What is Our Solution? |
Our solution is both a way to limit the amount of plastic straws damaging our environment, and is a more durable alternative to paper straws. Our solution is derived from a crop that has more than 87 million harvested acres and has an enormous and growing crop value according to seecalifornia.com. This mass produced crop is corn. Corn is something that is integrated into many American people’s meals everyday, but excluding a few dishes, the husk of the corn is not used and therefore disposed of. Also, the husk of the corn has water resistant qualities which is a main tenet of our solution.
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We have decided to utilize this otherwise wasted product and use it to make a longer-lasting, and environmentally friendly straw. Our plan is to create paper out of corn husks, which will then carry the corn husks water resistant qualities, and then make straws out of the corn husk paper. |
The community we have decided to focus on is restaurants, and helping them cut back on the plastic waste they generate. This is an important community to help because restaurants have to serve hundreds of people everyday, so they are one place generating the amount of plastic straw waste of hundreds of people. Hopefully this project can help restaurants and cafes limit the plastic waste impact they make on the environment. |
According to globalcitizen.org there are about 4 more main alternatives to plastic straws which are 2. Bamboo straws 3. Paper straws 4. Steel straws 5. Glass straws |
There are many already existing alternatives for plastic straws but some of the main ones are:
1. Seaweed Straws Seaweed straws are a fairly new and so far a successful alternative for plastic straws is a straw made out of seaweed. It has been made by a start up company Loliware. They hope to completely eliminate all plastic straws with their seaweed straws in the coming years. This straw biodegrades after approximately 60 days in the ocean, or on land, is sustainably made, and has a shelf life of 24 months. |
Our Plan:
The prototyping of the corn husk straws is predicted to last until March 13, 2020. During this time period, we will be testing the product on the members of our family, and friends. We will likely have to make many changes along the way, regarding how we are going to make the straws, and the specifics of the process. |
After March 13, we will start implementing our straw in restaurants and collecting data for about 2 days, depending on the amount of straws that we produce. From March 15, if our data has negative results, we will fix the problems until the 17th, and then implement it again in the restaurants or cafe. Our ideal community partner is GreenLeaf Gourmet Chopshop, who has already agreed to partner with us.
When we implement our solution in GreenLeaf, we will have two main methods of collecting data. The first will be to record how many plastic straws, and paper straws the restaurant used before, and then after we have had the corn straws in the restaurant. The second method of collecting data will be for the cashier to go through a few quick questions about the durability, and how well the overall straw works with a customer who used the straw. Finally, our estimated budget is $45, inclusive of all the materials needed to make our prototype.
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Week 1 Update:
We started to make paper that we will eventually turn into straws. We accomplished a lot this week. Tyler helped by cutting wire to help make the mesh. He also helped make the survey, and thought of a interactive element for the final presentation. Lauren helped make the poster, survey, and scheduled the time when we would implement out solution. Bo made paper that was turned into straws and also helped cut wire. Over all it has been a productive week.
Week 2 Update
This week has been productive. Lauren set up a meeting and coordinated with our restaurant. Tyler and Bo made the straws and tested which straws is the best out of corn husk, paper, or corn husk paper. The corn husk paper was the best and after 25 minutes in water it still held up really good.
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