Mar

A mile of marine-themed artwork—colorful concoctions of scrap wood, old toothbrushes, aluminum soda tabs, popped balloons and the like, mounted on recycled sticks--winding "Christo style" along the scenic Del Mar coastline. Trash to treasure - a message of HOPE and RECYCLING.

Mini-masterpieces, the kids call Fish Sticks, will be proudly created and displayed to tell the tale ending ocean pollution.

This simple recycling/art project by 400 Del Mar Elementary School children has taken on a life of its own in their hearts and minds, while heightening ocean pollution awareness. Fish For Thought will culminate this Saturday, May 30th, from Power House Park North to Dog Beach in Del Mar in an all-community beach cleanup and coastline art installation along Del Mar beach.

Local recycled-trash artist Rodrigo (aka Rodney McCoubrey) will help them create their own one-of-a-kind recycled wooden fish, embellished with recycled trash collected from the beach and home. www.FishForThought.org

Filmmakers will be onhand to document this grass roots effort and are fundraising to complete an educational documentary. Del Mar hopes to highlight this pilot program as an example of what a community can do to reverse the negative impact trash makes on our beaches and ocean - a small community with a big message.

Local Chief Lifeguard Pat Vergne says, “Our community is using art to raise awareness about trash and the negative effect it has on the health of our marine life and our coastal community. We are thrilled to be supporting the Fish Sticks exhibition and the 5th annual Keep Del Mar Clean community beach clean up as we kick off our city’s new recycling program.”

Additional partners in the project include the City of Del Mar and environmental group “Keep Del Mar Clean.”

Beach clean up will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Power House Park in Del Mar.

Fish Sticks will be on display 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. , Power House Park north to Dog Beach in Del Mar, this Saturday May 30th.

More Plastic than Plankton...

So I was reading the latest issue of my favorite surf mag that features an interview with Surfrider Foundation Executive Director Jim Moriarty and an interesting fact popped out at me within the first few paragraphs of the interview.

I have talked a lot about the North Pacific gyre and the swirling pool / blob of trash and plastic that is now estimated to be as large as the USA but what I never realized was that it is now estimated to be more photo-degraded plastic in the oceans than plankton.

This is a very disheartening and sad state of our oceans and the ramifications within the food chain may now be irreversible. Plastic is not bio-degradeble in any means, it is photo-degradeable which means that it will continue to break down into smaller and smaller pieces to where it can't be seen by the naked eye.

Fish, birds, whales, and many other sea creatures that in one way or another end up on the plates of millions of diners tables around the world have potentially mistaken this plastic for plankton...

The only answer, reduce, reuse, recycle and most importantly EDUCATE!

Memorial Day 2009

While most are planning bbq's, time at the beach, lake, river, or just simply chilling with family and friends, lets not lose site of what Memorial day is really all about.

Whether one agrees or not with the war in Iraq or the previous wars our country has fought in, the fact remains that thousands of our Military personnel wake up each day to defend our land from those that wish to harm us.

I have never served in the military but have tremendous respect for those that do and have served. San Diego is home to a very large military population. The Marines at Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, The Marine Corp Recruiting Depot, and the Western Pacific Fleet of the US Navy all are based here.

So a big high 5 and thank you to all of you that so graciously and honorably serve and defend our country!

And most importantly lets not let the memory of our fallen soldiers such as my friend Capt. Alan Rowe ever fade.

Sidewalk Surfer

Local Carlsbad artist Bryan Snyder created this bitchen little piece of public art in our little village by the sea.

Carlsbad Sidewalk Surfer by bryan snyder from Bryan Snyder on Vimeo.

Surfrider Foundation SD Chapter - 9th Annual Art Gala

The 9th Annual Art Gala benefiting the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is this Thursday May 21st.

As you have read in the past, Maku is a proud supporter or 1% For the Planet and part of our donation goes to the Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter.

This year we are also donating and Maku Lounge Chair and a Maku Side Table to the Art Gala at the Powerhouse in Del Mar. Check out the online Auction too for some really cool stuff!

Basking Sharks...

