$5 for Surfrider Foundation

As you may know, we are big fans of Surfrider Foundation and as part of our 1% for the Planet partnership we are always stoked to help out the best people we know to keep our beaches and waterways clean.

The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water - MUSIC VIDEO from Surfrider Foundation San Diego C on Vimeo.

There has been a lot of discussion lately on BPA free water bottles and the need to not only recycle but more importantly reduce and reuse.

So today through April 1st we are donating $5 from every sale of a "Blue" KOR ONE Hydration Vessel to the Surfrider Foundation as thanks for doing a great job! Click Here to BUY the Ice Blue KOR ONE Hydration Vessel



So lets all join in together and help to keep the beaches clean, the waterways fresh, and mother earth as happy as possible!

Happy New Year - Make '10 your "Greenest" yet!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2010! As each day, week, month and year pass since we started this little journey of putting a little more eco friendly style into peoples lives, the "Green" movement continues to grow.

Of course this is not only great for people that have always taken an eco friendly approach in their lives but it is even better for Mother Earth! Yet as "Green Living and Lifestyles" grow so does "Green Washing" and we all need to be even more vigilant on assuring the products we use in our lives are truly making a difference on this planet.

Daily we are bombarded with terms and catch phrases like - Eco Friendly, Green, Sustainable, Organic, Okeotex approved, Fair Trade, Reduce - ReUse - Recycle, etc etc etc. The cool thing is that there are so many stories beyond the "Green" stories and even when a product is not "100% Green" it still can make a difference.

Products that give back to the community in which they were produced. Building Schools, supporting the people that build their products, water conservation, sustainable farming, community planning, etc are all things that we feel are just as important as being an "Earth Friendly" product.

At Maku Furniture you probably know we work with 1% For the Planet. We donate 1% of our total sales from both Maku Furniture and Make EcoShop to The Surfrider Foundation and the East Bali Poverty Project.

But beyond this we continue to help educate the communities in and around our Javanese manufacturing facility. For example, taking the sawdust and reclaimed scrap wood leftover from manufacturing and selling at the local markets for livestock bedding etc. With the proceeds used to buy school books and supplies or take the manufacturing staff on eco trips to the Rainforest, Jungles, and Beaches of Java. Most of which have never left the 10 or 15 km radius of their local village but now have a more broad understanding of how their lives in the village may affect the beaches and ocean thru inland stream runoff or burning of toxic materials affecting the canopies of the rainforest.

With this philosophy in mind, you'll be seeing some cool products coming up on the Maku EcoShop that we feel make a community difference in the manufacturing process and of course have a sustainable and eco-friendly vibe.

Don't forget a difference starts with One person and when we each do a little bit BIG things happen! So take those Eco Resolutions, make them realistic and set a base to build from for many years to come.

From the crew here at Maku Furniture we wish you a Great and Green 2010.

A day without a bag

Got this email today from the crew at the Surfrider Foundation. What a great idea, especially during the holidays with all the shopping going on!

A Day Without a Bag is an education and grassroots event started by Heal the Bay in LA that involves businesses and individuals throughout Southern California and beyond. On this day we ask holiday shoppers and retailers to forgo single-use, plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable bags. In addition, Surfrider will be handing out reusable bags in conjunction with the Cities of Encinitas and Oceanside.

DID YOU KNOW:
- Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute.
- Californians throw away 294,000,000 pounds of plastic bags every year, or 147,000 tons.
- 600 plastic bags are thrown away every second in California.
- Most of the bags we use are NOT recycled! They are littering our oceans, beaches, landfills and killing animals & birds.

On Thursday December 17th, please tell your friends and family to forget the single-use bag at the store and get hip with a reusable bag. Here are a few tips on remembering your reusable bags for the next trip....

Keep your bags in your car, Write "REMEMBER BAGS" at the top of your grocery list each week, Hang a bag on the door knob to your garage or someplace near by, Keep a reusable bag or two in your purse or backpack, Ask the kids to remind you to bring your bags as part of earning their allowance.

