The Menlo Bard
Sustainability
Issue 19: Winter 2020
Letter from from the the Editor Editor Letter Dear Reader, The Bard aims to explore relevant topics that are not only a part of our Menlo community, but are also a part of the global community. This issue tackles the topic of sustainability and its nuances. We’ve all heard the terms “fast fashion” and “sustainable companies,” but how realistic is being sustainable? How have some industries already made steps to be more sustainable and is it possible to reach a truly sustainable future? We also explore the different definitions of “sustainable,” from the environmental defintiion to the more literal defintion. Whatever the answer to these questions are, I urge you to think critically about these questions and come up with your own answers while reading this issue of The Menlo Bard. This issue of The Bard also contains art features from some students in the art community, and I hope that after reading you’ll take the time to congratulate them and acknowledge the talent in the Menlo community. Have a safe holiday season! Marissa ‘‘ i
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Sustainability in the Surfing Industry By: Anisa Abdulkariem
Let’s go surfing now, everyone is learning how, come on and safari with me! - you know the rest. However, a great deal has changed since the Beach Boys projected the image of the surfing lifestyle representing freedom, a connection to nature and a laid back way of life as an alternative to the mainstream industrial culture. Whilst this image persists a more sophisticated understanding of surfing as a sport, lifestyle, meditation is beginning to emerge. With an estimated 10 million surfers in 120 countries and an industry worth an excess of six billion dollars with estimates of this increasing to 13 billion, surfing as with any big business has a significant impact both globally and locally. Its effects range from impacts on local communities, through the rapid rise of surf tourism, to the impact of the production and consumption of surfing related products, shorts, wetsuits, surfboards and more. The six billion dollars does not take into account broader social, economic and environmental issues. But these broader factors are coming into play and as with other sectors of society the language of sustainability and sustainable development is being used to grapple with these multiple, complex and uncertain issues. Like many athletes, surfers — and the manufacturers who produce their expensive boards — are very particular about their equipment. Even minute details can make or break the next wave, which has led to quite a conundrum for the stereotypically-green surf culture. 1
Sure, a few environmentally-minded groups have attempted to develop soy-based oils or other alternatives for foam surfboard cores, known as blanks, but the results have been less than stellar. Inconsistent supply chains, not-quite-right material densities and ugly discolorations have made prototypes far from commercially viable. There is currently no sustainable high performance surfboard globally available to surfers. And because surfers are particular about the way a board rides, a “greener” surfboard will have to perform as good or better than a standard PU board. The most sustainable option that is available to the majority of surfers is a used surfboard. Choosing a used board in good condition means no extra energy or materials to shape and a less expensive surfboard.
“Let’s go surfing now, everyone is learning how, come on and safari with me!” It is unreasonable to believe that all surfers, surfboard manufacturers, and surfboard retailers will be satisfied with only buying and selling used surfboards (and they will all eventually break), the next best option for consumers is to buy a locally made board, with 54 materials as low impact, locally sourced, and as durable as possible. The availability of these boards is in the hands of retailers, because surf shops are the middlemen between customers and shapers.
If the board gets to the point of being unusable (broken in half, very de-laminated, etc.) then surfers should try to donate it to ReSurf (www.resurf.org). Alternatively, they could use it as a canvas for an art project, make a chair or mailbox out of it, or hang it on the wall. The best thing to do is to try and keep them out of landfills. Creativity will need to fill this gap. Developing more durable, high performance boards for a sustainable future may include a combination of different materials, like foam and bamboo. Surfboards need a durable shell and closed cell core to stay strong and dry. But they also need to be performance and cost effective. Because materials like carbon fiber are very resource intensive and expensive, fast growing wood like bamboo may be the better option. I admit it’s a science that is better left to shapers to figure out the correct materials for flex, weight, cost, and buoyancy. Shapers and manufacturers should consider the incentives of designing greener materials and methods—the surf world is without an environmental alternative. There is plenty of research worth being done towards sustainable rubber development, environmental alternatives to conventional plastics involved in surfboards, and sustainable fibers. Additionally, company interviews would help to create a more specific picture of what goals and obstacles to sustainability are. Sustainable shipping, energy, and no-waste strategies— these are all worth studying in real world situations, in shaping rooms or wetsuit/clothing factories. Standards need to be set as to what green manufacture is and To become sustainable, the first important step is that surf businesses need to manufacture locally. Gas miles play a major hand in the ecological footprint of the industry.The least a surf company can possibly do is shipping efficiently. That means using trains and boats instead of airplanes, with recycled packaging materials. The second major change involves materials. Surfboard and wetsuit manufacturers should keep searching for alternatives to being petrol dependent—both technology and basic natural fibers are considerable paths to explore. The use of bamboo on surfboards, for example, may make a strong board more energy efficiently than carbon reinforced plastic does. But the technology of recycling surfboards is invaluable because it eliminates toxic surfboard waste.
