Shred The Chemicals Lesson Plan
Subject Area: Science
Grade Level: 7
Time Required: 30 minutes
Classroom Size: 120 Total
State Curriculum Standards: N/A
Most People in the world think that surfing is harmless to the environment. However, most
people are wrong! From the mid 1960’s through 2005, a foam called Polyurethane was used to produce
surfboard blanks. It was inexpensive, responsive, and easy to make. Unfortunately, for over forty years
people didn’t really consider the impact of the Volatile Fumes released from this foam. Every one
hundred pounds of polyurethane, releases thirty pounds of Volatile Organic Compounds (the main
chemical released is styrene). Styrene is not only a carcinogen, a cancer causing agent, but it also
releases greenhouse gasses. In 2005, Clarke Foam, a local company and the biggest supplier of
polyurethane foam, was shut down after people started suing the company for harming the
environment.
Interestingly, EPS (expanded polystyrene), aka Styrofoam, was then considered for use in
surfboard manufacturing as an alternate to or substitute for some polyurethane boards.
To help spread awareness about this pressing matter to conserve the ocean, we created a board
game called “Shred the Chemicals: The Game of Life”. This game contains many fact cards that you pick
up every time you move and lets you learn in a fun environment. We hope that the game board attracts
and educates people of all ages, surfers and non-surfers, who may learn better in an interactive
environment. The board game we made is also made of the recycled Styrofoam we collected, just to
reinforce our determination and commitment to be eco-friendly.