Hurley -"sound and vision" Vol 2

Check out this amazing video that the crew over at Hurley put together featuring non other than the Prince of Bali and Maku Lifestyle Ambassador - Rizal Tanjung.

Click here to see the Video

Riz is sponsored by Hurley and this is the 2nd installment in their Sound and Vision series. We'll have the videos up and available for viewing on www.makufurniture.com in a couple of days. In the meantime, ENJOY the sights and sound of Bali firsthand with Rizal

Mission Accomplished!

Last night about 11:15 pm the CCC voted overwhelmingly 8-2 against the 241 Toll road! There were some great comments during the hearing yesterday including the following from Ralph Faust, retired Coastal Commission counsel in response to the TCA's attempts to sway the vote by bribing ooops I mean "offering" 100 million dollars in subsidies to parks throughout California.

"I can't say this more clearly, offers of money can't buy compliance with the Coastal Act."

Although by the end of the night there were only a few hundred supporters remaining the excitement and energy from what the Surfrider foundation as well as all the thousands of supporters that attended earlier in the day will be felt for long time!

Congratulations all, job well done!!!

Here is some video of the final vote.

California Coastal Commission Hearing on the 241 Toll road

So as you have read most of this week, today was the big hearing for the California Coastal Commission to make a decision on the 241 Toll road that would cut straight through Trestles and San O' state beach.

So after a very chilly morning surf, I went on down to attend the rally sponsored by The Surfrider Foundation in order to mobilize the troop. Surfrider was hoping for 1000 or so people to show up and give support and by my estimates there must have been at least 3000 and maybe as many as 5000 people all against the toll road! Although I could not stay for the entire day, the 3 hours I did spend there were amazing!

Many surf celebrities ranging from World Champion Shaun Tomson, to local hero's Taylor Knox and Holly Beck, to the former Transworld Media receptionist and now superstar MC of Action Sports Sal Masakella were all in attendance and it was cool to mingle with old school eco-hippies, surf stars, local groms, and eco-conscious business owners alike.

This goes to prove the fact that you can think globally and act locally! While I am a long ways from "Treehugger" status, it is no secret that I appreciate and care for our environment. Be it in my backyard, our state, country or globally.

I just wish I would have taken the kids out of school today so they could have experienced a grass roots movement to defend our environment first hand.

Here are some pics from the day:

Side by side images of the current day trestles and a rendering "after" should the 241 get approved.


These girls were getting "hassled" by the police because they were "protesting" in the wrong area...


The Crowd gets all Fired up!





How many rallies do you think this guy has been too? Looks like a seasoned veteran!


The State and the TCA brought in some Cal Trans Workers for the day.


By the way, they were on the State payroll for the day. hmmm

Do you feel lucky punk? Well do ya...?

Dirty Harry aka Clint Eastwood weighs in on Trestles. Check it.

Welcome to 08, will this be the end of Trestles??

Wow, where has the month of January gone... Sorry for the lack of updates. A few good swells to start the year off, ramping the business up for the spring, and trying to stay ahead of the "recession" which the media keeps hyping despite GDP growing (albeit not as strongly as the past few qtrs...) has made this month just fly by.

Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not saying there has not been a slowdown in our economy. My daughter dragged me into a mall last week for the first time in years and it definitely was not bustling. But if you delve into the numbers and don't just listen to the over zealous media machine, the economy "appears" to be doing "o.k." Fortunately we are going into spring and a time that traditionally brings solid consumer spending, so we will know soon.

So what's new? Snow, snow, and more snow! There's lots of good snow all around the world; Europe, Japan, Canadia, and most importantly the good ole US of A all are having epic snow sliding seasons. Yet somehow this season I don't have a single day on snow for the first time in almost my entire life. Gotta change that for sure, can you say Spring Skiing!

The good news is all those watersheds that were dwindling in supply particularly on the west coast here will fill back up with the spring melt off!



