Category: Remade In China

Statement of Purpose 

This semester, Lana, Jennifer, and I collaborated with Mr. Zhao from Garden No. 2 to create a product for the garden out of discarded plastic materials. We found via multiple conversations and visits to the garden that the most pressing issue the garden was facing was an efficient watering system across the garden.

Mr. Zhao was thinking about placing a rainwater collection system on top of a building’s roof to solve this problem at the time. We initially assumed that developing a new watering system in the garden would be above our ability for this class, so we looked into other options, such as building a fish pond or a watering hose head. However, after receiving feedback from the class, we discovered that these proposals lack feasibility and utility. So, inspired by roof gutter systems, we concluded that installing a comparable gutter to collect rainwater would be the most possible and best fit the needs of the garden. We were challenged with designing a device that would successfully transfer rainfall into a collection bucket while also accommodating the garden’s physical space, despite material and location limits.

We made every effort during the semester to keep these goals in mind and to use them as the driving force behind all of our decisions.

Research and Development

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oEEmDXPRLA

The film we created outlining the process with photos and videos.

Our making process:

We initially thought that attempting to tackle the garden’s watering system would be too complicated for our capabilities. We considered creating a tarp for a fish pond, a foot pumped watering hose, and a spray hose head instead of a full watering system. However, after receiving class feedback, we realized that these ideas were lacking in feasibility and functionality. So, we decided to reconceptualize our idea around the original issue of rain collection. After seeing a similar system using roof gutters that feed into a collection bucket, we were inspired to design our own gutter based on it. 

Reference 1

Reference 2

Reference 3

We conducted experiments to determine the best materials to utilize before starting to build the gutter. We initially believed that using water bottles because of their circular form would be great for creating a gutter, however, connecting them without serious leaking proved problematic. We were also discouraged from using water bottles because they are already well recycled. So, inspired by plastic coin purses, we decided to iron layers of plastic bags together to make a malleable sheet that we could mold into a gutter. Ironing plastic bags was a simple approach to achieve a specific thickness while retaining flexibility in making various forms. We cut various plastic bags into flat sheets and pressed the edges together to make a huge tarp. Based on the results of this experiment, we discovered that plastic shipping envelopes were the most durable material to layer and iron. We were able to achieve this by stacking plastic bags on top of one another.

We were able to develop a strong, leak-proof polymer that could hold water. As a result, we determined that layering plastic bags to make a waterproof and malleable sheet would be an excellent material for forming the gutter.
We utilized melted plastic bottle caps to construct a bespoke hanger form to hold the gutter. Shredded bottle caps were placed in a square mold, melted in an oven, pressed to form a flat board, and then carved out with a CNC machine. We began by designing L-shaped hangers to be drilled into the roof and wire-attaching the gutter to the hangers. Mr. Zhao was pleased with the project’s direction after witnessing our initial prototype but suggested we reinforce our gutter material and seek temporary installation techniques rather than drilling into the roof. He suggested that we roll the edges to thicken them so that the gutter would keep a straighter shape with less waning.

With this feedback, we modified our L-shaped hangers into S-shaped hooks that could hang on the fence while also supporting the gutter. This was a more adaptable alternative, allowing Mr. Zhao to adjust the gutter as he saw fit. We assembled the gutter onto the hooks with snap buttons after stiffening it with additional layers of plastic and folded edges. We discovered that the gutter had stretched upwards from ironing and did not allow for easy water flow after assembly. To rectify the warp, we had to iron the gutter to bend in the opposite way. Water easily flowed out one end after some trial and error. Finally, we were able to install the finished gutter in Garden No. 2.

Me Lana, and Jennifer worked well together as a team, with each of us playing a certain role. Me being the only native Chinese speaker, I assisted with all translations and keeping contact with Mr.Zhao. Lana largely focused on ironing the gutter, while I monitored the fabrication of the S hooks. For our final film, I created the voiceover screenplay, Angel translated it into Chinese, and Lana recorded the voiceover and edited the movie together. Throughout the production process, all three of us collaborated closely on conceptualizing, assembling, and prototyping.

Conclusion

This semester, our team collaborated with Garden No. 2 to build rainwater collecting gutter out of recycled plastic to help with garden watering. Finally, we were able to design a movable and adjustable gutter that successfully channeled water into a collection bucket. We were able to adjust to Mr. Zhao’s requirements by designing a system that could be relocated as needed along the garden fence rather than being permanently installed. Furthermore, by pressing several layers of plastic bags into our gutter material, we were able to transform fragile waste material into a solid, durable, yet malleable material with added usefulness. However, because it did not rain before we finished and delivered our gutter to the garden, we were unable to determine how well it would collect water from the fence. We would have been able to make additional improvements to the gutter’s functionality as a rain collecting system if we had more time to test it in outdoor conditions, such as modifying placement or size. I am most proud of the fact that we were able to share our work with the community and observe the immediate impact of our efforts. Knowing that our gutter would not only assist to alleviate the garden’s watering problem but would also serve as a reminder to neighborhood members about the importance of reducing plastic waste made it all the more enjoyable to deliver our work to Mr. Zhao. Hearing his encouraging and validating remarks in support of our idea validated all of our efforts. It warmed my heart to know that we had developed a pleasant relationship with him throughout the semester. Throughout the semester, I maintained close contact with members of our community and kept the group members informed. I learned that I was a fantastic communicator. Because of my bilingual advantages, translation is not difficult for me. At the same time, I was taken aback by the quantity of translation work required on my part.

