Mike Vallely Joins Art of Boards Skate Deck Recycling Program as Spokesman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bruce Boul
Phone: 412-965-9913
E-mail: bruce@artofboard.com
Web: irideirecycle.com
SKATEBOARD LEGEND MIKE VALLELY JOINS ART OF BOARD’S SKATE DECK RECYCLING MOVEMENT – I RIDE I RECYCLE –
AS OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON
HANOVER, PA – Art of Board’s nationwide skateboard deck recycling movement gives the action sports industry many legitimate reasons to recycle broken decks through their program. Now they have another. His name is Mike Vallely and he’s going to make sure that message is heard loud and clear.
Through a series of public service announcements appearing online and in various skateboard magazines this year, Vallely and Art of Board are screaming for change in an industry that, according to Art of Board founder Rich Moorhead, has a social responsibility to keep wood waste out of landfills.
“Millions of broken decks are thrown in the trash every year along with dumpsters of manufacturer wood waste,” says Art of Board founder Rich Moorhead. “The skate industry finally has a solution and it’s I Ride I Recycle.”
Vallely and the Art of Board team are calling on all skateshops, skateparks, skaters and skateboard manufacturers throughout the U.S. to embrace sustainability and join the first-ever skateboard deck recycling movement, which launched on Earth Day 2010.
“We’re thrilled to align ourselves with Mike,” says Art of Board co-owner Bruce Boul. “Not only is he one of the most influential skaters of all time, but we share the same principles when it comes to skateboarding, philanthropy and creating positive change.”
Art of Board’s I Ride I Recycle keeps decks out of landfills and salvages them to fuel a sustainable lifestyle brand that revolves around the scratched, scraped and gouged decks.
The brand preserves the graphic art on these decks – the art of board – so they can be reused and their story live on in the form of Art of Board’s hard tile surfaces and retail displays, peel and stick wall graphics, textiles and clothing lines.
“The main goal is to keep this wood out of landfills,” says Boul. “The bonus is that we can use them to provide never-before-seen products for those who share our passion for art, action sports, music and film.”
The best part is that Art of Board’s business model focuses on giving back to skateboarding in a major way by supporting skateboard charities and skateparks and helping to drive business to local skateshops that join I Ride I Recycle. It costs nothing for shops, parks and companies to join and Art of Board absorbs all shipping costs of recycled decks.
“At Art of Board, it’s all about giving back,” says Moorhead. “Whether it’s donating to a charitable cause or helping local skateshop owners, we want to support the industry and the sport of skateboarding for helping us create an eco-friendly world.”
This year, Art of Board is also teaming up with the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) to create recycling bins to not only collect broken decks, but also used ones that can be refurbished and donated to IASC’s Just One Board program for at-risk youth.
“I Ride I Recycle is the industry’s recycling umbrella,” says Boul. “And we’ll continue to evolve the movement to include more organizations and companies to become a fully comprehensive skate recycling movement.”
With Vallely on board working directly with I Ride I Recycle and through his new skate company, Elephant Brand Skateboards, Art of Board has its sights set on every skateshop in the country and looks at the possibility of going global. Art of Board is also launching a brand new irideirecycle.com this March that will serve as a fun, engaging resource for skateboarding and deck recycling, with a forum for anybody to join simply by filling out a quick online form.
Today, the rapidly growing I Ride I Recycle includes hundreds of shops, parks and skateboard manufacturers around the U.S. and Canada, including the nationally recognized Skatepark of Tampa, The Berrics, skateboard legend Mike McGill’s Encinitas, CA skateshop, Vallely’s new Elephant Brand Skateboards and Skate One Corp., in Santa Barbara, CA to name a few.