A certain mad professor from not so famous American university, Anil Netravali, has developed a composite made completely of plant materials which can be used to make skateboards. The environmentally 'green' composite could replace the traditional formaldehyde-based particleboard commonly found in inexpensive furniture. "At the end of its life, you can take it and put it in the compost pile, and it can be used to fertilize more plants." said the professor. Most skateboard decks are made from at least seven plys of maple (or originally, hard rock maple), and we can wonder if this bidegradable material will be sufficiently durable and flexible to give the board the feel and pop that skateboarders are used to. The biodegradable composite is said to be ten times stronger and 25 percent lighter than current boards, and made from fibers of plants including bamboo, pineapple, and coconut. The Gang Green skate crew must be happy about it.
Source: Lisa Grossman (not Grassman)
