The ocean is something of existential importance to me. I have felt it’s brute yet beautiful and natural force through my life, molding me into the person I am today and the person I will be in the future. This respect and relationship has grown into a strong passion and intrest for all that has to do with the ocean.

Over this summer I became obsessed with surfing. It wasn’t just a sport but it was a lifestyle that I was drawn to. One of creativity, extremity, pain, bliss, and a respect for nature. This obsession led me to make my own surfboard. I got a piece of foam and started sculpting. I saw the waste right away. As I shaved at the foam, thousands of little pieces of foam (who knows what it is, but its definitely not good for the environment) flew into the air and settled onto the green grass. Next thing I knew it was like I was standing on fresh snow. I was shocked and disgusted by this aspect of board building. I tried my best to contain the foam and clean up, but theres only so much I could do.

As surfers, people who constantly interact with nature and who long for the spoils of nature, it’s our duty to respect and to even give back to mother nature. Yet every time we get a new board (every surfers dream) we support an industry that damages the very thing we love the most. This is exactly what makes me want to pursue sustainable board building as a senior project.