90 MAY / JUNE 2022PH
OTOGRAPH
Y:^ TEDNEWSOME/POPM
EC
H^ VIDEOOCCUPATIONHOW TO BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO
/ M i k e V a l l e l y, 5 0 , O w n e r o f S t r e e t P l a n t , L o n g B e a c h , C a l i f o r n i a /T
HE MOMENT I SAW
skateboarding, I knew
I’d be in it for life.
I started skating in
1984, then turned pro
in 1987. I ended my
career after winning
an X Games gold medal in 2015
but still wanted to be in the
industry. So that same year, I
started Street Plant.
We produce standard skate-
boards, but this involves wood and
urethane – two elements with a
significant ecological impact. I had
the idea for eco-friendly boards
since the start of Street Plant, but
the bigger manufacturers balked
at it. So three years ago, I reached
out to Danny Creadon, owner of
Factory13 Skateboards. He’s been
in the industry since 1999 and
doesn’t follow anybody’s playbook.
We created Street Plant Naturals,
a line of sustainable, resin-based
boards made of high-quality
maple- veneer plywood, a bio-based
epoxy, and water-based inks and
sealants that eliminate the need
for oils or animal by-products. We
estimate that it has an overall
70 per cent less detrimental effect
on our environment.
Skate, create, enjoy. That’s Street
Plant’s mantra. Skating is an art
that brings people joy – and that
approach informs everything
we do.Bio-based resin laminates seven plies of maple-veneer plywood
inside a concave mould that evenly distributes 40 tons of pressure.
It cures for 24 hours, then we drill the mounting holes for the wheelbase.
We cut and shape the board, creating a fillet on the bottom with a quarter-
inch round router bit. We sand and sculpt a slight fillet on the top edge,
and coat on a water-based polyurethane before and after silk-screening.There’s a quality control inspection, then it’s all set for the world to enjoy.
- Danny Creadon
HOW
IT’S
DONE
Watch the complete MA D E H E R E
video series on YouTube:
youtube.com/popmechshow MADE HEREpopularmechanics.co.za