Provoking new ideas about surfboard sustainability

a graphic design project by Chris Anderson

WELC MEt o t h e . . .

...the surf industry as a whole is

not currently involved in creating

or producing a sustainable

surfboard. Instead, the surfing

community seems contented to

accept the status quo...

a campaign that would

promote awareness of the

associated environmental

impacts of surfboard

construction as the

necessary first step towards

sustainability.

- Sean Sullivan,

in Sustainable Surfing (2008)1

1 0 0 0 S u r f b o a rd G r a v e y a rd

1. COLLECT 1000 old/broken surfboards

2. BLOG Process and any surfboard reuse ideas

3. INSTALL The surfboard halves at Garie Beach

4. DOCUMENT Construct an epic installation and film/photograph it

5. PROVOKE New ideas about surfboard sustainability

W H AT

W H Y

Polyols

Sand (Silica)

Diisocyanates

MEKP (catalyst)Chemicals

Non-Renewable Resources Substances Materials P

FibreglassPolyester ResinPolyurethane

L I F E C Y C L E

Blank ShapingGlassing

Surfboard

Ding Repair

s Process Product DisposalReuse

StorageResellArt

Repair

2

y o u r s u r f b o a rd h e re

Currently there are up 63 million surfboards in use world wide. At the end of their lives, they will become landfill. Surfboards cannot be recycled. 1000surfboardgraveyard.com

Currently there are up 63 million surfboards in use world wide.

At the end of their lives, they will become landfill. Surfboards cannot be recycled.

Currently there are up 63 million surfboards in use world wide. At the end of their lives, they will become landfill. Surfboards cannot be recycled. 1000surfboardgraveyard.com

3

Carbon Emissions (per 6’0” shortboard)Construction Type

CA R B O N E M I S S I O N S

EPOXY and UPR surfboards have approximately the SAME carbon footprint because expoxy boards last about one and a half times longer.

Conclusion

CA R B O N E M I S S I O N S

4

p e r s u r f b o a rd

That’s like driving 760km / 472miles in an average car5

YO U CA N H E L P

REUSE OLD SUFBOARDS • Art, chairs, shelving, signs, letterbox etc

OFFSET YOUR SURFBOARDS FOOTPRINT • Simply calculate & offset your surfboards footprint online www.decarbonated-sports.com

TALK TO YOUR SHAPER • Create change - tell your shaper you want a surfboard made from materials that aren’t environmentally harmful

BUY SURFBOARDS MADE FROM • Foam blanks that are 50% or more recycled, or bio-derived (plant-based) • Resins with 20% or more biological content (plant-based) • Epoxy resins that are VOC-Free (Volatile Organic Compounds are toxic)

6

7

L E A R N M O R E

1 Sullivan, S 2008, Sustainable Surfing, Coastalwatch, accessed 28/4/2011, http://www.coastal watch.com/news/article.aspx?articleId=2560&cateId=3 2 Schultz, T. C. 2009b, Surfboard Cradle-to-Grave Project, Sustainable Surfing Coalition, accessed 25/4/2011, http://sustainablesurfcoalition.org/?page_id=29 3 Anderson, C 2011, 1000 Surfboard Graveyard, accessed 21/8/2011, http://1000surfboard graveyard.blogspot.com 4 Schultz, T. C. 2009a, The Surfboard Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment of a Common Surfboard: Epoxy vs. UPR, Sustainable Surfing Coalition, accessed 25/4/2011, http:// sustainablesurfcoalition.org/?page_id=29 5 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 2011, Your Work: Facts & Figures, ‘Transport’ - “Driving an average car produces 0.33 kg CO2 per km”, accessed 31/10/2011, http://www.abc.net.au/greenatwork/yourwork/facts.htm 6 Sustainable Surf, Guide to Eco Surfboards, accessed 31/10/2011, http://sustainablesurf.org/ ecoboard/guide-to-eco-surfboards/ 7 Decarbonated Sports, Calculators, accessed 31/10/2011, http://www.decarbonated-sports. com/calculators

Photography: Chris Anderson, Marty O’Donnell & Rhiannon Bannenberg. Surfing: Brett Connellan.

USEFUL LINKS! SUSTAINABLE SURFING COALITION http://sustainablesurfcoalition.org SUSTAINABLE SURFBOARDS www.coastalwatch.com/news/article. aspx?articleId=2560&cateId=3 SUSTAINABLE SURF http://sustainablesurf.org THE GREENER BLUE http://thegreenerblue.com DECARBONATED SPORTS www.decarbonated-sports.com SURFRIDER FOUNDATION www.surfrider.org THE INERTIA www.theinertia.com SURFING GREEN www.surfinggreen.com.au

L E A R N M O R E

B E T H E C H A N G E .