Uncategorized

Learn from China
As part of your research for your final project, find local craft techniques, and find local materials that Chinese people have been using. Is there any technique we can replicate using plastic? Do you think we can replicate those materials using plastic?

 

The Chinese crafts that I have always been interested in are blue and white porcelain. Blue and white porcelain is a treasure of the Chinese ceramics firing process and one of the mainstream varieties of Chinese porcelain. It first appeared in the Tang and Song Dynasties,

 and the mature blue-and-white porcelain appeared in Jingdezhen in the Yuan Dynasty. It developed to a peak in the Qing Dynasty. Blue-and-white porcelain is made of cobalt ore-containing cobalt ore, which is painted on the ceramic body, and then covered with a layer of transparent glaze, which is fired once by high-temperature reduction flame. The cobalt material is blue after being fired and has the characteristics of strong coloring power, bright color, high firing rate, and stable color. Through data search and practice comparison, I found that the pattern and status of blue and white porcelain can be made of plastic, but its transparency and luster are never comparable to plastic products, so this Chinese handicraft is especially precious.

 

 

Find References
Research about plastic solutions and post it in your journal.
Everyone has to find at least three interesting solutions that already exist and their impact on a sustainable world. Evaluate them, using the information from the lectures and readings. Choose one between “Design Is The Problem” and “Bio-Thinking” as an evaluation framework or tool for assessing the sustainability of these solutions. 

 

 

 

1 –Metal/glass pipette

Many years ago, through such a video (https://www.bilibili.com/video/av3226450), the damage of plastic straws to marine life has received international attention, and reusable metal straws have become very important. Recall that in daily life, we drink beverages with straws, which are usually used for a short period of time, but they have great consequences of non-degradability. In addition to destroying marine animals, their decomposition of micro-plastics and harmful substances seriously affects them. It is the health of our bodies. From the perspective of Bio-Thinking, we have increased the frequency of use of straws and no longer manufacture a large number of straws. It is a beneficial invention for biological, environmental and human considerations.

 

2 –Leaf plate (https://www.bilibili.com/video/av5695072)

In order to solve the problems of excessive waste and environmental damage caused by the proliferation of disposable plastic products, the Germans want to make changes from the perspective of production. Through years of research and improvement, they have proposed Leaves are made into plates, no plastic, no chemical reagents, no need to cut trees, only leaves. From the perspective of Bio-Thinking, this invention can definitely replace the plastic plate. However, I believe that this product is not very practical, and has the disadvantages of being unsanitary and smelly, and it is not easy to spread widely. In addition, the raw material of leaves is also seasonal and difficult to collect. Therefore, this design is a good idea, but I am not optimistic about its development, but rather semi-processed products made from biomass such as straw and a small amount of chemical reagents are easier to develop.

 

3 –Edible spoon

Plastic spoons are often found in takeaway boxes and are now a growing class of plastic waste. Many years ago, Indians invented edible spoons, which were mainly made of millets, rice and wheat, using special techniques to achieve the hardness of general plastic products and to achieve a longer shelf life. From the perspective of Bio-Thinking, this invention is inventive. The cost of manufacturing edible spoons is not high, equivalent to ordinary snacks, but with reference to the price of plastic spoons, the profit of this product may not be satisfactory. However, with the deepening of environmental protection concepts and the global call, I believe that this type of products will be popular.

WEEK 3: TOPIC: PLASTIC WASTE AND ITS IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS

Shanghai’s Informal Waste Management Report:                          1.First, is informal and government run with contracted companies.  

2. Second, entirely private and involves millions of informal workers collect, store and sell waste. 

Landfill: Most common form of waste treatment             Incineration: Waste is dispused by burning.                    Recycling & Recovery: Non-existent in Shanghai’s formal sector.

 

The Concept of Sustainability 38-56

In this part of COS, the chapter discusses  how business can become more sustainable and give the term, “eco-efficiency”. How many companies are beginning to become more conscious of the way they operate. To be honest, it was not until my best friend started his own sustainable business that I began to take an interest in sustainability. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware of the issues are faced in our earth but until I was put into a sustainable community that I began to get an understanding of what is happening. Miguel created the Boomi Group to of course promote his sustainable products but to also create a community in Shanghai that could actively engage in discussions on how to live more sustainable lives and ultimately live in a more sustainable city. 