This is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I am grateful. I can make good use of my skills and make a major contribution to teamwork.

I learned from our tight teamwork that open communication is the key to a successful group endeavor. Everyone was actively involved and motivated to achieve the established goals, which made teamwork much easier. Maintaining regular communication with Mr. Zhao was also essential in order to design something that would be valuable to him, such as switching our installation from drilling to hanging.

If we had more time, I’d like to see how effective our gutter is in collecting rainwater, as opposed to merely water directed into the gutter from a hose. We would have been able to incorporate these critical aspects from testing in real-world situations to produce something even more useful for Mr. Zhao and the garden. I would advise people working on similar projects to maintain active participation within the group so that you can work as an efficient unit. I would also advise them to be open to diverse points of view and to not be scared to try new approaches.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BECvsVSQI_fFBIRm1M48whAbnTxVfzQcd46IY5ug59A/edit?usp=sharing

Personal Growth

Strengths

This semester’s interactions with team and community members highlighted strengths and weaknesses about myself that I had not previously examined. In terms of strengths, I noticed that I am rather quiet when working in a team and that I prefer to follow everyone’s decisions. This time, I stepped outside of my comfort zone because I am fluent in Chinese and our community members only speak Chinese. As a result, I took full responsibility for communication with the community member. Throughout the semester, I kept in close contact with our community members and kept the group members up to date. I discovered that I was a really effective communicator. The translation is not tough for me because of my bilingual advantages. But, at the same time, I was shocked by the amount of translation work involved in my part.

This is a very precise opportunity for me, and I am grateful for it. I can make effective use of my abilities and contribute significantly to teamwork.

Weaknesses 

In terms of weaknesses, I think my hands-on ability is not strong enough to help our team members, because this is actually my first semester in ima courses, and it is also the first time I have been exposed to Frabucation Lab, 3D printers, CNC machines, everything is new for me They are all too new and I have never used them, so I need to ask for help every time I want to use them. I understand that this may be a burden for others, but I am grateful to Andy for helping out there every time.

Civic Engagement

Working on this semester-long project with the same group for a real-life application taught me how to emphasize strong communication within my group and with a member of our community. Open communication with my team was essential to ensure that everyone was on the same page and working toward the same goal. We were able to set clear objectives each time we met and collaborate to find efficient answers to the various difficulties we encountered. We were able to address different perspectives and prevent misunderstandings thanks to open communication, which resulted in a very easy collaboration.

It was critical to have open communication with our community members in order to create something that he could genuinely use. Mr. Zhao first agreed when we asked if we might drill through the roof to install our gutter. As a result, we proceeded to build L-shaped hangers based on this concept. However, when we checked a second time to ensure that drilling was allowed, Mr. Zhao recommended alternative means of installation that would not be permanent fasteners. This adjustment was a turning point in our design process, requiring us to go over other possibilities that Mr. Zhao preferred. Considering real-world constraints and concerns was critical in developing a product that could address real-world challenges, making the ultimate outcome of our project much more relevant.

Academic Learning

Working with the community on environmental problems was a good fit since learning about plastic trash and its negative impacts goes a long way when we can apply it in the real world. It is not enough to simply read about plastic pollution; we must apply this information to effect genuine change in the way society views plastic, beginning with our own neighborhood. Involving the community in our projects should have opened their eyes to new methods to repurpose plastic, so that our education also taught them. Showing them our extensive process in constructing these rebuilt projects can alter their impression of the worth of plastic trash, making them less likely to discard things so carelessly. The more individuals who participate in the discussion on environmental waste, the more we can raise awareness of our collective influence and start making tiny adjustments in our behaviors.

We presented our prototype to our community members by using a presentation: of our research, material testing, and prototype development. After our presentation, we asked him the following questions.

Questions and Feedback

1.What ways do you think the water collection system can be improved?

Mr. Zhao expressed his satisfaction of the method, stating that it has been relatively effective thus far. He did, however, point out that the gutter material is rather thin and will most likely not be strong enough to hold much water. He suggested thickening the gutter to give it more strength and make it less flexible. He later suggested that curling the gutter edges will strengthen the sides.

