World's First! Moroccan Windmill Blades Converted Into Surfboards for Local Youth

We love hearing stories of innovation and environmental solutions from around the world and this one from Morocco is one of our favorites from this year. Through their Eco-Board Project the team over at SeaTrees was able to connect a far away idea with the missing link.

As the turbine blades from Morocco's first wind farm neared the end of their life, EDF Power Solutions CEO, Modest Kwapinski, had the thought of trying to convert the old blades into, well, new blades for the local kids. The man for the job was Los Angeles-based shaper and eco-board pioneer, Ry Harris.

In his mad laboratory of sustainable surfboards at the AltaSea in the Port of LA, Ry found a way to use one pound of pulverized powder (formerly windmill blades), with a recycled EPS core by Marko Foam Blanks, bio-based epoxy resin, and recycled plastic fin boxes made in Morocco by RST. All together, it's called Turbine Tech.

The far-fetched idea came full circle when the quiver of boards were gifted out to young surfers part of the national surf program, Federation Royale Marocaine de Surf. It didn't take long before the boards were out in the surf and being put to the test. We're looking forward to following up with them down the line to hear more about their performance and impact.

Kwapinski explains how they wanted to find a better solution for the decommissioned blades, "We were there to help build and operate for the first wind farm in Morocco. One thing that gave us a lot of trouble was the blades. They're very difficult to recycle and unfortunately, oftentimes end up in landfills. We began exploring innovative ways to reuse them but without SeaTrees, it would have just remained a concept. They were instrumental in helping us find Ryan Harris. "

This eliminates waste from the landfills, proves that recycling blades is possible, and helps increase access to top-tier surf gear for local surfers. Each board also planted mangroves in Kenya through the SeaTrees They were even shipped over in plastic-free packaging from a New Earth Project. Call it an eco-board grand slam.