January 22nd, 2008 - Since 1995, Arbor’s designs have been ecologically based, and for most of that time, the only environmentally friendly alternative available. Through the years, a lot of people have looked at what we do and thought - “tree-huggers.” We never fought the label too much - after all, the goal from the start was to do right by the planet. Yet, anyone who expected us fit the stereotype, was in for a surprise. This company is about riding - and a modern approach to environmental thinking; an approach that, today, is being embraced by the surf/skate/snow industry as a whole. Funny how times have changed.

Many of us who snowboard, skate, or surf are helping change the face of environmentalism. The hardest kid you know might be eco-minded to his core. You don’t have to broadcast it to live it - It’s not about identity, it’s about choice. A lot of companies have realized this and are finally looking past the mold and seeing just how many environmentally aware customers are out here. As a result, they’ve decided it’s time to get “green.” Good - whatever the motivation, their efforts are positive.

For us though, you can’t just be green for green’s sake. If that were the case, we’d all be wearing hemp underwear. People expect style and performance. Arbor’s job is to find the environmentally friendly, natural materials that can be developed into “eco-technologies” that deliver value. It is possible to replace harmful, man-made components with natural materials and create better made, better looking, better performing products. That’s what we do.

In the end, if all the green “hype” turns out to be just another trend - Arbor will still be here doing our thing. Why? Like most of our customers, time spent riding gives us a direct understanding of what’s at stake. Protecting the planet is not about some place you see on TV - it’s about the environments we utilize everyday. We all need clean air to skate, clean water to surf, and snow to ride.

To that end, we will continue to source our eco-technologies in a sustainable manner; donate to groups working to protect and restore the planet (we gave 5% of our profits last year to the Nature Conservancy for their efforts in Hawaii); and develop future products using the same conscious approach to design that has defined the Arbor tradition.