One of the biggest environmental battles to face Southern California in years is the proposed 241 toll road right through the middle of our beloved Trestles and San Onofre' state park. For those of you not familiar with Trestles, it is the last remaining relatively untouched watershed and wildlife areas on the coast of So.Cal. And the waves aren't too bad either!

Set aside by President Reagan in the early 70's with a decree to never be touched and with a long and steeped history in the surfing community, many say that Trestles / San O' were the birthplace of west coast surfing. Spanning over 3000 acres of beautiful coastline and home to many endemic and endangered species that can now only be found here this area is certainly a place of solace in the hustle and bustle of So.Cal. Access is by foot, bicycle or skateboard so you truly feel like you are away from everything when you spend a day at Trestles.

On Wednesday Feb 6th @ 9 am the California Coastal Commission will be holding a meeting at the Del Mar fairgrounds and will be (once again) hearing arguments for and against this road. Every major coastal city in So.Cal has voted to against this toll road yet the TCA believes that paving over one of the last remaining coastal resources in California will all the sudden solve the traffic issues we face here.

Check out the Surfrider Foundation website for all the info on this project and how you can help save THE LAST remaining piece of undeveloped coastal So.Cal. by clicking here and sending a letter to the Coastal Commission

Happy Holidays from Maku! (don't forget to recycle)

it is estimated that between Thanksgiving and the New Year an extra million tons of waste are generated nationwide each week. In fact, 38,000 miles of ribbon alone is thrown out each year--enough to tie a bow around the Earth!

As we all prepare form xmas day here are a few tips to lower your impact on the earth

• Use old newspaper to wrap gifts. Not only is it a unique look, you can recycle it!
• Switch over to rechargeable batteries for all those new toys. Here is some great info on rechargeable batteries. (from the state of CA no less!)
• According to the National Christmas Tree Association's website, "There are approximately 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees sold in the U.S. every year." The website also notes that real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Try and replant or better yet recycle your tree for mulch that reduces the need to water all the time, it's a double winner!
• If you are lucky enough to get a cool new 46" Plasma flat screen from Santa this year but aren't sure what to do with your old TV, PDA, IPOD, or computer check out these guys Erecycle.org

Happy Holidays and wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous and green 2008!

Trash Blob 2X's the size of Texas

So I talked about this trash blob in the December Newsletter to our awesome retail partners and to update everybody on what's new with Maku.

While eating breakfast this morning, I happened to flip past the "Fair and Balanced" news channel as they were doing a story on this issue which you can check out here. It's good to see the mainstream media starting to take notice to things like this!! And here is a report that the ever progressive (insert sarcasm here) CBS news did on this issue almost 4 years ago. You can also check out up to date info on this by clicking on Capitan Charles Moore's website The Algalita Foundation

Long story short, there is this blob of viscous trash floating in the North Pacific gyre where all the currents meet and the trash collects. It's twice the size of Texas and floating just beneath the surface. Made mostly of decaying plastics, it's pretty knarly. The thing is plastic does not Bio-degrade, it Photo Degrades meaning it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces yet never totally diminishes. Despite this area being a veritable oceanic desert the few Fish, sharks, birds, whales, and dolphins basically all parts of the food chain in this area of the North Pacific have been affected by this mess. Birds mistaking the small pieces of plastic as bait fish, bigger fish eating smaller fish, sharks eating bigger fish you get the picture and it's ugly! How long until this affects the dinner that end up on your table? Truth be told it probably already is...

The solution to keep this blob from growing is simple RECYCLE. The solution of how to clean up this blob is not so simple.

For more ideas on easy eco living check out our buddy Josh Dorfman's book "The Lazy Environmentalist" and his website Vivavi.com for some excellent sustainable products including Maku!

Politicians making it happen!