By the way, we will be adding these to the Maku Ecoshop in the next couple of days

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!

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!

Not The Answer

So Check it out, as you know I am an avid (perhaps addicted is better) surfer and my life and everyday activities are tied very very close to the ocean. There is just something very special about spending time in the water almost daily. Some call it a greater spirit connection, Ijust love being outdoors...



But I am also a realist and understand the needs of the "greater good" in an effort to maintain commerce and all things that go with living in this greatest country in the world. As such I always try to look at the most viewpoints possible and asses alternatives. In short there are always 2 ways to the same answer...

So when the offshore drilling ban was lifted, I became very concerned (and still am) that we will see the beautiful coastline covered in offshore oil rigs. Not only detracting from the natural beauty of the ocean and those terrific So.Cal sunsets but more importantly adversely affecting the eco system from fish kill to pollution to sea bed damage the list goes on.

Sure Fossil Fuels are the easy answer and the technology to drill for them is readily available. I hope we can all agree that fossil fuels are also not the answer to a longer term problem.

With the advent of Bio Fuels, Natural Gas, Electric, and even Hydrogen engine vehicles (that run on water!) it seems silly to want to continue to exploit our coastlines in hopes of greater corporate profits for companies such as Exxon.

Check out Surfrider Foundations blog on off-shore drilling and decide for yourself and if you want take action and let you congress person, Secretary Salazar, and the president know what you think!

A Sea Change

Continuing on with the Ocean related "theme" of recent posts I thought I would try and bring some attention to what posses to be the newest and potentially greatest threat to our Oceans.

Acidification of our oceans has risen 30% since 1900! Yikes, that's a lot of acid in our most precious of natural resources and the cycle that drives life on our little piece of the galaxy.

A Sea Change documents Sven Huseby's travels through the ancient fishing grounds of his Norwegian ancestors and looks at the acidification of our oceans. From both the human element and the scientific element. Mr. Huseby first learned of this emerging disater when he read Elizabeth Kolbert's article in The New Yorker entitled "The Darkening Sea".

A Sea Change debuted to tremendous acolades at the Environmental Film Festival 2 weeks ago in Washington D.C.

I wonder if President Obama attended the film festival or perhaps he was too busy putting his brackets together for March Madness or setting his schedule for his appearance on The Tonight Show... (Sorry, couldn't resist a little dig on our 44th president but to me it seems he should be focusing on the economic and environment problems at hand versus trying to be a media star or dare I say media whore...)

....Now back to our regularly scheduled programing - So check out the trailer below for what looks to be a great documentary on the plight of our oceans. And remember change starts with one person at a time!


Watch A Sea Change Trailer in News | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Pick up 3, and a difference you will see....

I've been meaning to talk about this Super Grom named Cobi Emery from nearby Del Mar. 2 years ago when Cobi was 10 he started Pick up 3 as a way to bring increased attention to pollution on the local San Diego beaches.

Now at 12 years old and a couple of years into his project he has made such a tremendous difference. Just think what can be done if we all took the same passion, verve, and stoke that young Cobi has...

A big High 5 Cobi and I'd be happy to share a wave with you any day! Keep up the great work!

Rise Above Plastics

Check it out, Rise Above Plastics is a site all about the awareness of the effects plastic has on our lives. Since Rise Above Plastics luanched thier website over 11 BILLION plastic bottles have ended up in landfills... YIKES!

You've probably read here in the past about the North Pacific Gyre and the Blob of plastic floating in the Pacific that is 2 times bigger than Texas.

Rise Above Plastics is supported by everybody from the Surfrider Foundation and Jack Johnson (who we really dig!) to the Algalita Foundation, Heal the Bay, Junkraft, and a whole bunch of other really cool people.

How are you going to reduce your plastic usage? A couple of easy ways are to get your own reusable bags for those trips to the grocer and a cool Sigg Water bottle!

