The Goat

For such a pure and holistic sport, surfing requires a lot of mining and chemicals. The Cleanest Line is running a great feature that explores the claims that limestone-based wetsuits are any better than those made from oil-derived chemicals. Basically, mining limestone and turning it into the polychloroprene used in neoprene products is a high-energy, environmentally invasive process, but the upside is that it reduces our dependence on oil-derived chemicals. Of course, if a limestone wetsuit only lasts half as long as a petroleum one (unless the limestone wetsuit needs half as much material to keep you warm), then you’d be better off with the oil-based wetsuit. It’s all very complicated, but I’m sure this surfer was able to figure it out. At the end of the day, Patagonia uses the limestone derived product and tries to keep people warm by making the suits thinner and lining them with wool.

via The Cleanest Line