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Benefitting the San Diego Center for Children
by Ned McMahon
02/10/2007:// On October 20, 2007 at Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach, Rerip.com and Homeblown US will hold a unique surfboard exchange event to promote sustainability and environmental consciousness. The first 50 people who donate a used but ridable surfboard will receive a free Biofoam blank. The donated surfboards will be available for resale that day and then posted on Rerip.com. All proceeds will go to The San Diego Center for Children, a non-profit treatment center for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Noted North County artist, Wade Koniokowsky, will be painting the donated surfboards. Travel photography from Branden Aroyan will be on display, along with information from the Surfing Heritage Museum and Wai Kula Hydrogardens. The event, "The Future of Surfing," will include music from local rock band, Billy Midnight, and food from Rudy's Taco Shop and Ceviche Dave's of Kona, Hawaii. There will be fun, educational activities for kids hosted by Surfrider's "Kids for Clean Water" program.
"Rerip.com and Homeblown US share the same views in addressing sustainability and will use this event to help educate the community and promote a healthier environment," says Meghan Dambacher, co-owner of Rerip.com and a Child Development Counselor at The San Diego Center for Children. All proceeds raised at the event will benefit The San Diego Center for Children. "I love working with the kids. The donations from the event will help us in our mission to provide hope and life skills for the kids that allow them to succeed in their school, social and family environments," Dambacher added.
Rerip.com is an online venue for the sale, resale and exchange of used surfboards, snowboards/skis, skateboards and accessories. The goal of the site is to provide an opportunity for individuals to reuse and re-ride equipment, while promoting environmental awareness through a discussion forum, profiled athletes, events page and tips for new surfers.
Homeblown US is a surfboard blank manufacturer and producer of Biofoam. Biofoam is a new type of surfboard foam where nearly 50 percent of its core ingredients are made from organic domestic soy as opposed to fossil fuels. The company is challenging the surfing community to become more conscientious about the environment. Homeblown US is also a member of 1% For The Planet and is 100% carbon free through Carbonfund.org.
Background Information
On December 5th, 2005, Clark Foam, the world's largest surf blank manufacturer, abruptly closed down its production plant after Grubby Clark, founder, expressed concerns about the company's liability in manufacturing a toxic product.
The closure of Clark Foam precipitated reconsideration in the production of surfboards, which traditionally is a composite structure made primarily from petroleum based substances. The standard issue surfboard for the past 47 years has been made from polyurethane foam (PU)—like the blanks Clark Foam made--and polyester resin with a fiberglass cloth. PU foam is petroleum based as is the polyester resin and although fiberglass starts life as a clean natural product, to make it workable it is run through very toxic chemical baths. Until recently, nearly all blank companies made PU with a TDI isocyanate. The "T" in TDI is Toluene and has been recognized as a carcinogen.
Epoxy boards have been around nearly as long as PU boards but have only recently come to the forefront. These are made with polystyrene (PS) foam and there are two types. The beaded ice chest or coffee cup style is expanded beads or a version that looks more similar to PU foam which is extruded. Both of these still use the fiberglass like above but the resin used is epoxy resin - hence the name. The polystyrene (PS) blanks are made with styrene and benzene both of which are carcinogens however, epoxy resins emit 75% less Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) than polyester resin and this is its only claim to being "greener".
What is even more misunderstood is that many of the boards manufactured overseas, where the environmental laws are lax and the labor cheap and largely unprotected, are then shipped to the United States. Global shipping is one of the leading causes of ocean pollution and the carbon footprint of shipping surfboards is huge. As a result, buyers are unknowingly adding to the problems they may wish to help minimize. The two companies hope to encourage people to understand the impact of their buying decisions while enjoying themselves at the beach.
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
[The number of high-rated Australian surf competitions are set to increase]
[Pablo Gutierrez winner of the Superbock Pro]
Hawaiian Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro Junior surfing in her first ever contest in France
ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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Surf art 
Surf environment