Jason Salfi

How are Comet Skateboards green?

We started the company that way back in 1998. I graduated from Cornell in '93 with a background in natural resource management. I wanted to combine sustainable business with something I was interested in and skateboards made sense. Traditionally, skateboards are made with maple, laquer, and petroleum based ink. I rethought that on a basic level and started using sustainable maple and water-based ink. Forty percent of maple harvested goes into making skateboards. At first, we made a carbon composite-based skateboard that lasted longer, and cut down on the necessity of manufacturing the current abundance of boards. The goal was ultimately to make a bio-based composite. A couple of years ago, we joined forces with a glue company E2E out of Cornell and now we don't use anything with petroleum and have 100% biodegradable boards. We also compost the scraps.

In San Francisco, our factory ran on solar energy. We just opened a new factory in New York to be closer to our raw materials. Our goal is to use reusable energy in our new factory as soon as possible.

  Why is this important to you?

It's all about legacy: We are only on this planet for a brief amount of time. I have a child and want to preserve the planet for future generations. I'm not just talking about humans, but also biodiversity. It is wonderful for many things to coexist.

  Where do you get your materials from?

  We get the maple from forests around the Northeast. We source mostly within a few hundred miles of the factory. We are trying to build a regional supply chain. 

  Is there anything that's not green about your company?

  By nature, most companies that mafacture have improvements to make. Right now, we compost scrap materials, but how about a way to cut down on scrap all together? We compost, but could rethink manufacturing so that we don't create waste or have a need to extract from the environment. From an energy standpoint, we could use less. Solar power is really great, but it is important to find ways to reduce use of energy.

  A lot of companies are portrayed as having the world's problems solved, but I never want to sound like I have it all figured out. The way we do business and interact with other companies is inefficient and could be improved. We are all in this together and so one company doing the right thing is never enough.

  Why did you choose skateboards? Are you an avid skateboarder?

  I like to skateboard a lot so I chose skateboard manufacturing because I knew it would keep me interested. The reality, however, is the busier I get, the less I skateboard.

  Does your company make skateboard attire and accessories? If so, are those green?

We make t-shirts and sweatshirts from organic cotton, but our focus is really on boards and decks.

  Are skateboarders likely to be pro-environment?

  Not more than any other group. In the past, skateboarders have been seen as cultural iconoclasts and progressive thinkers. There is definitely a conciousness among skateboaraders and they are always willing to learn.

  How would you describe your customer?

It's a really broad, diverse group of people. From 11- to 12-year-old kids to 45-year-old women. It amazes me that kids that dress totally differently and talk differently from each other all gravitate toward longboards. We get a lot of attention for being a triple bottom line company, but we focus as much on high quality as on sustainability.

  What is the biggest challenge you have faced?

  Staying in business. Margins are tough in this industry, but getting better. It is a challenge not to compromise values in the face of competition from other manufacturers, especially overseas manufacturing. But things are going really well today.

  How are you green?

  My wife and I share a car, a Prius. Driving a Prius is kind of cliché at this point, but it's the fact that we share a car. I get to work by biking or skateboarding everyday. In the winter, I either bike or carpool.  

  This is the first year that we are part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) pretty close to our house. My three-year-old daughter gets to go to the farm and pick produce once a week. It is great to interact with the community and become friends with people who are not like us. We don't like to be with people who are just like us.

  More than anything, I try to relate to people on a human level and be a good teacher. I have been engaged in environmental justice or sustainable buisness my whole life, but I realized I was doing all this work outside my home. It is most important to instill good values in my child and raise her in a conscious matter so that she lives a good life

  Any eco-sins, i.e., something you wish you could give up but just can't seem to be able to?

  The computer. It is a great tool and important for connecting people, but I spend up to eight hours a day on the computer. I prefer to communicate with people more directly. I hope to find a better balance between connecting with people in person and online. Also, cell phones. All week I have to keep it in my pocket. We have a deep attachment to electronics.

  Do you think skateboarding could be an answer to our energy crisis?

  Possibly, it dovetails really well with public transportation. You can commute on a bus, train, or subway and then skate the last few blocks.

 C lif Bar encourages its employees to find alternative forms of transportation to getting to and from work. We just sent them some forty longboards so forty people at Clif Bar are now riding longboards to work.

  On college campuses, it is possible to skateboard to class instead of driving. You can carry your ride with you so you don't have to worry about your bike being stolen.

  Standing sideways leads to a higher form of conciousness. It enables you to see the world differently, like yoga. Your mind opens up when you start riding a skateboard.

  Who would you like to see on a skateboard?

  Barack Obama. I bet he'd be good.