My German buddy made the statement ; "Wenn du denkst an sie , antike Tauchapparat ist sehr " grün ." ( When you think on it, vintage/antique diving equipment is very "Green.") I think that was richtig (right).
At first it didn't register, but when you do think about it, vintage diving is a recycling (and to a good degree) earth friendly sport and should be sold on that merit as well. By rebuilding and reusing serviceable vintage equipment, we lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing new gear causes.
That said, I would never say "Oh, you nasty eco-spoiling person, you! How dare you buy that new "Kraken" regulator! If an enviro-weenie said that to me I would tell him or her to GSAFBD! ( I will not completely break down this acronym for you due to good manners and decorum, but most of us ex-mil types probably know what I am saying. Suffice it to say that G= Go, S=Suck, A=A and FB = Fat Baby's. You'll have to figure out what D equals out to).
Look, I am not a total "Tree Hugger" in any sense of the word, but modern sport diving makes a big deal about environmental impacts that we can avoid during diving in every class, every dive briefing and through project AWARE. I just find it interesting that we are in a niche of the sport diving world that takes this environmental "concern" to a higher level, albeit accidentally, "When you think about it." This facet should be brought up as a part of any discussion when dealing with divers that know nothing about vintage diving and equipment and is a positive selling point for the sport of vintage diving as a whole.
