In the same way that you never see a baby pigeon, you very rarely see what happens to old parachutes. With so many of us jumping, there are plenty that reach the ends of their lives and disappear, usually to landfill where they won’t decompose. Wouldn’t it be nice if that thing that regularly saved our lives could do something else when it was no longer airworthy?
Well, thanks to Levity, a small company based in the States, those old wings are finding new life and bringing joy to more people. Their very admirable aim is to redesign the current cradle-to-grave cycle in canopy manufacturing and they have developed a line of little-to-no-waste hammocks, swinging chairs and more made entirely from donated and upcycled parachutes and gear. The best bit? They look absolutely incredible!
By donating some old gear, you’ll get a discount off some of their products and a warm feeling inside that your old canopy isn’t heading off to a hole in the ground. And it’s not just donations of old gear. They also have a roster of ‘sustainable supporters’, such as PD, who donate bulk fabric that hasn’t passed muster when it arrived at their factory.
With their Kickstarter orders nearly all fulfilled, they’ll soon be launching their online shop with a range of recycled goodies. Prices for smaller items will be 10-$15, pocket swings from $50, swinging chairs from $90 and hammocks from $100, all plus shipping.
You can find out more about the company, their ethos and the products that are coming soon via their website.
By James ‘Macca’ Macdonald – facebook.com/SkydiveMacca