Some would think that being a surfer and spending as much time in the water as I do, why would I ever talk about sharks...?

Well, truth be told, the Whale Shark and the Basking Shark of 2 of my all time favorite underwater creatures. The huge majestic beauty and millions of years of evolutionary progress make these 2 sharks very intriguing.

I found this cool article on cnn.com about some recent studies on the Basking Shark and their migratory habits.

Check it out!

(CNN) -- The migration patterns of basking sharks have long mystified marine biologists, but new research has finally revealed where the world's second-biggest fish hide out for half of every year.

Despite growing to over 10 meters in length, basking sharks have often eluded close scientific study.

"While commonly sighted in surface waters during summer and autumn months, the disappearance of basking sharks during winter has been a great source of debate ever since an article in 1954 suggested that they hibernate on the ocean floor during this time," said Gregory Skomal of Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, one of the authors of a report recently published in "Current Biology".

"Some 50 years later, we have helped to solve the mystery while completely re-defining the known distribution of this species."

Using new satellite-tagging and a new geo-location technique, the researchers found that basking sharks make long migrations through tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the winter, traveling at depths of 200 to 1,000 meters.

The researcher's data show that the sharks sometimes stay at those depths for weeks or even months at a time.

"In doing so, they have completely avoided detection by humans for millennia," Skomal said in the report. Basking sharks are the world's second-largest fish and can grow to more than 10 meters -- more than 30 feet -- and weigh more than seven tons.

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Skomal said they were "absolutely surprised" when they first received a signal from the tagged sharks coming from the tropical waters of the western Atlantic, in the vicinity of the Caribbean and Bahamas. Before the study basking sharks were believed to be cool-water sharks, restricted to temperate regions.

Several factors made basking sharks a challenge to study. Added to their annual disappearing act, they feed exclusively on plankton, which means they can't readily be captured with traditional rod-and-reel methods.

Even when the sharks are found closer to the ocean surface, they spend their time in the cool-temperature, plankton-rich waters that limit underwater visibility and make diving difficult.

The researchers believe their findings could have important implications for the conservation of basking sharks, which have shown some signs of dramatic decline in the last half century and are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"Coupled with recent genetic data, our finding indicates that the Atlantic population -- and perhaps the world population -- are connected and may constitute a single population," Skomal said.

"Hence, the global population of basking sharks may be even smaller than previously thought."

Morocco Surf Trip with Kassia Meador

Check out Maku Lifestyle Ambassador and surfer girl extraordinaire Kassia Meador in this little snippet from the crew at Roxy on their latest surf trip to Morocco.

To keep up with all things Kassia check out her blog.



Dang those waves look fun, what a killer trip!

Pics from Alt Build 2009

Here's a few pics from Alt Build 2009 that took place over the weekend. Great event with a tremendous turnout and some very very cool green products!

Dan and the Vernare crew outdid themselves with the booth this year!


Maku Lounge Chairs with Sunset and White cushions


Maku 48" Spa bench with the Maku 72" dining table and if you look closely there is a sneak peek at the new multifunctional Silent Spring piece that will be in the new DV collection that is due out soon...!

Alt Build - Santa Monica

If you are in the Southern California area this weekend cruise on over to the Santa Monica Civic Center and check out Alt Build 2009.

We'll be there to support one of our partners in eco-motivation, Vernare both Friday and Saturday displaying some of the cool pieces in the 2009 collection such as the Maku Lounge Chair, Maku Dining Table, and Maku Chaise. You'll also be able to get a sneak peek at a few new pieces as part of a new collection we are working on!

Alt Build is the premier show for eco friendly building and state of the art design materials. It's free to attend and there are a lot of great speakers and seminars to attend.

GoGreen Man!

So check out this rad 12 year old grom that is wise beyond his years. Jonathan Lee is a wrecking crew of Eco Friendly passion and resource that is looking to knock out Dr.Pollution!

Jonathan's projects range from trying to reduce waste that Fast food restaurants generate to a really cool project called One Chile, One Tree, One Year.

Keep up the good work Jonathan!!