![]() Magnesium carbonate is used in many different products, materials, and industrial purposes. Once again, we do need to keep perspective. collectively go through 50,000,000 pounds, or 25,000 tons, of chalk every single year… Even if my estimates are off a bit, it’s still a lot of chalk. That means we collectively go through 50,000,000 pounds, or 25,000 tons, of chalk every single year, and that doesn’t include the chalk used by weight lifters, gymnasts, and other athletes. ![]() Assuming most people don’t climb as often as me, I’m going to assume climbers average two bags of chalk per year. I personally use three to four 16 ounce bags of chalk per year (much less now that I’ve switched to liquid chalk, but we’ll get into that later). There are around 25M rock climbers globally. Just how much chalk are we rock climbers using? It’s hard to say exactly, but we can make an educated guess. However, in recent years, China has implemented significant health and environmental safeguards, dramatically reducing the negative impacts of these mines. The local air pollution was uniquely dangerous, and the soil and bodies of water were severely damaged. ![]() People and ecosystems alike were literally being choked out on chalk. Unless and until we come up with better ways to keep our hands dry and grippy with renewable, recyclable, and/or reusable materials, we’re likely stuck with using mined chalk.įor many years, the magnesium carbonate mines of China and elsewhere were poofing out giant clouds of white dust that coated the countryside and towns near the mines. Athletic chalk is magnesium carbonate, which is mined almost entirely in China, though there are a few other sources scattered around the world. The materials or ingredients can be altered in a lab or manufacturing plant, but they always originate in farms or mines. ⏹️ STOPĪll the materials that make up all physical products are either grown or mined. The process of chalking up for a climb starts long before we ever reach the crag or climbing gym. And the process of making that bag started long before that. You, our hypothetical heroine or hero, start your process by going online or into a store to buy some new gear, including a fresh bag of loose chalk. The full impact of climbing is a much bigger, much broader conversation for another day. Note, this article doesn’t cover the full environmental impact of rock climbing, just the impact of using chalk. Then I’ll “PLAY” the video again until we reach the next impact. Throughout the article, I’ll repeatedly “STOP” the imaginary documentary video to show you where and how the environmental impacts of chalk pop up. To demonstrate the environmental impacts of using rock climbing chalk, imagine yourself as the superstar you really are, starring in a climbing documentary that details every step in your process of your next big climbing adventure. Regardless, it’s still a good idea to be conscious of all our choices, including what gear we decide to use. The act of driving to our climbing location or the pre-climb meal we eat could have more environmental impact than buying a bag of chalk. However, its environmental impact can be one of the biggest of all our gear.Įverything we do has environmental impact, and we need to keep everything in perspective. Rock climbing chalk is one of the least expensive and most overlooked pieces of equipment in our climbing gear setup.
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