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Blog Post #6

Working On My Final Product

After completing my research and essay, and answering my main inquiry question, it was time for the final product – google slides!  I had fun creating my slides and script, and was happy with how they turned out. My slides were based on all the research I had done over the past few weeks, including my interviews and site visit.  I wrote a few lines of script for each slide. I had to make sure that while reading my script as part of my presentation, I would not go over seven minutes. I was lucky to get it right on my first attempt, though I was worried that I would go over the time limit!  

Making my slideshow was fun and it was also easy to make. It was really enjoyable to make the slideshow because I liked decorating the slides(making the background and adding the pictures) and it was easy because I made my script before I made my slideshow, so I knew what pictures/words I wanted to put on each slide.

One of the major challenges in creating my slides was to take all the information I had gathered since I started working on Capstone, which included my interviews and my site visit, each of which were one hour long.  This information had to be condensed into a handful of slides (I made seventeen). Bioplastics is also a complex topic, so I had to come up with ways to explain it in a simple manner, so that everyone could understand it. Thankfully, I overcame these challenges and was able to come up with some interesting slides based on what I learned.  It was fun searching for the right images to use, and I even included a funny emoji in one of my slides.

I am really happy with my choice of topic for Capstone, which helped me learn so much about bioplastics and biodegradable plastics. I learned a lot about how these materials can help the environment, and why they are so important for our planet’s future. I loved making the slideshow and I can’t wait to present to my school and all the parents.

Blog Post #5

Answering My Main Inquiry Question

Now that I finished all my research and answered my main inquiry question, I wrote my Capstone essay, which is below:

Do you know what bioplastics or biodegradable plastics are? I didn’t, so I wanted to learn more about how  bioplastics and biodegradable plastics compare. To understand the topic better, I got in touch with a leading expert in this field. Dr. Geoffrey Coates, Professor at Cornell University.  He explained that currently the two terms tend to be used interchangeably, which often creates confusion, but the most commonly accepted definitions are as follows.  Bioplastics are made from renewable resources, mostly from corn starch but can also be made from food waste and scraps, wood chips as well as many other materials. Biodegradable plastics, however, can be made from completely different materials than bioplastics. Biodegradable plastics are regular plastics which are combined with an additive that makes them degrade faster. However, there are pros and cons to both bioplastics and biodegradable plastics.

Bioplastics are better than regular plastics because they are made from renewable resources and they degrade in a shorter amount of time than regular plastics. This is a big pro because using this type of plastic is better for the environment.  Another pro is that bioplastic containers won’t leach chemicals into food, soil and water table like regular plastic. Finally, bioplastics are better for the carbon footprint than traditional plastics. A carbon footprint measures how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases humans produce from different activities. That carbon dioxide gets added to the atmosphere, which is not good for the environment since it causes global warming. There are a few cons to using bioplastics too. A lot of corn is used to create bioplastics, leaving less corn for food. Another con is that bioplastics have to follow a specific disposal procedure, meaning that they cannot be put into landfills.  If they are put into landfills, they break down like regular plastics and produce methane, a greenhouse gas which is more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Even though bioplastics are not perfect, there are still many reasons to use them.

The biggest pro of biodegradable plastics is that they are good for the environment because they degrade rapidly without harming it. Another pro is that biodegradable plastics are broken down naturally by micro-organisms. Finally, biodegradable plastics do not add to the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. A big con is that biodegradable plastics are not made from renewable resources.  Biodegradable plastics are also more expensive to produce than traditional plastics, but these prices are coming down as technologies improve.

Bioplastics and biodegradable plastic may one day replace regular plastics because of their benefits to the environment. Large international companies want to start using environment friendly plastics. One of the companies that is already using them is the Coca-Cola company. Their plastic bottles are 30% plant based. AT&T also makes bioplastic phones and phone accessories. Those are only two examples, but there are more companies who plan to use these materials.

While talking to Dr, Ann Blake, who works tirelessly with governments to help define and label parts and products, I realized that the first step is to have a clear definition of bioplastics and biodegradable plastics so that it is not confusing. I feel that it is very important to first have a clear definition and distinction between all the categories of plastics so that they are not used interchangeably.

