Module 2.2: Sustainability

This week I learned to make bio-plastic and use it with a laser cut mold.

In the Lab:

Cara, Sarah, Jaymes, and I worked together to build frames using scraps from laser cutter projects to create the shapes of the molds, the scroll saw to cut the base and frame to the same size, and binder clips to secure the frames to bases. Along with my scrap frame, I brought two small squares with laser-cut trout shapes to test making trinkets for a wearables elective I was leading.

We used a vegan bio-plastic recipe with ingredients agar agar, glycerin, and water.

We found that when pouring it, it began to settle and needed two layers of plastic to fill to the top of the frame.

While setting up the materials, we were delayed by a fire drill. While outside, I picked up a few fall leaves that inspred me to turn my bio-plastic pieces into suncatchers with pressed fall leaves.

I placed the leaves on top of the first layer and added a second to cover them. I noticed that the drippings of bio-plastic were holding their form as dots on the parchment between addding my first and second layer, so I covered a leaf laying on the parchement with the extra bio-plastic to see how it would mold around the object.

I left the projet to dry in the lab until the next week. Once dry, we realized that we should have added parchement paper between the wooden base and bio-plastic to prevent sticking.

The leaf that had been covered in plastic, dried well and caused the leaf and plastic layer to curl slightly. I like how this piece turned out and I could see myself doing a version of this activity with my 7-8s in Central Park as part of their tree study.

Second Iteration:

I built on my idea to incorporate bio-plastics into the tree study and laser-cut a frame of a money tree leaf.

I used the outlay tool in the WeCreat software to outline the shape of the leaf. I chose to outlay it so that the midrib of the leaf was still intact as wood.

I layered three sheets of the leaf cutout, a sheet of parchment paper, and solid wood sheet for the base. I clipped these together. I chose a pine resin recipe because of the tie-in to trees. I cooked it according to the recipe and poured it into the mold and added some pieces of the leaf into the poured plastic. My hope was that the bio-plastic would dry clear and the pieces would give a multi-dimensional suncatcher effect.

Unfotunaely, the resin never cured. I am unsure of which step I messed up. I do like how the plastic dried clear and I was excited to see it against a light source.

If I use this idea for the tree study, I would go back to the agar agar recipe or try a gelatin recipe unless I was using it for a project in which the green tint of the pine resin did not matter.

Reflection

Have you considered sustainable practices in your teaching in the past? How? What aspects should be improved in your teaching environment?

I work to integrate environmental activism into all areas of my teaching, including science, shop, and elective classes. A major theme within my classes is climate resiliency and actions we can take to minimize our environmental footprint. In my practice, this has included reducing plastic use, such as avoiding the lamination of paper teaching aids and posters, and designing projects that rely solely on recyclable paper products. When projects require mixed materials, I guide students in how to disassemble and properly recycle each component. Looking ahead, I recognize the need to be more mindful about the sourcing of lumber for the shop program. Additionally, I aim to reduce the use of single-use materials and generate less waste during digital fabrication projects.

How might Digital Fabrication support sustainable practices? When using Digital Fabrication, what actions can you take to support sustainable practices?

I can be proactive with my material choices and work to use materials that are either closed-loop or that offer second and third use cases. Finding ways to use Digital Fabrication with upcycled materials, like cardboard packaging, would help me avoid buying and shipping only new materials and emphasize the importance of mindful consumption to students.

Do you think your school is ready for a change in mindset? Why? How can you get support from other stakeholders? How would you structure a training for teachers?

Incorporating a sustainable digital fabrication program would support robust sustainability practices that are already being implemented at our city and farm campuses.