Recycling Skateboards With Style

Looking to get rid of those old skateboards? Rather than throwing them out with the trash, put them to good use and give them to Beck Hickey.  She’s the creative mastermind behind the innovative line of skateboard handbags called Sk8bags.  Hickey began her company after being fired from a waitressing job.  Inspired by her love for skateboarding and its surrounding lifestyle, she envisioned combining old skateboards with posh fabrics to make hip and stylish handbags, and already had some ideas of what it would look like as a final product, but needed a little help.  She called upon a few friends to get a prototype together, and it ended up looking even better than she had imagined.

A lot of work and effort goes into each individual bag, which is really what makes them so unique.  Each bag originates from its own board, making it a one-of-a-kind product - essentially, no two bags are the same.  Hickey makes sure that during the process the skateboard’s design withholds its original character, which is really, the main part of each product.  From her New York workshop, she uses tools such as drills and large table saws to cut and put skateboard parts together, and a sewing machine to stitch it all together with fabric.  She hand-produces each product, which is very time consuming in the end.

Business has quickly picked up for Hickey in the three years since beck(y) was established, mainly because of her distinct style and because she uses recycled goods. As of right now, beck(y)’s Sk8board line consists of three women’s handbags, two messenger bags, and an assortment of belts, belt buckles, and money clips.

Recycled skateboards are what keeps beck(y) going, so in order to keep them coming in, Hickey has established a program called Boards 4 Bowls, whereby for every used board she is given, she donates to a non-profit organization dedicated to building and maintaining public skate parks.  It began for the sole purpose of getting access to more boards, but now she feels good about being able to do something positive and give back to the community.

beck(y)

ICFF 2008: The Report

This year there were several pieces that considered the environment and stood out from the crowd. More than ever there was a reoccurrence of manufacturing in the New York metro area. Several designers we spoke with mentioned that their products were fabricated or produced in Brooklyn and also sold locally. We were also very excited to see an increase in the amount of recycled materials being used in the production of furniture.

Ayako Takase, Cutter Hutton and Chris Specce of Kaiju Studios in Providence, RI released the Airia desk and media cabinet, for Herman Miller this year at ICFF. These pieces are part of Herman Miller’s Lifework Portfolio series and strive to create a remarkable, quality design that is far from disposable and very desirable. Takase mentioned that through the design, ergonomics, materials and construction quality, they intend the furniture to be something “you’ll keep for the rest of your life and pass on for generations.” The desk and cabinet are both designed for easy assembly/disassembly and are made from walnut, featuring a plywood laminate top surface and cast aluminum legs.

Kaiju Studios

Akemi Tanaka is a Brooklyn based designer and a recent graduate of the Industrial Design masters program at Pratt. She launched her line of eco-friendly furniture this year at ICFF. The three new products that she released at the show include Ori, Sachi and Curve. They are locally made in Brooklyn and primarily sold to customers in the New York area.

Akemi Tanaka

Meredith Goodwin created the SURA table. A simple, modular coffee/side table piece designed for small spaces. SURA is fabricated out of a strong aluminum alloy with an Indian inspired design cut into the metal. SURA is made from Aluminum and produced locally in Brooklyn, New York.

Goodwin Design

Diane Ruengsorn, Founder and Director of Domestic Aesthetic created a line of housewares that use sustainably forested and reclaimed woods while being locally made in Brooklyn. Our favorite product uses scrap mahogany which is reclaimed from a local window manufacturer.

Domestic Aesthetic

With the rising cost of fuel and labor oversees, material companies such as IceStone, are using production facilities in the United States. IceStone manufactures Cradle to Cradle certified eco-friendly surface material used for countertops, bathroom vanities, and flooring for commercial or residential projects. The material is made from recycled glass and concrete and is produced by an environmentally friendly manufacturing process at a factory in Brooklyn, New York.

IceStone

Metal Shutter Houses by Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban is an internationally acclaimed architect who was born in Tokyo and is noted for his work with paper products. He is especially known for working with recycled cardboard paper tubes, using them to make efficient and cost effective housing structures for disaster victims. Ban has been working on an 11-story building in New York City. Metal Shutter Houses are being built at 524 West 19th Street in Chelsea and are slated for completion this Fall. The building will have 9 duplex residential condo apartments and a penthouse with three terraces. The units have walls that lift out of the way completely. The metal shutters on the facade are motorized and built with perforated metal to modulate the light and function as a privacy screen. They are located at the edge of each terrace, adjoining the living room of each unit.

For more info visit metalshutterhouses.com

Nau Warehouse Sale in New York

In anticipation of a Nau retail store in NYC, Nau is offering a selection of its outdoor and urban products from its fall/winter collection. Nau’s clothing integrates beauty, performance and sustainability together.

Come for THE WAREHOUSE SALE and save 40-75% off!

March 6 - 9
Openhouse Gallery
201 Mullberry Street (between Kenmore and Spring)
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday/Saturday 12pm - 8pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

5% of every purchase will do directly to KIVA, the worlds first person to person micro lending website. KIVA let’s you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world.

Reclaiming Materials In a Remarkable Way

Bill Harding aka “Gene Pool” is a Brooklyn, New York based artist. For over a decade now he has been experimenting with reclaiming objects using the materials to make outfits. He has a series of suits, each fabricated to send a message about recycling or the environment. Through frequent appearances in the New York area he shows off his suits to the public. His work “Can Man” is a wearable suit created using 500 aluminum cans. Another piece of his work is called “The $uit”. It weighs 52 pounds and is covered with pennies.

Benchmarking blackness

You might ask yourself, why are scientists working to create a material that absorbs up to 99.9 percent of visible light? Pulickel Ajayan, who’s working with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York will tell you that this new material has the potential to be used in solar energy conservation. It has only been tested on visible light but there’s a chance is can be used for infrared detection, astronomical observation. It could also function to block infrared and ultraviolet light as well as radiation. Click here for more information.

Smart Compensation for Recycling

RecycleBank offers rewards for recycling. Their services are currently available in the metro areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont and Delaware. In an interesting way, both businesses and residents benefit from this program. Points earned by residents are used to buy from participating stores and companies.

To sign up as a business or resident visit recyclebank.com

Much Needed Action to Make the South Bronx More Sustainable

Majora Carter is a very inspiring activist who has been making a massive difference in New York’s South Bronx. Her organization, Sustainable South Bronx works to locally improve the use of land, water and energy while innovating transportation and education.

To learn more about her initiatives click here.