Week Two:
TOPIC: PLASTIC WASTE AND ITS IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS 

 The Concepts of Sustainability Instantly reading this text I think about a class I took last semester, Sustainable Fashion. In this course we dissected the term “sustainability”. This term is one that is now used so loosely that it’s great to be able to get a concrete idea of what it means to be sustainable. 

 

• Economy

• Equity

• Environment

 

Sustainable Agriculture vs. Carrying Capacity: Alteration of individual and collective human behavior or new technologies.

Sustainable Economy vs. Sustainable Society 

Biggest Takeaway from this Chapter: The Critique of Technology strain of thought focuses its attention on the roles that technology and technological innovation have played in promoting rather than avoiding environmental degradation, particularly when technologies are brought to bear on symptoms of problems rather than on fundamental issues. 

 

Accumulation: The Material Politics of Plastic Plastic economies: Made to be wasted PET and topologies of disposability

Learn everything about plastic pollution.

THREE KEY FACTS I FOUND: 

1. Since the 1950’s around 8.3 BILLION tons of plastic have been produced worldwide.
2. A MILLION plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.
3. The average person eats 70,000 microplastic each year.

Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic               

Why Plastic Pollution is Personal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJiQt9ASSNg  

City to Sea: non profit organization running campaigns to stop plastic pollution at source. #SwitchtheStick: make cotton bud stens out of paper.

And yet there’s a key difference: Ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers, at least so far. To do something about it, we don’t have to remake our planet’s entire energy system.

 

China stopped taking a long list of garbage and it’s causing chaos    

In this Vice article it’s interesting to see how when China implemented their new policies, the country was quick to take on the new policies and move forward. For instance, my neighbor whom would always throw anything and everything away began to really go through her trash and would even watch me throw my trash and assist me in making sure that I was sorting my trash properly. This made me reflect on how if this were to have happen in the United States, it would not be taken so lightly as it was here. As soon as the government implemented these new rules everyone seemed to follow. However, I feel as if this were to have happened in the US, there would be some pushback. Sure, it’s suggested to recycle but its not like it is here now where it is something everyone needs to follow. This just makes me think about how can we do our job to make sure that we enforce these types of laws and actions in our own home countries.

Plastic Recycling Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It. The first sentence of this article made me think of two things:

1. Katie Chen’s Capstone Project, Class of 2019
2. How is that I never knew that rich countries would send their trash to poor countries in Asia? 
   1. I was really upset at myself that I did not this was something that occurs. It makes me realize how much we don’t seem to put attention to the world or things until they’re actually affecting us.

“Without bold new ideas and management strategies, current recycling rates will no longer be met, and ambitious goals and timelines for future recycling growth will be insurmountable.”   – Laura Parker & Kennedy Elliott

 

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed 

Date: 18th November’2019 

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

Objective:

1. Post your thoughts on the workshop and readings.
2. Post your final project proposal

1. Thoughts on the workshop: 

I think the workshop was really interesting as it was a new way to test different sorts of materials and to some extent gave insights on testing different materials for the final project. It was basically a way to think critically and be more courageous in future to do testing with all sorts of materials which could replicate plastic. The class was divided in the groups and each group tested a different material which would basically help the students to collaborate and try new materials. All the instructions for testing the new material were already handed in to all the group members and they worked upon them. For instance, the potato start testing was done with the basic materials which are readily found in the homes so this gave a sense that not all the advance materials are required every time. 

I believe there were a lot of trial and errors and in the first time the desired results cannot be achieved and this needs a lot of perseverance and consistency.

