Posted by Meg.
This week, faculty from the Windward community came into our science class and we told them about our solution and they told us what they thought of it. Our day with them went pretty well. They seemed interested in our product, and didn’t have too many concerns. They did give us a few ideas on how we could make our filters. The first idea was to make our filters with a metal strainer that is very finely woven. We would use the part that filters things out of water and other liquid and put it in a ring that we make. We do not know if we want to make it flat, like a dome, or like a pit. Our prototype right now is a design in tinkercad. It is a flat filter and will be 3D printed soon.
Also, the faculty members liked the idea of the pamphlet with the information about our solution. We have also decided on adding in samples and recipes of DIY (do it yourself) toothpaste and facial scrub/wash that don’t contain microplastics or anything else toxic. We are adding these items even though microbeads will be banned from products because we could reduce the amount of microplastics finding their way into the ocean right now, and not later. Our product will reduce the amount of microbeads by so much if people decide to use it. The filter needs to be cleaned out every few days, but that is a small price to pay for a smaller chance of getting cancer and other horrible, life-threatening diseases. A modification that we had to make was taking the guppy friend out of the kit because they cost roughly $30.
We will measure the impact of our product by putting it in a sink for a few days, and seeing how many microbeads it catches. Then, we will send out a google form to the Windward community asking whether they would use this product. We will include how many microbeads the filter caught.
This week, faculty from the Windward community came into our science class and we told them about our solution and they told us what they thought of it. Our day with them went pretty well. They seemed interested in our product, and didn’t have too many concerns. They did give us a few ideas on how we could make our filters. The first idea was to make our filters with a metal strainer that is very finely woven. We would use the part that filters things out of water and other liquid and put it in a ring that we make. We do not know if we want to make it flat, like a dome, or like a pit. Our prototype right now is a design in tinkercad. It is a flat filter and will be 3D printed soon.
Also, the faculty members liked the idea of the pamphlet with the information about our solution. We have also decided on adding in samples and recipes of DIY (do it yourself) toothpaste and facial scrub/wash that don’t contain microplastics or anything else toxic. We are adding these items even though microbeads will be banned from products because we could reduce the amount of microplastics finding their way into the ocean right now, and not later. Our product will reduce the amount of microbeads by so much if people decide to use it. The filter needs to be cleaned out every few days, but that is a small price to pay for a smaller chance of getting cancer and other horrible, life-threatening diseases. A modification that we had to make was taking the guppy friend out of the kit because they cost roughly $30.
We will measure the impact of our product by putting it in a sink for a few days, and seeing how many microbeads it catches. Then, we will send out a google form to the Windward community asking whether they would use this product. We will include how many microbeads the filter caught.