Prototype
2 prototypes
Biodegrading packaging
Materials used with prototype in context
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Name of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)
A drop in the Ocean
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URL of a video introducing the work（under 5 minutes）
https://vimeo.com/showcase/9579702/video/713663947
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Detailed explanation of the submitted project or idea (in English or both English and your language)
Over absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the ocean lowers the ocean's pH, causing a 30% increase in ocean acidity since the industrial era. Scientists, policy makers, and engineers have been, for the past decades, researching on solutions to the issue, grouping these into what is called Ocean Negative Emission Technologies – these propositions need financial help from Governments and years of planning to be put in place. So how could we, as a collective, help with ocean ecosystems regeneration from an individual to a global scale ? This project tackles the issue of Ocean Acidification by replacing fossil fuel based materials used for takeaway trays with CO2 capturing materials (oyster shells), CO2 absorbing minerals (Olivine) and seaweed, to help marine ecosystems at its end of life. These ingredients are food safe and do not impact the food taste either. After use the object is made to be left on the beach to act as a deacidifying agent for the marine ecosystems. It will take 14 days to dissolve, so it will not cause any "visual harm" to the surrounding environment either. If the 7.87 Billion people on Earth started using this product as much as people use traditional plastic objects on the beach, we could collectively act as a global agent for deacidification all around the world.
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Keywords
#Material #Regenerativedesign #Sealife
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If you have a website for your submitted project or idea, please provide the URL
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Special Prize Question 1: How does your project or idea make use of local resources, such as materials and knowledge, to tackle its challenge?
My project is at its core using local ressources to tackle a global problem. Indeed, I collaborated with a local oyster restaurant in London to reuse their wasted oyster shells, then ground them myself with the tools I had to create the material I used in the prototype.
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Special Prize Question 2: How does your project or idea sustain its activities through the involvement of the local community?
As the project requires the use of reclaimed oyster shells, it needs the collaboration between me as the designer, the (potential) manufacturer and the local provider of these reclaimed oyster shells : which would be the local restaurants. These restaurants would give the oyster shells instead of throwing them away, a whole circular system would be created through this single object.
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Special Prize Question 3: How does your project or idea eliminate waste or pollution while regenerating natural resources?
Oyster shells disposal and invasive red algae are responsible for harming the marine or seashore ecosystem. Also, this project tackles the issue of Ocean Acidification by replacing fossil fuel based materials used for takeaway trays with CO2 capturing materials (oyster shells), CO2 absorbing minerals (Olivine) and seaweed, to help marine ecosystems at its end of life. The aim is to transform a global issue into a global solution by reversing the material composition, instead of being harmful, it becomes a beneficial material for the sea.