2. Thoughts on the Reading:

The reading “The Truth about Bioplastics” was very interesting for me and helped me to built upon my prior knowledge about the bioplastic. It has long been though that the bioplastic could be a solution due to its numerous advantages such as “reduced use of fossil fuel resources, a smaller carbon footprint, and faster decomposition. Bioplastic is also less toxic and does not contain bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter that is often found in traditional plastics.” However, the article highlights that the bioplastics are not really a solution to the grave problem of the plastics because they also enhance the issue and do not fully encounter the problem of carbon footprint and pollution. Therefore, the scientists every going struggle to find the best possible solution has not finished and they are looking for other ways other than the bioplastics. 

3. Post your final project proposal.

I will make my own plastic which would be a good substitute for the plastic which is readily used.The type of plastic I am fixing to make is of the natural type. It will basically be a home made plastic made using:

Milk
Vinegar
Large Pot
Larger Pot (needs to be the same size as the other, or larger).
Spoon, preferably plastic or metal
Strainer or Colander, the finer the better
Stove or other item with which to simmer milk.
Paper Towels, lots and lots of paper towels

 

4. Hypothesis

1. When I make the plastic will it be quite rigid when it’s thick (1/8 inch or thicker), moderately pliable when it’s a little thinner, and brittle if it’s paper thin.
2. Will my plastic material be sandable and paintable when tested.

 

5. Items and machines I will need for my experiment:

I will test the flexibility using; shredder, will use weighing scale and the items mentioned above. 

 

My second idea for the project is to basically:

I will do more research to basically find the plastics being used in Shanghai the most, how me can reduce their use through creating awareness, I am thinking to make a website, with the facts on to make people know what is actually happening and then have a QR code and create awareness about the biodegradable plastics through my testing (incorporating photos of my testing on to the website). So basically, it will have three parts 

1. Research 
2. testing and what products could be made out of it 
3. making instructables for the replication in future 

Hypothesis:

• My website will create awareness amongst the people of all ages 
• My website will influence people to replicate the designs 
• all age groups will at least try once to replicate 
• my website will have new alternatives to plastics which will help to make new products 

 

Feedback from the Professor:

• make a collaborative website where everyone from the class could login, add content and ask questions 
• this would be effective and different because people have websites working on awareness lately but never had chat bots which could answer the questions and help them out with the quantity needed etc 
• it would also be effective because a lot of the classmates are working on testing materials so they would be good to add instructions and help the users in future 

 

Experiments and workshop results and reflection:

For the in-class workshop I was in a group with 2 other students and we had the task of using potato starch to create a substance similar to plastic. What I enjoyed about this recipe is that it is a sustainable and easy to make recipe that eliminates the need of producing additional plastic and can be done in one’s home with few ingredients. 

Ingredients:

50 ml water

5ml glycerol

7.5 grams potato starch   

   

We mixed the ingredients in a glass beaker first and then switched to a metal tray. We measured the ingredients in a grams measuring spoon and scale. The mixing was done in the small automatized mixer. After a few minutes on the heating pad, the ingredients quickly took the form of a goo-like substance and quickly began to burn. Parts of the mixture adopted a brownish color and became rather hard. We learned that the heat of the pad had to be lower and we had to continue mixing the substance. The end product was meant to resemble a moldable sheet of clear plastic-like substance, however our attempt resulted in a soft gooey paste that was too sticky to resemble a sheet.

      

We allowed the substance to cool for a bit and placed it between 2 pieces of glass, however the substance did not lose its goo-like consistency and we decided that a second attempt will definitely be needed to achieve the optimum elasticity, yet firmness of the potato starch plastic sheet.

 

 

Reflection:

The conclusion from this project is that it is important to make several attempts before the desired consistency is achieved. I would not attempt to recreate this process again, however I do want to try creating the coffee ground molds, which another team was tasked with.

