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After reading the article, I learned that the industrial revolution had a TON of drawbacks. Although it allowed cities to grow, the paradigm shift from traditional methods of design, trade, and economic development had a tremendous negative impact on the environment. During the industrial revolution, the mindset of people took a sharp turn. After the creation of mechanized systems that revolutionized transportation, garment manufacturing, and etc. the “optimism and faith in the development of humankind” continued to grow. As mechanization continued to both bridge and increase the gap between the middle class and poor citizens, its adverse effects on the environment continued to equally increase. The negative effects of the industrial revolution is actually an inspiration for me. It’s a lesson on design principles and on the moral values that people need to have when creating “innovative” solutions to better the lives of others. The things we create to ‘enhance’ our growing society should not be detrimental to the environment or for future generations. I want my kids to see the world as it was, polar bears included (period).
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Accumulation: The Material Politics of Plastic Plastic and the work of the biodegradable (Pages 208 – 225)
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The problem faced in the article is the process of accumulation. Plastic pollution was used as a framework to describe the severity of the issue regarding microplastics in our ocean. These small scale fragments create problems as they continue to amass in the environment. As plastics are exposed to light, they photodegrade and turn into smaller pieces of waste that accumulate over time. A prime example is the Pacific Garbage Patch – contrary to popular belief that is an island of floating garbage, the PGP is actually a ’storm’ of microplastics that are swirling around the ocean. These microplastics often interfere with the habitats of varying marine life and disrupt their dietary patterns. A similar anecdote is mentioned in the article that parallel to the Industrial Revolution discussed in the first reading. The accumulated microplastic pollution is a result of human invention and intervention. A lack of proper disposal or the creation of products that do not take into account its full lifecycle has detrimental effects on the environment. It is important to keep in mind how the design and creation of human inventions can degrade over time and its overall effects in the natural order. Change and action need to happen NOW, and it can only occur with a careful and innovative mindset. Ex: Nike and Adidas have begun to take microplastics and use them throughout their supply chain, repurposing excess waste as materials and textiles in their core products.
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Make a step-by-step list of what you will do in the next weeks to test your hypothesis.
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BioPlastic
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Research companies that are creating bioplastics (Ex: Bolt Threads, Modern Meadows, etc.)
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Find a way to mimic some of these techniques without the R&D and high tech equipment that these companies are using (lol)
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After finding more feasible methods of creation, experiment with bioplastic recipes
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Phase 1 – Find recipes to try and molds to make
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Phase 2 – See what recipes yield the best result
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Phase 3 – “Mass Produce” the recipes to create a textile of sorts via molds that I create/source
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Create design solutions using the bioplastic material (wearable)
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User testing/Presentation
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Document the process so that other people can do it
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Make it shareable within a community so that it raises awareness!
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Make a list of items or machines that you will need to perform the experiments.
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Bioplastic Ingredients (Chitosan, Agar-Agar, etc.)
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Organic Material (plant or food-based)
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Conduction Burner
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Beakers, Measuring Tools, Containers
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Blender
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Thermometer
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Molds (Created via 3D modeling OR sourced)
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Dryers (Oven, Heat gun)
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Sewing Machine (if needed)
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Glue/Connector of sorts (Hot glue, tape, etc.)
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