While I usually try and steer clear of politically charged issues and discussions, I can't help but congratulate the House of Representatives on passing a new energy bill (H.R. 6) that could have a significant positive impact on our environment - Of course this seems like a no brainer to me but then that's probably why I am not a politician... :)

- Raising fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 -- the first such increase in more than 30 years.

- Requiring 15 percent of our country's electricity to come from clean, renewable, homegrown sources such as the wind and solar by 2020.

- Will dramatically increase production of biofuels to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Now it's up to the Senate to pass the same bill and put it into law. To contact your local Senators and let them know this issue is important to you click here

Technical Difficulties...

For those of you that have checked the Maku website in the last day or two, you might have experienced some navigational and technical issues. Sorry for the problems and our trusty computer wizard Josh is working to get them fixed.

By the way, while the website was breaking, the waves were really good!

Early Xmas from Mother Nature!

The biggest swell of the year is currently making it's way down the coast from the Pacific NW and the waves are going to be macking in the morning! Yet another Big Wednesday here in So.Cal. The last time we had waves this size was Dec 21st, 2005. By the way, those "little specks" in that video are guys surfing....

I've got my 6'10" Rounded Pintail waxed up and ready to go but I might be undergunned on this swell. Anybody have a 7'6" gun they want to loan me...?

Here are some of the latest buoy and forecasts. For up to date info click here.

Holiday Love from the Chicago Tribune

The Three Ways of Christmas! The Chicago Tribune ran a cool little gift guide in the Sunday Home section and featured the Maku Bench as one of their "Sky's the Limit" Gift Choices.

For the Full Story click here

Many thanks to Lisa and Dina @ Cattails in Chicago for the props and holiday stoke! Everybody in Chicago should go and buy their holiday flower arrangement from them!

Mission Playground Warehouse Sale

My good buddy Mark and his peeps @ Mission Playground are having a warehouse sale this weekend. If you are in So.Cal or SD County cruise on over and check their stuff out! Not only is the style rad but it's also good for ole mother nature!

Welcome Soho Living!

Welcome to the crew @ Soho Living in Florida! With 3 stores in the state we are really stoked to have Anand, Joe, and the rest of the staff preaching the power of Maku sustainable outdoor living!

A fresh shipment of Maku goods are on their way to Soho Living and if you live in Florida, have friends in Florida, are visiting in Florida, or just want to check out a really cool retailer that is taking an eco friendly stance by brining in products such as Maku, then go to their website for all details and contact info!

Now I can go see my buddy Rob, surf a good hurricane swell, stop in on the Soho Living crew and call it a business trip, sweet!!!

Singe Speed Cyclocross World Championships

As you may have read in an earlier post, our buddy Dennis @ Eclectic Home in Portland but a deal together for Maku to sponsor the Lounge area of the World Single Speed Cyclocross Championships.

What are the World Single Speed Cycloross Championships you ask? Well, mix a bunch of PBR which is one of my favorite beers by the way (my wife is gasping that I have actually admitted this in public forum... hahhaa!) a limitless supply of local Portland Micro Brew, 140 contestants, a tequila shortcut, a golden speedo, some muddy terrain, single speed bikes, and you have the making for a great contest!!

By the looks of it, I'm going have to start training for next years race and get in on the fun!!

Click here for a great recap of the races from Bicyclenorthwest.com and here for a full list of the winners from cycling news.

Congratulations to the winners!

Wendy Williams


Barry Wicks


All the crew celebrating a great day of single speed in the NW!


And of course no contest is complete with out a Kiss Fan!


All photos courtesy of Carson Blume. Here is a direct link to all the killer shots!

Do something good for yourself and the environment this holiday season!

Check it out, our good friends at 1% for the Planet are having an online auction featuring all kinds of cool stuff from a Maku Limited Edition Lounge Chair to Surfing with Eco Warrior and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and a bitchen bike from one of my favorite breweries New Belgium and the home of Fat Tire!

You can take a look and bid on all the items here

Make somebody's xmas that more special by taking a vested interest in our environment!!!