Readings Notes:

The Plastic and the work of the biodegradable (Pages 208 – 225) reading:

 

• the plastic found in the ocean gyres and suspended throughout the seas is not exclusively composed of identifiable objects in the form of water bottles, toy ducks or sandwich bags, but also consists of microplastics.
• These small-scale pellets, or nurdles, and other plastic fragments are residues from the breakdown of plastic products or fallout from manufacturing sites where tiny plastic feedstock drifts in considerable quantities from factory lots to the seas.
•  recent European Union (EU) Maritime Affairs and Fisheries initiative to pay fishermen in the Mediterranean to catch plastic rather than fish
• Fishing for plastics also seems to address the pollution of the seas, which not only affects water quality but also impairs the lives of many marine organisms
• Accumulation in this sense points less towards an exclusive emphasis on environmental contamination and more towards processes of environmental modification in which we are situated with multiple more-than-human entities.
• Accumulation here refers not just to the literal accretion of residual matter in the seas, but also to the build-up of plastics within environmental processes and corporealities
• From marine organisms that ingest plastics with concentrated levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), to bacteria and algae that colonize plastic, and marine organisms that incorporate plastic debris as habitat or flotation medium, plastics are having considerable effects on organisms and environments.
• Eight per cent of world oil production contributes to the substance and energy required to manufacture plastics 
• Upon disposal, plastics travel to those carbon sinks of oceans and landfills. In these zones, they further degrade and, depending upon chemical composition, may release carbon dioxide or lodge in the bodies of ocean organisms, thereby diversely influencing the material composition of the ocean as a carbon sink
• Biodegradability has at times been a sought-after quality for plastics, as it signals the seamless elimination of this highly disposable material.
• Most plastics do not actually biodegrade, but instead degrade into smaller particles through chemical processes and physical weathering.
• Biodegradation may be the sought-after quality for plastics, but degradation is the concrete way in which plastics dematerialize and rematerialize to generate new environmental conditions
• The bio-of degradation then has as much to do with the forms of life – the organisms, processes and environments – that are drawn into the ongoing breakdown of plastics, whether by inadvertently ingesting microplastics or undergoing increased exposure to pollutants that are concentrated on plastic debris surfaces.
• Plastics also collect and sediment over time in cumulative quantities. All plastics ever manufactured since the rise of the Plastic Age are still likely to be present in the environment and oceans in some form, as they will not have completely broken down yet.
• Bodies and natures form in and through shared contexts. In the space of plastic accumulation, both humans and more-than-humans take part in material and relational exchanges filtered through plastics and their residues.
• At the same time, plastics have been shown to be an adsorption medium for potentially harmful chemicals, carrying and dispersing additives and plasticizers such as flame retardants, Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, as well as drawing in and concentrating chemicals from seawater.
• When ingested, these plastics then potentially pass on chemical loads to other types of marine life, which regularly make a meal of plastic particles, thereby amplifying chemical effects in the food chain.
• Trees – and the many other more-than-humans that inhabit forests – are also implicitly included as carbon workers in this context, since their participation is gauged in relation to the project of reducing carbon.
• More than-humans might then be more explicitly included as workers in the carbon project – entities the participation of which becomes identified as relevant in relation to reducing (or contributing to) carbon emissions.
• concerns and actions. In his metabolic theory of labour and value, Marx excluded the non-human from his definition of human labour. For Marx, labour was an expression of ‘man’s’ metabolic relation with and conversion of ‘nature’.
• might not consist of ‘man’ labouring to transform ‘nature’ through metabolic relation, but rather occur through intra-actions and processes of materialization that direct new possibilities for material politics. 
• The degradation of plastics in oceans and terrestrial environments is part of the contradictory way in which plastics accumulate: not primarily as identifiable objects but mostly in the form of microplastics, chemical migration and bodily accumulation.

 

Steps I will take to test my hypothesis:

• I will interview NYUSH students and faculty, as well as cleaning staff about whether they know of a similar solution that already exists (such as bags made from potato peel waste)
• I will research the financial incentive that companies would have with implementing such a packaging system in China
• I will test the viability of materials that resemble the properties of plastic and whether they will withstand the weight of heavy items 
• I will attempt to use the heating press, oven, as well as shredder to test the strength of products made from discarded plastic, as well as the possibility of creating plastic alternatives.

