waves of green

surfing just got a little bit greener with maui's eco-friendly alternative to traditional surf wax. the ingredients of wet women surf wax are 100% biodegradable which means it will completely break down with no worries of harmful toxins being sucked up by the ocean and its inhabitants.

the packaging hits the all important 3 r's and is made of 30% recycled steel and, even though the container can be tossed in the recycling bin, wax refills are available to keep the tin continuously filled for many years to come.

morgan fisher and jordi llore, the socially conscious minds behind the product, jumped through a few extra hoops so that their surf wax could be cradle to cradle certified (which is a movement to promote ecologically intelligent design so once a product is at the end of its lifecycle it does not just get carted off to the landfill to waste away over the centuries).

the online shopping cart is currently being upgraded however wet women surf wax is stocked at a handful of surf shops on maui.

{via treehugger}

super sun protection

ocean warriors looking for a better way to protect their skin from the sun may want to take a peek at vertra, hawaii's very own high performance spf created specifically for the needs of athletes battling the elements during their outdoor adventures.

the formula passed the rigorous testing required to meet the skin cancer foundation's seal of approval and has also received a ringing endorsement from the hawaiian lifeguard association. and, if you have ever wondered if your spf was still working, vertra's shelter tinted formula comes to the rescue with a hint of tint to help you see when it's time to reapply.

the premier line recently made its debut and is available at t&c and local motion (click on the news tab for the entire stockist list) as well as vertra's online shop.

the return of lanikai

the retro styling of 'oiwi's oh so pretty lanikai collection, which is exclusive to athleta, has finally made its long awaited return. in addition to those cute board shorts featured last summer, sophisticated screen printed bikinis and tankinis make their debut this season which can be mixed with lanikai's complimentary floral pattern.

design finds

mr. p * sigg * eco-weekender

in my search for an alternative to water bottles (which have an annoying way of littering the planet not to mention the potential health risks of plastic), i came across these fabulous aluminum contenders in a range of tropical and surf inspired designs. sigg bottles are designed in switzerland and are a stylish solution to stay hydrated on the go with many bottles sporting eye catching graphics created by artists from around the world.

put a cork in it and save your wine with one man stuck, propaganda's saucy surfer bottle stopper.

and, with the amount of rice that hawaii consumes, wouldn't it be nice if all those rice bags that get tossed in the trash featured more colorful designs? at least then they would have a chance at a new life like these fun eco-weekender bags which are repurposed by a woman's co-op in cambodia out of old feed and rice bags.

{update | jan 2010: if you are concerned about bpa and own an older sigg bottle, be sure to double check the liner color to determine if you should upgrade your bottle to a newer edition}

heart of the sea

we spend a lot of time out at makaha when we're home and a friend always shares the story of when he met rell sunn (aka the queen of makaha) at the beach. a few years ago, he raved about a documentary on rell called heart of the sea after it aired on independent lens on pbs. the film racked up a number of awards when it was released for its poignant take on rell's life and is a lesson in living your life with grace and how truly embodying the aloha spirit is good not only for yourself but for your community too.

unfortunately, the film is not currently on the pbs schedule (but you should still check out il which is one of my favorite programs on tv) and nowhere to be found at netflix, however the hawaii state library happens to have a vhs copy so you can put your library card to work if you still own a vcr.

dvds can be picked up at women make movies swell cinema which also has a trailer posted on their website.

fyi - rell's family has set up a non-profit which keeps the rell sunn menehune surf contest going and which also supports breast cancer research in honor of rell. click here to learn how you can help.

{update | jan 2010: dvds are now on the shelves at your local library!}