The demand for biodegradable plastics is growing in Western Europe. Environmental regulations are the strictest there. In this region, household products are being manufactured using biodegradable plastics, such as foam packaging, mulch films, paper coatings, textiles and nonwoven fabrics, medical devices, tools for oil and gas operations, 3D printing filament and more. We still have to catch up in the United States. The state that is leading with environmentally responsible changes in this field is California. They are way ahead of most states when it comes to labeling as well as disposing of products.

Some of the major companies that manufacture biodegradable plastics are Novamont, where I went for my site visit, as well as NatureWorks, and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. It is very interesting to see that now research and development is a step ahead from bioplastics and biodegradable plastics.  For household products, Novamont has developed a plastic that is compostable. For example, the next time you are shopping at Trader Joe’s, look closely at the plastic bags that you put produce in.  They feel different to touch and are compostable! I was so happy to hear that Trader Joe’s has switched to compostable bags. I am looking forward to the day when this becomes common everywhere.

Now you know how both plastics compare. You know the pros and cons of bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, you know what both are and you know how they are going to further advance. I hope that this essay made you think about making better choices in using and disposing plastics to make the world a safer and better place.

Blog Post #3

My Site Visit

Have you ever heard of a place in Connecticut called Shelton? I didn’t know about Shelton until I figured out that Novamont was in Shelton. Novamont is a leading manufacturer of biocompostable products. Dan Martens, the Vice President of Novamont North America, was kind enough to give me a tour and explain what the company does.

Mr. Martens explained that Novamont is headquartered in Northern Italy. The company was originally a leader in traditional plastic manufacturing, but over the years has switched completely to biocompostable materials. Mr. Martens showed me a number of videos as part of the tour.  From watching the videos, I learned a lot about the differences between bioplastic, biodegradable, and biocompostable materials. I learned that Novamont makes a material called Mater-Bi (made out of resins and plant oils), which is then used to make biocompostable products such as shopping bags, bio bags to collect pet waste, and even ice-cream cups!  I also learned that biocompostable products are widely used in places like Milan, Italy. We have some catching up to do in the United States! However, grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Mrs. Green’s have been using these biocompostable bags. Next time I visit these stores, I will be sure to check them out.

At the end of the tour, Mr. Martens gave me a number of samples to take home with me, including biocompostable pet waste bags, cups, ziploc bags, shopping bags and a food scraps bin.  Mr. Martens left me with some ideas as well. He mentioned a school in Shelton, CT which has a no-trash lunch program. Students are required to bring in reusable lunch boxes (no plastic bags) and all the food scraps go into a compostable bin.  Perhaps we can do this in Scarsdale in the future!

Now that I am done with my site visit, the next step for me is do an interview. I am really excited to start it.

This is a picture of Dan Martens and me:

Blog Post #4

My Interviews

After the site visit, the next step is to do an interview. I wanted to reach out to experts in the field and I found two people. I wanted to interview them both instead of choosing one to interview. They were also in different parts of the country so I facetimed them.

The first person I interviewed was Geoffrey Coates. He is a professor at Cornell University and does Chemistry & Biology. I learned that he makes bioplastic fuel cells for cars. Carbon dioxide is one of the gases that is part of global warming. When we put oil in our cars, it makes a lot of carbon dioxide. Mr. Coates found a way to trap the carbon dioxide inside the fuel cells so it won’t go into the atmosphere. I think it is really amazing that he found a way to do that!

The second person I interviewed was Ann Blake. Her job is labeling products. She has to know exactly what’s in the product otherwise can’t label it. Over the course of her career, some companies are open to Dr. Blake labeling their products, while some aren’t. One example is that the electronics company has been arguing with her for 15 years! Can you believe that? Now the electronics company is finally coming around and have included strategies  like recycling. 

I am really inspired by Dr. Coates’s and Dr. Blake’s work. I am happy that I did this topic for Capstone, because if I didn’t I wouldn’t meet these wonderful people.