Learning Curve

Business has been an interest of mine for a while, and this past fall I had the opportunity to take Social Entrepreneurship. For our final projects we were assigned to design an idea for a business. I wanted to do something that I was interested in, something that I really cared about, but nothing was coming to mind. As I struggled to come up with ideas, I found myself watching random Youtube videos, and I saw a video that said, “Recommended for you” and it was a surfing video. That was when it hit me. Why not create a business that uses recycled plastics to create surfing products. The idea of creating surfing products was further narrowed down to just surf fins. With several days of research and experimentation, I developed a prototype fin. The final product exceeded my expectations. I did not plan on going further with the idea of a plastic surfboard fin, but after hearing from several students, saying that they would use a set of the fins, I knew that there was potential for something more than just an idea. The fins are made out of the number 2 recyclable plastic, high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Working with HPDE plastic has been a learning process. With several flaws in my prototype fin, I look to better the quality of the surfboard fin. Not only am I focusing on the quality of the fin, but the process of how the fin is molded, cut, and shaped.  Rather than using just an electrical heat source, I am planning to work with Alan McIntyer and his E block class and make a solar oven to mold the plastic. Power tool will also be replaced, giving me a final product that has not required any fossil fuels to make.  Today I worked with some of the HDPE plastics I have collected, and attempted at creating a sheet of plastic that I could cut a fin out of.  I failed, but that opened up several new ways to mold the plastic. I built a wooden press that will flatten out the HDPE plastic into a rectangle. The issue with the rectangle is the excess work needed to cut and shape a fin. With several different ideas on how to mold the plastic into the shape of a fin, I must research and experiment on the different methods to find the most efficient and ecofriendly way.  Learning from my failure today has prepared me for tomorrow, as I hope to make my second HDPE surfboard fin.