2.We initially thought of attaching the system to the side of the roof, however this would make it a permanent fixture that would be hard to remove. Instead, we are now thinking about hanging it on the side of the fence. Do you think this would be a suitable location to collect water?

Mr. Zhao agreed that it would be best not to drill it into the roof and suggested that the gutter be installed on the fence. He told us that depending on how much rain falls, the fence might gather a lot of water, making it an excellent site. He appreciated our concept of hanging the gutter with S-shaped hooks rather than drilling it and advised that we position it on the second rung of the ladder.

The next steps will be to design the “S” shape structures based on the fence’s measurements (images of the design are included in the presentation), cut out the design in hard melted-together plastic, and reinforce the plastic tarp with all-black plastic bags to make it more aesthetic, professional, and strong.

Finally, answer these two questions:

What did you learn about working with the community from today’s discussion (not including the design part)?

I’ve learned that in order to deliver the best solution or a new design that is valuable to community members, we need more than simply the technology and materials utilized in the manufacturing process. However,  understanding of people’s needs is also important. And this aspect requires a lot of communication, time, people’s attitudes, and their willingness to contribute; I also felt really needed during this process due to language barriers. My community member is only fluent in Chinese. And my group members do not speak Chinese as well as I do. As a result, I played a significant role in communicating, updating, exchanging ideas, and scheduling meetings on both sides. I was surprised by how powerful my duty was.

How are you going to apply the lessons to future collaborations?

Working with this community has taught me how to put myself in the shoes of others to empathize with and understand their needs, even if their lives are very different from mine and they speak a different language. I can still try to put myself in their shoes to understand their problems and find solutions to them. To build these attributes, I’ve learnt to use patience, trust, and empathy. I can utilize these skills in future partnerships to try to comprehend the needs of others, even if I don’t immediately relate to those needs. This can apply to dealing with businesses, individuals, or communities.

We used the CNC this week to cut our new plastic material into four hangers to hold our gutter in place. These L-shaped hangers are 2cm wide and have two holes cut into them. We wanted to be able to thread wire or plastic through the holes and under the gutter plastic to keep it semi-circular and support its weight. The plastic board became dislodged from the holds while being cut on the CNC, and the last of the four hangers was cut abnormally as the CNC malfunctioned. The bottom of this hanger was cut thinner as a result of this, but it is still usable because the top section that holds the gutter was unaffected. It will be able to be nailed into the wall in the same way that the other hangers are.

We opted to build a water collection system for Garden No. 2 after reviewing our material tests from the previous week. This system will have a gutter that runs along one side of the building’s roof and is slightly inclined downwards to allow water to flow out and into a collection bucket below. We considered using water bottles as a tube running down the side of the building, but opted against it because PET bottles are already recycled. We also experimented with weaving plastic bags into a net to filter out large waste from the water, but this proved too time consuming and ineffective for smaller debris.

We eventually decided to use fused layers of plastic bags to create sturdy sheets that can be easily shaped. We first used this technique to make a fish pond lining, but we discovered that layering the bags even more gave it more potential for a more useful creation. As a result, we decided to use this material to make U-shaped gutters that would be hung on the side of the roof, as well as to poke holes in it to create a filter for the collection bucket.
We experimented with various types of bags and discovered that shipping packaging bags were the easiest to fuse and the strongest when layered. We used an iron to fuse the bags into a single large layer and then folded them to make the sheets. The resulting material is waterproof and strong while remaining pliable, allowing us to shape it into a U shape to hold water. It is lightweight, which makes it easy to adhere to the roof, but it is also prone to misshaping due to wind or rain. To counteract this, we’ll need to use sturdier plastic to keep it attached to the building and maintain its shape.

We melted polypropylene bottle caps into a 2cm thick board at 230 degrees Celsius and let it cool overnight in the press to make this sturdier material. We will then use a laser cutter to cut them into hanger shapes that can be screwed into the structure and keep the gutter in place. This is a strong material, but it is more difficult to duplicate than fused plastic. Wire will be used to hold the U shape on the bottom of the gutter, and we’ll need to figure out a secure way to screw the plastic into the building.

Pool trap

We pressed plastic bags together into a huge sheet to build a waterproof tarp to line a pool. To melt different bags into a single sheet of plastic, we employed both hand-held irons and a heat press. We tested various types of plastic bags and discovered that soft and elastic bags easily tore and did not melt well. Plastic bags used for shipping packaging, on the other hand, proved to be the most effective. We were eventually able to make a modest prototype with the tarp lining a bucket of water. It successfully held the water, demonstrating that it was leakproof. Going on, we shall collect plastic shipping bags in order to make a sheet largely formed of that material, which will result in a more seamless sheet.