Butts at the Beach

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people throw their cigarette butts out the window. Be it on the highway, in a neighborhood and especially on the beach.

Cigarette butts are the #1 item found in urban run off pollution throughout Southern California. If you smoke, hold on to your butts. If you don't smoke, even better!

As a member of 1% For the Planet we donate a portion of our total sales to our friends at The Surfrider Foundation. They just came out with a cool little PSA on you tube about cigarette butts.

Bill Byrne BBPR extrodinaire

Bill Byrne or BBPR the Numero Uno PR Agency to budding Furniture Guru's, Actions Sports Brands, Men of Style, and All Things Project Blue just had some amazing coverage on Good Morning America.

Project Blue is an Eco Awareness program supported by our friends @ Dakine, Billabong, O'Neill, Electric, Reef, and Nixon. As they say "it's not a charity, it's a plan of action!"

As you know we get stoked on anything that helps our oceans and Project Blue as well as the brands I mentioned above are all about bringing greater awareness to the peril of our oceans through the Surfrider Foundation which we support as part of our partnership in 1% For the Planet. Support these brands and they will support mother earth and her vast waters! Check out the coverage here!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5758062

10 ways to better mother earth!

Best Wishes from Maku Furniture for a wonderful Earth Day 2008! Check out these to easy ways to help Mother Earth. Courtesy of our friends @ Surfrider Foundation.

10 Things You Can Do Now to Soften Your Impact on Mother Earth:

1. Reduce, Reuse then Recycle as much as possible, including paper (newspaper, office paper, corrugated boxes), glass, plastic, aluminum and steel (and water!!). Use the back of every piece of paper.

2. Be conscious of your water usage and try not to let too much go down the drain and don't let any go down the street because of over watering.

3. Conserve energy, use energy efficient lighting and ask your utility company to use renewable energy. Turn lights/TV off when not in use.

4. Find an alternative to chemical pesticides for your lawn and buy organic produce when possible to reduce pesticide use in farming.

5. Eat locally grown organic foods. Limit or eliminate meat from your diet and purchase only those brands of tuna marked "dolphin safe."

6. Join a Surfrider beach cleanup or organize a cleanup of your own!

7. Use public transportation whenever possible and, when driving, try to carpool. Bike or walk for short trips…and gain a health benefit too.

8. Get your toes in the sand! Visit and support our parks. Help teach young people to appreciate the beauties of the natural world.

9. Educate yourself on important environmental concerns and know how your elected officials stand on the issues.

10. Spend time teaching a child about the importance of a healthy environment.

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

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

Global Warming, hot or not?

At the risk of taking a minor political departure from the melding of passionate lifestyle enthusiasm and contemporary furniture I submit 2 articles for your review.

The First article is from NASA saying they have overstated the rate at which the earth is warming. Click Here

The Second article I found while perusing the BBC news website talking about the alarming rate in which Arctic Sea Ice is shrinking. Click Here

It's no secret that I have long been a fan of taking care of our environment. From growing up in the mountains and joining the Sierra Club at the age of 14 on through moving to the beach and being a longtime supporter of The Surfrider Foundation (and more recently 1%FTP) I have seen firsthand the effects we as humans can have on our environment and the blatant disregard that many people take towards their surroundings.

Mind you I am not an overzealous "eco-nazi" or anything but it's not that hard to do little things like recycle or turn off a light in an empty room. If you get a chance, grab a copy of "The Lazy Environmentalist" written by the ever passionate all around nice guy Josh Dorfman.

To see "Green Products" continue to infiltrate mainstream life and media is great and only good things can come from added awareness.

My take, we are seeing a pattern of global warming that modern society has never experienced. Has this pattern taken place in the past before meteorological records were kept or are we going down a path that Mother Earth has never seen, we will never know...?

But one thing is for sure - Each and every day people across this planet take a new interest in our environment and what they can do to make a difference and thats a good thing!