Items and machines I will need for my experiment:

• the heating press
• the weighing scales
• the plastics oven
• the shredder
• the small irons

 

 

From lecture and Precious Plastics workshop, we learned from Professor Marcela and Adele that the type of plastics that can be recycled are types #1, #2, #4 and #5, however, the best would still be #2. Adele was able to show us the different types of plastic products that Precious Plastics were able to make. I was surprised how they were able to create many different kinds of textures, using the same plastic, and just changing the method of melting and moulding the plastic.

When ground up into pellets, these plastics are able to be melted and transformed into whatever we want — in our case, we used these plastics to make the base of the stool. For this, we needed a lot of plastic. To do this, we had to first sort and cut up the plastic into smaller sections. Then, this would be placed into the shredder to become plastic pellets. After waxing down the mould, we placed the pellets in, stacking them past the top of the mould. This was because as the plastic melts, it will decrease in size. After taking it out of the oven, the plastic must be pressed down immediately to take the shape of the mould whilst still warm, then given time to cool down.

Besides this, we also used pellets under the heat press. This resulted in flat pieces of plastic, similar to the ones Adele demonstrated to us earlier in lecture. Although they came out a bit too early and didn’t full flatten and form, I was still very impressed by how this could now be something usable.

Readings:

The text “Social Innovation in China” emphasises on the importance in making businesses and NGOs who are making innovative, positive social impact products be more scalable. It is through this that we are able to reform the way we produce and consume. This is especially so in a country like China where the economy is still developing and growing at a phenomenal speed. Governments have the opportunity to easily implement regulation and reforms in order to encourage these social innovations and educate people on the importance of this whilst they are still developing. From just living in China and seeing the Trash Classification system being put into play, I believe that if the Chinese government wanted to, they could easily implement regulations that would force companies to think about sustainability. It’s just a matter of waiting until they start prioritising the environment over economic growth.

The text “Multiple-Helix Collaboration for the Development of a Circular Economy”

For this “circular economy” to develop, the 4 stakeholders: government, NGOs, consumers and companies all have to collaborate and work together to create positive social impact. NGOs and companies must strive to create innovative products, and not just profit. Governments would then need to aid them in scaling and promoting these NGOs through subsidies and regulations, which would then help influence consumer choices.

Beach Clean Up:

When we first walked into the park, I was a bit confused as to what we were doing there. Everything seemed so clean already. However, it was only when we walked to the edge, towards the seaside, did we see the piles of trash. Large pieces of styrofoam, plastic bottles, cigarettes and clothing scattered the rocks.

After an orientation and debriefing from Green Initiatives, we were divided into small groups, each collecting a classification of trash. Me and Joyce were in charge of collecting residual trash. This meant we collected various small pieces of plastics, bottle caps and a good number of shoes. Although we only picked up trash for less than 2 hours, we found it to be very interesting, yet a very exhaustive activity as we were forced to face the consequences of human ignorance and lack of care for what we consume.

I’ve seen piles of trash my entire life — whether it be on streets of Manila or in the AB throwing away my 外卖。However, it’s a different situation having to pick up trash and sort them as it really emphasised how this concept of “single-use” is a complete lie and delusion. Nothing is single use as it still exists and doesn’t simply disappear. Every single piece of item that we produce, whether it be a shoe or lighters, is going to be thrown away eventually and eventually, it will make its way back to us.

During last week’s workshop, we were tasked with gathering plastics (#1 & #2) in order to make a stool. I learned how to use different types of sheet paper that make the plastic more glossy or more matte. We also learned how to use the plastic shredder machine which turns the plastic into little pellets that then are given a new life. This gave me the idea to create a larger scale recycled product because previously we had been using the little pellets to make smaller-scale goods such as bowls.

 

The Beach clean up was very impactful. I had zero expectations going into the journey because living in Shanghai I am not that used to seeing waste in public spaces. Normally the government does a good job of cleaning up the streets and the parks so we never really realize how much we use and waste. I was shocked by the amount of trash but even more, struck by the variety of trash. There was so much styrofoam that the people told us to not even worry about it or pick it up. I was very confused by that because we were there to pick up trash so I went ahead with my stubborn self and picked it up everything I saw. It revealed many societal issues such as Taobao waste with the styrofoam packaging and also the problem with fast fashion because of all of the textiles and shoes that we found. 

