We're often asked why we're called Big Green Adventures - the answer is simple; we prioritise our environmental impact in every single thing we do. From the equipment we buy, to how we charge our phones, to the way we run our sessions, we're always looking for ways to reduce our impact and leave this amazing beach as we found it, or even better!
We'll be focussing in on particular elements (such as in our blog a few weeks ago about our recycled bodyboards), but here's an overview of all the stuff we're currently doing:
POWER
We're 100% solar powered, that means every single drop of electricity comes directly from our own panels. The amazing team at TS Electrical have built us a state-of-the-art off-grid system which powers everything from our phones & laptops, right up to the air compressors we use to inflate our SUPs.
WETSUITS
Working closely with C-Skins we were one of the first centres in the country to trial their Nu-Wave, natural rubber wetsuits in 2023. Now every single wetsuit we buy is made of natural rubber.
The wetsuits are washed after every use using a completely natural, ocean-friendly soap that is harmless in the marine environment - the suits stay fresh and it doesn't damage the ocean - win win!
We also work with Bodyline wetsuits to repair rather than replace our suits as they become damaged, extending their lifespan and keeping them useable for longer.
Once their no longer usable for lessons and hire, we either re-home them to customers or locals, or send them for recycling where they're turned into new products.
RASH VESTS
Our iconic rashvests are made by Kudo Surf and made out of Repreve, an amazing fabric made from recycled plastic bottles and printed using earth-friendly and non-toxic inks. They look great and keep more plastics out of our oceans.
BODYBOARDS
Our all-new Vision NxGen Bodyboards are made from recycled plastic pellets - check out our recent blog post for more info.
BELLYBOARDS
Dick Pearce Surf Co make traditional wooden bellyboards right here in Cornwall. Hands down the most sustainable way to catch a wave and one of the most fun as well! We're part of the Surf Wood For Good campaign where you can borrow a board for free to help stop the flow of the cheap nasty supermarket bodyboards which pollute our beaches every summer.
WISE ACCREDITATION
Both Dale and Adam have both attended an Adventure WiSe Scheme training course - this is the UK's national training scheme for minimising disturbance to marine wildlife. We've been putting this training into action across all of our activities to ensure that we're respecting our local wildlife and leaving everything just as we found it.
KAYAKS
Our kayaks are all made using reclaimed marine plastics, collected and turned into usable material by Rob and his team at Odyssey Innovation. The plastic, in the form of washed up litter and ghost fishing nets is collected, cleaned and eventually made into these amazing kayaks in partnership with FatYak.
BEACH SHOP
Our beach shop exclusively stocks eco-friendly goods, check out this blog post for a full run-down of what's in store.
WAX
Surf wax is typically made from petroleum based products, which isn't something we want more of, so at Big Green we use Matunas Surf Wax. Founded in 1998, Matunas wax was one of the first non-toxic, biodegradable, petroleum-free, eco-friendly surf waxes around. Made using local ingredients in California straight from the farm without any synthetic chemicals.
They strive for environmental quality and ethics in their business by making ecologically friendly surf products that do not have negative effects on our environment.
BEACH CLEANS
Using litterpickers and bag loops from our friends at Waterhaul, the Big Green team regularly run beach cleans, or pop out on our own to remove rubbish from the beach. Last year we helped the Waterhaul team recover a huge tangled mess of old fishing rope that washed up the Gannel in a storm.
If you ever want to lend a hand then pop in and borrow some equipment or ask when our next organised clean is running.
IMPROVEMENTS
It's really important to recognise that there's always more we can do, we're not resting on our laurels and know that as a business we need to keep striving to clean up the areas of Big Green that still have too much of an environmental impact. Recognising these areas, doing what we can in the interim and searching for better options is something we look at every day;
SURFBOARDS - Despite our best efforts, we're yet to find an eco-friendly option for our foam surfboards. In the meantime we work with Vision Softboards which are super resilient, and our team repair any damage straight away to maximise their lifespan. Once they get too battered to use on lessons, they're usually rehomed to one of our customers who'll use them for years to come on their own.
SUPS - Similarly to our surfboards, we're searching for more environmentally friendly options. We work closely with Sandbanks Style, who take on all feedback and have developed one of the most hard wearing iSUPs on the market. We take good care of our boards to maximise their lifespan, work with a local company to repair any damage to a high standard and, again, they're rehomed rather than thrown away.
If you'd like to know more about any aspect of what we do here at Big Green Adventures we're always open for a chat. As much as we like to think we're one of the "greenest" activity centres around, we're always looking for ways to improve. If you think there's a supplier we should be working with, a new technology we should be aware of or something we can change in the way we operate then please get in touch as we'd love to speak to you!
Comments