Conclusion

  In general, I really enjoyed the 20 Time Project and listening to other Ted Talks since it was interesting to see how many people covered different topics, including environmental problems, stress-related issues, and animal abuse while others wanted to pursue their own interests. In general, I probably would have liked to spend more time working on my Ted Talk by spending more time memorizing and familiarizing myself with the requirements and the studies. However, I really enjoyed the fact that I was able to not only learn a lot about the recycling/repurposing of various materials but also able to improve my art skills. In general, I felt that this project was beneficial in helping me learn a great deal regarding the importance of time management; in this assignment, I learned that even though I dedicated a large sum of time on the project in the beginning, the lack of consistence and time management caused me to slack off and not allow me to reach my goal. 

Cardboard Chair

The Final Steps

 For my 20 time project, I originally intended on creating functional items by repurposing old unused items (e.g. a ladder) to create art pieces that not only serve a purpose but are also aesthetically appealing. I was originally inspired by this idea after taking APES in my junior year, where we learned that a lot of the core environmental issues relates to the failure to repurpose and recycle materials. Instead, this turned out very differently, in which I decided to mainly repurpose recyclable items (e.g. plastic, cardboard, paper, etc.) to make various types of usable items. 

 From the start of the project, I intended on learning more in depth about how various types of recycled material are made and it was really interesting to see how many natural resources can be spared it we committed to recycling, reusing, and repurposing many of our items. In general, I underestimated the difficulty and time consumption of the project; originally, I perceived that cutting various types of materials and hot gluing them together (wire, soda cans, wood) would be a rather simple task. However, this was not. With my limited art skills, it was difficult to create various pieces that were able to fulfill my goal of making an aesthetically appealing piece. While I was able to create successful pieces in the beginning, I unfortunately could not get a large portion done in the last couple weeks due to my high-work load. In the future, I would probably distribute my time more evenly with my projects and attempt to find a way to use my time more efficiently. Although I didn't particularly spend as much time as I wanted on my 20 time project, I was still content with what I learned in the process. 

 In the future, I may continue posting a few interesting facts about recycling/repurposing materials and create an art project with the same materials. 

Paper Mache Cup

 Over the spring break, I decided to do some research on the number of trees that are cut down in order to process paper, wood, grocery bags, and packaging material. According to a website recently published by the University of Southern Indiana, the average person uses around 680 pounds of paper yearly, or the equivalence of 7 trees. Initially, it was extremely shocking to see how much paper the average person used. The website also reported that the U.S. over 2 billion trees yearly, in which only half of the trees are reused and over 1 billion pounds of paper are thrown away yearly rather than being reused. While communities such as Saratoga often recycle almost all of the plastic, paper, and glass products, it was a bit shocking to see how over half of the amount of paper we use on a daily basis is recycled, which causes us to have to cut down more trees to process paper. By learning about how paper products are created and the negative effects involved, I decided to figure out a way to utilize recycled paper by creating a cup. 

 Unfortunately, this task didn't turn out quite as planned. During spring break, I got a little carried away and ended up not spending as much time on the project as I would've wished which compromised the aesthetic appeal of the cup. 

 With a piece of cardboard from the previous week's project, I ended up rolling and bending it into a cylinder and taped the ends together; I later cut a circle to fit at the bottom of the cylinder and attached a rectangle handle on the side of the cup. Proceeding this, I decided to paper mache the cardboard with used paper and glue. While this worked out pretty well in the beginning, the dried up glue mixture ended up creating a lumpy and rough texture and also compromised the proportions of the cup, which went against my original intentions of creating an aesthetically appealing cup. 

 This setback taught me a lot; while I originally felt that I would be make this art project with only a couple hours, I realized that I would probably compromise an important aspect of the project, including the aesthetic appeal or function of the project. By not spending enough time to properly think about the idea or actually make the project, I ended up realizing the importance of avoiding to procrastinate. 

 In the upcoming weeks, I hope to wrap up the project by learning more about how random objects that can't be recycled can be reused. 

Cardboard Chair

This week, I decided to research some of the problems that relate to manufacturing cardboard, which is easily the largest municipal solid waste component worldwide. Cardboard is manufactured using pulp, which can only be extracted from trees. Because trees play such a vital art in our environment regulating our oxygen/carbon dioxide levels and maintaining the the rain formation cycle in the world, it makes sense that we should not only attempt to cut down on the amount of cardboard we use but should also attempt to repurpose and reuse the cardboard efficiently and effectively. Since our society relies on cardboard to package and ship products, the only viable solution available to reduce the amount of cardboard would be to find a way to effectively repurpose cardboard. 

 For my project this week, I decided to use some cardboard to create both a functional and aesthetically appealing chair; this unfortunately was an extremely difficult task. For one thing, cutting the cardboard using an xacto knife and scissors was rather difficult since both tools dulled midway through the project and I ended up having to use a saw to cut the remainder of the cardboard and properly fix the minor mishaps that I had made with the knife and scissors. Another problem that I encountered was having the cardboard slabs not properly stick together. Originally, my plan was to use hot glue to stick each of the cardboard pieces together but after realizing that this method was not only ineffective but also extremely time-consuming, I decided to take pieces of string to tie the cardboard bundles together. While this worked without compromising the aesthetics of the project, it was a challenge to make sure that the pieces of cardboard were properly aligned.

 In the future, I intend on finding other items (e.g. paper) to construct recycled art; while the end result was aesthetically appealing and more functional that the previous week's project, I found it far more difficult to construct an art project using cardboard than soda cans since it was more time-consuming to glue and shape.

Can-tastrophe

Recycled Art Project (20 Time Post 2)

 A couple weeks ago, I came across an article revealing that over 10 billion cans have been wasted since the 1970's; rather than recycling cans, most individuals are simply throwing away cans in the trash and causes "cumulative environmental damages" due to the "failure to recycle this metal". Prior to reading this article, I never thought in depth of the importance of recycling aluminum cans due to the large exposure of the importance of recycling water bottles; this provided me with an idea to reduce the amount of aluminum waste by using aluminum cans to create an art project.

  This week, I decided to utilize aluminum cans, bottle caps, and hot glue to create a train figurine. While I was pretty happy with the end result, there were a few setbacks during this process. Due to the absence of an xacto knife, I ended up having to utilize a pair of scissors to cut the cans into various pieces; while this worked effectively, it was a rather time-consuming process. In the near future, I intend on either investing in an xacto knife or using other recycled materials to create a project.

Soda Can Train

20 Time Project (Overview)

  This semester in Anatomy and Physiology, we are implementing 20% of our time in order to pursue a project of our choice to achieve a specific end goal. This project, entitled 20 Time, was originally created by Google to provide employees with the opportunity to create a project regarding his or her interests; this has sparked the creation of Google News and Gmail. 

  After being introduced to the project, I decided that I wanted my project to be environment related; last year, I took APES, and the class exposed me to a plethora of environmental problems including extinction and resource depletion, which made me realize that many of the world's environmental problems stem from producing ample amounts of trash or from being unable to recycle or reuse objects. Combined with my passion for art, I intend on repurposing various materials (e.g. water bottles to an old ladder) into usable objects or an item that may be appealing to look at. 

  Overall, my goal for this project is to persuade other communities where recycling or throwing trash away isn't as prevalent as it is in Saratoga to either recycle or use their unnecessary items to create something or use. To achieve part of this goal, I intend on documenting my process through taking a couple photos of the projects I construct weekly or bi-weekly and providing the steps to create a specific project.