Marketing alternative products to consumers will not be difficult with the help of professional surfers, media, and the availability of demonstrations. If the pros can rep the equipment, the media sells the advantages, and consumers can try out alternatives, I believe that businesses will see a more responsive reaction to green initiatives. The third important step to becoming sustainable is increasing efficiency in production. For any surf businesses, buildings need to be more efficient in use of light, water, air conditioning, and waste management. In general, efficiency needs to be a requirement in quality surfing businesses.e. To aid this change, Transworld Business, Shop-Eat-Surf, SIMA and other industry media reporters could feature a green business section, in which companies that are pushing the sustainable envelope are interviewed. If the media covers these brands, they set an example and draw attention to make a universal shift more attractive.
“With an estimated 10 million surfers in 120 countries and an industry worth an excess of six billion... surfing as with any big business has a significant impact globally and locally.” The last large change is the abandonment of a selectively “green” image in the surfing culture. Green marketing can be useful for educating surfers and supporting environmental initiatives. But, ultimately, sustainability should be a lifestyle inclusive of all surfers, not just those that buy into the outdoorsy looking tee shirts. The surf industry and surfing media need to move unanimously towards carbon zero, non-toxic, and sustainable production regardless of the marketing scheme. Businesses need only be transparent, they do not need to lose brand diversity to become better as a whole. If the surf industry doesn’t get cleaner and greener, surfers who support it have no voice about offshore oil drilling, no say about the use of pesticides on cotton, and no compassion to speak out about cheap labor in third world countries. 2
Illustration by Anisa Abdulkariem 3
Illustration by Anisa Abdulkariem 4
Sustainability in the
F a s h i o n Industry By: Andrea Li In our current climate, the fashion industry is seemingly getting closer and closer to being able to be fully sustainable. As of 2020, H&M, a notorious fast fashion brand, has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and to use 100% recycled or sustainable materials by 2030. Additionally, Zara, another popular fast fashion brand, has pledged to make all of the cotton, linen, and polyester they use in their clothing either organic, sustainable, or recycled by 2025. But are these lofty goals easy to achieve when the fast-fashion method of making clothes dominates the fashion industry? To answer this question, one has to first consider both why fast fashion is so popular and the harmful effects of fast fashion. The Oxford Dictionary defines fast fashion as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends,” and while this might be true, it’s only a part of the story. One reason fast fashion is so inexpensive is that their factory workers - who normally work overseas - are paid an almost unlivable wage, with the average pay for a garment worker in Bangladesh being around 95 cents per hour.
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Adding on, although H&M pledged to pay 850,000 garment workers a living wage by 2018, they failed to achieve this goal. Furthermore, factories that supply H&M were listed in a 2018 report by Global Labour Justice that discussed the abuse of garment workers. Fast fashion also has impacted the environment in many negative ways. According to a 2019 article by the New York Times, more than 60 percent of clothing fibers are now synthetics, meaning that when these synthetic microfibers from clothes reach oceans, lakes, and many other places vulnerable to pollution, the fibers will not decay. Additionally, a 2020 report by The Guardian states that, “While the figures are debated, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has calculated the fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year, while it is estimated to use around 1.5 trillion liters of water annually.” However, clothes made by sustainable brands are not as easy to obtain as fast fashion garments are for most households. Since sustainable brands pay their garment workers a proper wage and also make sure that they make a minimal or even beneficial impact on the environment, the cost of production for sustainably made clothes is very high. Because of the high cost of production, these brands have to drastically increase the price of their clothes in order to gain a net profit, meaning that sustainably branded clothing is difficult to afford for most households. As a result of this, many households resort to buying fast fashion clothing, thus continuing the cycle of buying fast fashion while harming the environment and garment workers. Therefore, although it may be possible to end this cycle of fast fashion with the goals some fast fashion brands have set for themselves, it will be extremely difficult to both truthfully achieve these goals and fully or even partially eradicate the impact fast fashion has had on the world.
