chinas cancer villages from unregulated industries

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32895890/ns/news-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1
This is what China has allowed to happen to its country and people for profit.
Not saying its the surf industries fault, just trying to bring to light whats really happening when you choose to do business in, for or with china.

the industry is changing as people become more eco minded. low voc epoxies are becoming more common and now some bio epoxies are 70% bio material instead of petroleum. They are all are more expensive. The ester based resins are worst.

Yeah it's sad but this type of disregard for the populace and it's environment has been going on for near a century in China, long before they opened it's country to trade. Long before they became a communist state in 1949. With increased trade and openness comes more international awareness. These types of atrocities became known back in the 1970's yet almost 40 years later they still flourish, somehow i doubt another 40 will change anything.

History also shows us communism has a way of doing that. China has a long history of human rights and environmental violations and they don't care. Buying or not buying a chinese surfboard will make not one bit of difference as these people working in these conditions have no choice if they want to eat and survive. They do it because they have to and have no say in the matter.

Those that can change things won't as they are lining their pockets, why should they when the their own government looks the other way and our country sanctions the trade.

"Not saying its the surf industries fault, just trying to bring to light whats really happening when you choose to do business in, for or with china."

That's a poor generalization that you are casting across the industries in China. Definitely the pollution from some of their processes is extraordinary, but to use that to ward people off of doing business with the Chinese, or people that do business with them, is irresponsible. The nation is under intense pressure to modernize, unlike any country ever before. If you choose to look at all the bad without seeing how China is changing for the better, you're going to make biased statements. The country is making leaps and bounds as they improve both their economic and environmental positions. It would be no surprise to realize China as a green technology leader in the near future. The country cannot afford, both economically and socially, to continue to pollute as they do. They are modernizing but, as industrialized history shows, there is a price for explosive expansion.

Also, remember, the only reason environmental violations exist is because we first caused them over a long period of time... and we continue to create new ones.

(Message edited by taft on November 22, 2009)

Poor generalization, irresponsible? Ok Andrew, are you justifying Chinas pollution? If not, then exactly how would you have worded these atrocities? With all due respect of course.

hey waves i live in calif where i can eat 4 oz of fish caught once a month in every lake and river because of mercury and selenium if i am an adult and if the fish is to large im not supposed to eat any of it ( kids and pregnant women are supposed to eat no fish ), and calif has already filled in 90% of its wetlands, i believe the rainforests being plowed under in south america are only 1/2 the forrests that were destroyed in north america already .... dude you can go on and on and on ....

@Waves

It's not the wording of the severity of pollution - as I agree that it is outrageous in parts of the country - it is your wording in the sentence I put in bold in my previous post.

"Not saying its the surf industries fault, just trying to bring to light whats really happening when you choose to do business in, for or with china."

It is a statement that leans heavily to one side, implying that it is not reasonable to do business with China. When reading Frank's above post, it becomes clearer how your statement can be viewed as irresponsible, and as a poor generalization.

It leans heavily to one side, can be viewed as irresponsible.......Kinda sounds like you are describing CNN

Pollution aside there are plenty of economic reasons for purchasing domestic made goods when given the option.

you mean like keeping jobs in America where they belong?

While I care about the pollution IMO the real reason to purchase American made boards is to stimulate our own economy not one on the other side of the world. Might not be a big deal to you but it certainly is to those trying to put food on their family's table. Support your fellow wakesurfers not foreign factory workers.