Overall, the experience was very enjoyable and informational. I liked how in the end we weighed our trash and it actually put everything into perspective. The only skepticism I had was wondering when the trash would end back up in the ocean. I want to think that we made a difference and I really do think that we did because of the lives of people who we may have impacted from beginning to see the change of picking up the trash. So maybe that will spark a change in the way that they see conservation and recycling. 

 

Both Multiple-Helix Collaboration for the Development of a Circular Economy and Social Innovation In China discuss the importance of the contribution from all aspects of society to partake in their own role in order to protect the environment. I found it interesting that the multiple-helix collaboration was given that name because it mimics the double helix structure of DNA. The roles of organizations have a huge impact to influence the social intertwines of human society. The current model is based on consumerism and overproduction, an unethical process to take place from beginning to end. 

 

Reflection on Reading:

• Collective Responsibility Social Innovation in China

This reading answers my question about social enterprises in China: “how they survive without making profits from a business”. We have many guest speakers from social enterprises in China such as UseDem, Collective Responsibility, and Precious Plastic Shanghai. When they came to give a presentation. I always have the questions that “where your money from” and “how you make money”. Now I understand that those social enterprises are companies. They make their own business model and make money from it. The only difference compared to normal companies is that the profits they get from businesses are all put into social innovation and devote to social impact. In the past, social enterprises were hard to survive because everyone was dedicated to making money. Even the country tried to sacrifice the environment for economic growth. So there were few corporations between SEs and government. For now, it is better because the focus of the country has shifted to environment protection and the friendly relationship between SEs and government is emphasized. However, as the reading says, “Both structures and processes are still in the early phases, with lack of sophistication models, highly risk-averse, and fear of trusting others to protect the brand or vision. ” It means that the current status of Chinese SEs is immature. We are still on the way of promoting social innovation. Interestingly, I find out that our guest speakers all come from foreign SEs. That is just what the reading mentions, for now, “the most successful examples of social franchising in China are also foreign models that introduced and established by China-based social enterprises.” I am looking forward to seeing more successful local SEs make a greater social impact on Chinese society.

 

• Multiple-Helix Collaboration for the Development of a Circular Economy

This reading mainly shows different roles in social innovation. I was impressed by the Government, the Public, University. Here are some quotations that I take down showing the function of each role in social innovation.

Government

–“The reason behind the need for government investments is the very large amount of financing necessary to drive the development of new technologies and systems from the first prototypes to the stage where technologies become inexpensive general purpose technologies.”

–“For this reason, governments and other high-level decision makers need to keep abreast of development, which leads to a demand for ongoing monitoring of progress and a bird’s eye view of the different steps in combination with attention to detail. ”

 

University

–“Universities and research institutes play important roles in this development from the early stages when cutting-edge research contributes to identifying opportunities and to the development of technologies and business offerings, to later stages when companies need to hire an increasing number of engineers, people with business degrees, and specialists in other fields.”

 

–“Another role carried by universities, schools, and companies specializing in training is to supply companies and organizations with competent personnel and providing training services for professionals.”

 

Non-governmental organization

–“These organizations take on important roles in the innovation system: organizing clusters of companies and partner organizations, running projects for research and training, and identifying opportunities for development. Non-government organizations can function as a tool for companies or interest groups to get things done that are outside of the scope of company strategies and activities, and they are often focused on driving activities in a particular area of development. ”

 

Individuals

–“Now and then individuals play important roles in development projects, as people are the consumers and users of products and services. Through purchases, people every day decide which companies to support.”

So I get the conclusion that social innovation should include all the aspects of society into the corporation. 

Reflection on Workshop:

I really love this workshop. In this workshop, I took part in the plastic segregation for the first time. I realize that what types of plastic are usually recycled and what types cannot be recycled. For the product guest speaker made, I was really impressed by the thick colorful card.

 \

So it is type four. It is unique because it gets a special texture and it feels smooth. I want to text it in the future.