Photography: Sadie Stinson Model: Peneelope Stinson
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How to: A Guide to Sustaining Mental Health and Friendships Through a Pandemic
By: Bailey Hardegree Illustration by Michele Hratko
This edition of the Bard is supposed to be focused on environmental sustainability. Yet, as in-person school and social gatherings continue to be restricted as a result of COVID-19, all of our social environments have transformed completely. This transition has negatively affected the mental health of many of our community members. So the question becomes, how do we sustain our mental health through a pandemic without the regular support of our friends? 9
Luckily, advances in technology allow us to stay connected with our friends without the risk of contracting the novel virus. The CDC has also said that small, socially distant, outdoor gatherings have a low risk of transmitting COVID. Just as a small tangent, this does not mean you can have large parties that require people to be in close proximity to one another (I don’t care if you’re in a “pod”). In an effort to support our physical and mental health, I share some ideas that will allow us to remain connected and safe through the remainder of this pandemic:
1. Weekly Facetime Chats. This has been a good substitute for the in-person connections that I used to have at school. It allows you to catch up on what is happening in each other’s lives and receive the support you may be missing. While I recognize that this may be common practice these days, I challenge you to Facetime at least one person a week.
2. Among Us Tournaments. I have participated in a few of these over the past month after being introduced to the game by my sister, who is a sophomore. We will often gather some friends on a group Facetime chat and play a few games. This allows us to share some laughs with one another and just have fun, which is rare these days.
3. Outdoor Movies. Rather self explanatory: grab a laptop, a kets, or even better two sleeping bags, to
friend, and two blanwatch a movie outside.
4. Bike Rides. Throughout quarantine my sister and I have made a habit of biking when the weather allows it. Occasionally, we will gather a small group of friends to join us. There are obviously so many other ways to stay in touch with friends and family in a safe and COVID-friendly way. I would love to hear about all the ways you have managed to stay busy. Lastly, I just want to add that it is okay to be feeling lonely, worried, or depressed, as we are all pretty much feeling the weight of everything that is happening. But, just like everything else, this too shall pass, and until then we have to look out for ourselves and each other to the best of our ability, to sustain the relationships we have formed.
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A r t i s t Profile Alicia Shao “假洋鬼子” or “Fake American” is a saying I often hear from my mom. She calls my dad a 假洋鬼子 due to his inability to say a full sentence in Mandarin without peppering it with English words. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this phrase and exploring what it means to me as an Asian American through my fine art. In my work, I investigate my conflicting identities and what has formed them. Creating artwork allows me to bring to light these experiences commonly felt by minorities. Further, I also like to investigate my feelings of self-criticism. I constantly find myself nitpicking at every aspect of myself from my appearance to personality to achievements, holding myself to completely unrealistic standards.
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Drawing or painting about these topics helps me to work through my emotions while also illustrating an experience that others can connect with. I enjoy playing with color and portraiture to tell the story of my identity. Specifically, I use bold colors and shapes to distort reality to symbolize my inaccurate self-image. Further, I utilize symbols such as mirrors, light & shadow, hands, and eyes to represent specific experiences and stories.
Bottles Still Life
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Nitpicking
Pixellated
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Open Wide!
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假洋鬼子
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Moment
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Creative Director Marissa Li
Writers Anisa Abdulkariem Bailey Hardegree Andrea Li
Visuals Anisa Abdulkariem Michele Hratko Alicia Shao Penelope Stinson Sadie Stinson
Advisor Tripp Robbins