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.

Earth Hour 2009! (This Saturday 3.28.09)

Earth Hour 2009, this Saturday from 8:30-9:30 pm at your local time! Invite some friends over, have a party, lite some candles (Maku candle holders...) and vote for mother earth!! Most importantly, turn off your lights and remember 1 person can make a difference... :)

We'll be spreading the word here in Carlsbad and will be sure to post updates on Saturday night!

Take Action here.

The Search...

I found this cool little video from my friends at Boardistan via the LA Times. This vid truly gets to the roots of why we as surfers travel to every imaginable corner of the earth in Search of the next rush or the next great wave.

By the way, another double surf session for me today. Surfing with my buddies this morning and then my son this afternoon. What a great way to spend a Saturday!

Aptera

While on the subject of Electric cars, check out Carlsbadistan based Aptera. Aptera is on the cutting edge of eco friendly automobiles and should have production out and rolling by late fall 2009. These all electric vehicles will be priced from $20,000-$40,000!

Aptera is even using P.E.T. (recyled plastic bottles and cups) for the seats and other parts of the car along with Eco Friendly dyes, etc. And the best part a whopping 230 miles per gallon is achieved in part by a lower coefficent of drag than what Lance Arstrong has on his bike!! WOW!

Now if they only made an Aptera pickup, we'd be all over it. It's pretty cool nonetheless to see a company like Aptera in our humble little village by the sea.

The Lazy E strikes Again!

Check it out, our good buddy Josh Dorfman aka The Lazy Environmentalist and owner of the ultra hip eco retailer Vivavi which is a Maku partner has a bitchen new show coming out on the Sundance Channel later this year.

By the way, if you haven't watched the Iconoclast series you should check it out! Coming up next is local Carlsbadistan and super skater Tony Hawk paired with Director Jon Favreau

Congratulations Josh, we can't wait to see the first episode!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUNDANCE CHANNEL ORIGINAL SERIES “THE LAZY ENVIRONMENTALIST,” HOSTED BY JOSH DORFMAN, TO PREMIERE ON JUNE 16TH AT 9:00PM E/P

NEW YORK, NY, January 12, 2009 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Sundance Channel’s original series “The Lazy Environmentalist”, hosted by author, radio and television personality Josh Dorfman, will premiere on June 16th at 9:00pm e/p as part of Sundance Channel’s ecological programming block, The GREEN. The series is made up of seven 30-minute episodes.

In each episode Josh Dorfman will seek out environmental skeptics who are experts in fields as diverse as fashion, food, architecture, business and design in order to prove that a green lifestyle can meet the demands of their professional and private lives. Operating on the theory that consumers should not settle for an expensive product or innovation of inferior design simply because it is environmentally friendly, it is Josh’s mission to bring these experts ecologically -sound options that stand up to their very high standards and show them that living a green lifestyle can not only be done with little sacrifice, it can make their lives easier.

“Josh demonstrates to viewers that they can easily integrate green into their lives, without sacrificing the quality that they expect from products and services,” commented Sundance Channel EVP and GM Laura Michalchyshyn. “This message fit perfectly into our goals of The Green, which includes encouraging people to make changes in their lives that will lessen the impact we are making on our planet.”

Environmental entrepreneur, author and radio personality Josh Dorfman is The Lazy Environmentalist - searching the world for the most innovative and cost-effective green products and services. Based on his book and radio show of the same name, this series revolves around Dorfman’s interaction with and expertise on green products of all varieties, wWhile allowing him to introduce innovators in their respective fields to his doubting subjects. Dorfman is the founder and CEO of Vivavi, a provider of contemporary, eco-friendly furniture and furnishings, working with numerous sustainable designers. He’s also spokesperson for the Filter For Good campaign encouraging consumers to reduce their plastic water bottle waste.

The series is Executive Produced by David Metzler. Executive Producers for Sundance Channel are Laura Michalchyshyn, Lynne Kirby and Mala Chapple.

Top "5" Green Living Facts

Sorry for the lack of updates. As spring is quickly approaching Maku Furniture continues to gain more and more momentum in the marketplace and there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day, which is good of course...!

So while reading the Sunday paper yesterday morning while chilling on the Maku sectional in my backyard, I came across this little gem of info in the North County Times real estate section. The Article is titled "It's easy living green, eco friendly homes reduce carbon footprint"

The story goes on to talk about a new development called Del Sur in Black Mountain Ranch (as if San Diego needs more development..!). But the good news is this 1800 acre development will feature eco friendly building tactics such as Tankless water heaters, Solar Power, weather based irrigation systems. It's good to see that despite the rampant over development of what once used to be a Wonderfully small city by the beach is in some cases taking a green approach.

A big HIGH5 to the Black Mountain Ranch LLC development group for taking some initiative in green home building!

Now back to the original intention of this post. The top 5 "Green" Living facts as brought to you by the ever progressive North County Times.

• The U.S. Residential sector is only 2nd to Chinese heavy industry in terms of INeffecient energy use ((McKinsey Global institute)
• If every home replaced the 5 most used bulbs in the house with efficient compact fluorescent bulbs over 1 trillion lbs of greenhouse gases would be kept out of the air over the course of the bulbs life. (of course it can be debated that the process for manufacturing fluorescent bulbs outweighs the benefits...)
• Green Building, design, and construction drastically eliminate the V.O.C. that we are all potentially exposed to over time.
• Landscape irrigation accounts for nearly 1/3 of all residential water use. If these were replaced with Weather based systems over 24 billion gallons of water annually could be saved according to the EPA.
• An average 2000 sq ft home generates an estimated 4 tons of construction waste. With a little planning and prep it is possible for 90% of that waste to be recycled! (Hello, Any home builders listening...?) Think of the financial savings...
  

Yeah Keir , 1st place Nippon Open!

Way to Keir, 1st place at the Nippon Open in Japan!! Sweet! Keir of course rides for Maku Furniture, Burton Snowboards, Gravis footwear, a bunch of other cool companies, and is a Carlsbad loc!

Check out all the results and good stuff here.

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

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

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.

W.R.O.N.G. - World Riders of the Next Generation!

First off a Big Thanks to all the Veterans out there that have so bravely defended our freedom and the democratic process!

Not that this has much to do with furniture, but a nice sunny fall day in Maku'ville and the groms having the day off from school for Veterans day made for a great skate session on the ramp here at Maku HQ. Check out their t-shirts - W.R.O.N.G. - World Riders of the Next Generation!

Fun was had by all and these guys were killing it!

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful...

What a day here in Carlsbad. Our little piece of paradise is amidst the worst wildfires we have ever seen... Yet at the same time the combination of 2 solid swells and the Santana Winds (more commonly referred to as Santa Ana winds) blowing off shore are making the waves the best we have had in years! Mother Nature sure is a fickle and torturous entity...

Not a lot of work getting done at Maku HQ today as we are currently under a voluntary evacuation and packing up valuables, etc. right now just in case the fires continue to move west towards the beach... My thoughts are with those that have lost their homes today and many thanks to the brave firefighters out there trying to control the beast...

Here are a few pics from today:

The Good -
My local Spot Going Off, Had a great 2 hour session this morning with only 8 guys out!




The Bad:
Early Morning Smoke moving in from the east


Looking East from the Beach


Looking South Down the PCH Mid Morning....


The Beautiful:
The Smoke made for some great lighting