Plastic Straws Begone

In the last unit of my elective class Biomimicry, we learned about fungi. We learned the different parts of a mushroom, and different decomposers and detritivores as well as composting and decomposition. We also learned about closed loop economies and closed loop systems versus linear economies. This is the difference between a product that supports itself and can be upcycled, or a product that is used and then discarded. Our class visited The Plant Chicago to learn about aquaponics. We toured their facility and did our own design activity. We also visited Interface, which is a sustainable carpet company founded by Ray Anderson. We learned about what it takes to make a large company sustainable. For this project, we picked a product to redesign. We had to research how the product is made currently, and then redesign our product to make it a closed loop system. We then compared it to Interface's "Mount Sustainability." This is a set of goals that interface set to become the most sustainable company, My project was actually able to reach the top of the mountain.

 

I did like this project because it was more of a redesign of an existing product rather than a total redesign. I am proud of the research that I did because my family has recently given up plastic straws. My favorite part of this project was drawing the systems. I liked this because it was more hands-on than just doing a slideshow. This project made me realize more and more that we need a solution to plastic straws. I think there are enough ways to make straws sustainable and eco-friendly, but everyone needs to come together to make it a reality.

Can Animals Help Us Live Sustainable Life?

For our second action project for my elective class, Biomimicry, we created designs of homes and transportation inspired by animals. In the second unit, we focused on the animal side of Biomimicry. What can we learn from animals? We discovered that we can learn from animals through Biomimicry in 3 ways: Form, Process, and Ecosystem. These are the 3 things we are inspired by. Form - the build or physical structures of the animal. Process - the behavior or processes of animals. Ecosystem - how animals interact with their environment. We also looked at how different animals move and build. We studied how wings work with Bernoulli's principle and lift, weight, drag, and thrust. We had a guest come in from Biomimicry Chicago. She showed us various animals skins, and how these skins show adaptations. She also lead us in an exercise of Biomimicry. For our action project, we had to create an architectural design and transportation design. I picked the Namibian Beetle, and the Shovel Snouted Lizard. We had to make a design, and then draw a diagram and build a model. I am proud of how my project turned out!

In the end, I really enjoyed this project. This was probably the most work intensive AP I have ever done. I was a lot of work, but it didn't feel overwhelming. I liked the challenge of this project. Unlike the last Biomimicry Ap, I really liked both of my ideas. I thought both of them were very strong and very practical. I wish my model turned out a bit better and that I could have added more detail, but we only had about 2 hours to build a full model. I am proud of this project and I thought it was very though provoking.

Baobab Cat Tree

In my Junior STEAM elective, Biomimicry, we learned about designs based on nature, specifically plants. In the first unit, Like a Plant, we studied different plants and their survival and evolution tactics and how they evolved with the certain traits they have. We also looked at evolution to see how different species evolved to survive over time. We looked at different products made that were inspired by plants. We traveled to the Lincoln Park Conservatory to study different plants and their traits. We also studied the Fibonacci sequence, which is a sequence of numbers commonly found in nature. For this action project, we were asked to either think of a human challenge and find a plant that could help solve it, or find a plant, and design a product inspired by that plant. I chose the latter. I was watching my cats play at home, and I was thinking about their cat tree, so I decided I would try to come up with a creative and more sustainable idea for a cat tree. I found the Baobab Tree, which is a tall tree that has an ecosystem of its own. I enjoyed this project, but it did challenge me to think outside of the box. I hope you enjoy my design.

In conclusion, this product was somewhat challenging for me. I learned more about design than I did plants, but it was still very useful. I really had to think outside the box for this project, as I really didn't have any solid ideas for a design until I saw my own cats playing around. I am proud of the design, although it is more of a novelty than I would have liked it to be. I have gotten positive feedback, but I maybe would have liked to think of a more useful product. In the end, I am happy with how this project turned out, and I liked that I was challenged more than I usually am.