On a sleepless night in 2011, a Southern California surfer was staring at his quiver of surfboards unhappy with the quality and integrity of the bags that protected them. They were unimaginative, all manufactured overseas, and none of them used recycled material. Then, his gaze fell to an old sail lying on the floor. It was part of a set design destined for the stage—and, later, the landfill. He suddenly had an idea.

After much research, fed by his passions for surfing, sailing, and designing, Jeffrey Wapner launched a company in his hometown of Santa Barbara to create stylish, durable, and sustainable surfboard bags and carry-all totes.

Paradise Divided Into Blue and Green upcycles old sails, anchor lines, vintage fabric, and post-consumer materials, all sourced locally—and sews them into handmade bags on site. The company just opened an e-commerce store online, after launching in retail stores in Japan.

"I wanted to give these sails, originally designed to be used at sea, a second chance at romance with the wind, salt, and sand," says Wapner.

Wapner's aesthetic priority is to allow the materials to dictate the design: "Every sail tells its own story, and I try to honor the original design—for example, the traditional zig-zag stitching—into every component."

His priority for sustainability dictated that he find a source for recycled foam to protect the board, and eco-friendly zippers. He even found upcyled zipper pulls.

Now, every surfer who has a deep connection to the Earth can purchase bags true to their environmental character. Learn more at intoblueandgreen.com.

– Co-written with Morgan Balavage, @splendid.yoga in Santa Barbara

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