Sprinkler head

To make a sprinkler head for easier plant watering, we drilled holes in a plastic bottle so the water would spray more strongly. Our experiment worked, but we need to make the holes slightly larger to allow more water to get through and find a way to properly connect the faucet/hose to the bottle. We’ll probably have to use tape to secure it, which won’t be easy to remove or serve as a long-term solution. To make it more long-lasting, we’d have to utilize a screw top on both ends, which would be difficult to build.

Filter Net

We used plastic bags to weave a net to keep leaves, branches, and other debris out of a rainwater collection system. We cut the bags into loops, knotted the loops together, and then crocheted the loops into a braid. We linked many of these braids to make a net that may trap heavier debris. We were able to achieve varying braid thicknesses by cutting the loops into different widths. However, the braids’ varying thickness and tightness made weaving them together problematic. To make assembly easier in the future, we should cut more consistent loops and weave them looser.

Water Tube

We made a tube last week by cutting slots in the bottoms of plastic bottles and interlocking them together. We used a hairdryer on plastic shipping wrapping wrapped around the seam to seal the attachment and make it leakproof. The heat caused the slits in the bottle to distort as the plastic around the bottles shrank to making the attachment more secure. This resulted in sharp edges that sliced into the plastic, causing leaks in the bond. This does not appear to be a viable option because boiling the bottles will twist them into unfavorable shapes. To avoid the heat, we would most likely need to use strong tape.

Revised lab report:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12DKbQJngVQNPNeY2tEFKdphftGEzitLD10-5E7whLJE/edit

Pinterest Link: https://www.pinterest.com/caye88/remade-in-china/

With our Community Garden #2 ideas involving the creation of a hose head to enhance the way people watered their plants, this bottle sprinkler seemed very beneficial. We could simply make a sprinkler head out of a hose, a water bottle, a knife, and tape to greatly extend the range of the hose spray. This, however, may not be the greatest long-term option depending on the quality of the plastic. The plastic may get overly filthy or lose structural integrity over time, resulting in it being tossed into the recycling bin too rapidly, which does not comply to Cradle to Cradle procedures.

 

 

“The Bag”

Angel, Lana, and I decided to make a bag out of deconstructed food delivery plastic bags and packaging for our art exhibit. One of the most noticeable aspects of life in China is the food delivery culture. People’s everyday lives are seamlessly intertwined with the ease of ordering meals, yet most people do not consider the quantity of packaging that goes into each delivery, including plastic and paper bags, utensils, containers, and receipts. We amassed a total of about 60 bags after collecting bags from a small sample size of 10 peers over the course of one week, resulting in an average of 6 bags discarded per individual. We calculated that our school community consumes 8775 bags in only one week by multiplying the average number of bags per person by the number of individuals at NYUSH. We wanted to draw attention to this startling discovery through our artwork in order to educate people. To demonstrate the bulk and weight of all the packaging, we chose to load the bag with receipts, plastic utensils, and other packaging trash. We intended to change people’s minds about plastic bags by constructing a labor-intensive and completely functioning bag out of discarded bags.

Process:

We collected our friends’ and roommates’ food delivery trash over the course of a week. After gathering all our bags and packaging, we proceeded to cut our bags into small strips. Plastic strips were then used to weave into sheets that we fused together in between durable clear plastic and bubble wrap. With 6 of these sheets, we used hot glue to assemble them into the formation of a large tote bag, complete with a snap-closure lid. Handles were made by braiding together remaining strips.

To highlight that the bag was created from food packaging, we ripped off restaurant logos from the bags to decorate the sides. Finally, receipts, cutlery, styrofoam, and excess plastic were stuffed into the bag.

Conclusion:

We wanted to raise awareness about the quantity of packaging that is rapidly discarded with every meal delivery order for this project. The bags we gathered ended up being used for both our supplies and data collecting. With data on our community’s use of plastic bags adorning the bag, we intended to create a powerful and informative statement about how many bags are discarded. We were able to breathe new life into bags that consumers did not hesitate to use again by manufacturing a new plastic bag from discarded bags. We were able to create a strong and visually appealing bag out of other people’s trash, demonstrating that plastic bags can be recycled. 

Improvements:

If we had more time, we would have collected bags from a greater number of people in order to obtain a more accurate statistic. Furthermore, we would have liked to use all 60 bags gathered to create a larger-than-life bag that would clearly demonstrate the amount of plastic collected.

Awareness:

The most difficult aspect of constructing this bag was the painstaking nature of the process. We had to weave our tiny strips one by one, which took a long time. After going through this time-consuming procedure, I can see why recreated items are frequently so expensive. The price includes the work involved in sorting, preparing, and reassembling recyclable materials, as well as fair compensation and quality assurance. This can be a double-edged sword because high prices dissuade many people from buying sustainable items, so they continue to buy non-sustainable products for the sake of convenience.

Please see the attached google docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12DKbQJngVQNPNeY2tEFKdphftGEzitLD10-5E7whLJE/edit?usp=sharing