Description of the Project: A fiesta of painting, designing, cutting and washing tyres and making cushions to make our furry friends more comfortable in their very own customised beds!

Making Dog/Cat beds (Donut Pet Beds) using old tyres that would serve two purposes.

1. Repurposing rubber waste before they become damaging to the environment

2. Provide a cushioned space for our precious four legged animals that currently may not have proper resting or sleeping beds. These beds will provide them with great neck and head support whilst they sleep or relax

Combining two needs to create a constructive solution!

Investigation leading to our project

Tires

Many do not realize how damaging tires are to the environment. Humans produce about 6.7 million tons of tire pollution annually, according to some estimates. That’s more than enough dust and particles to outweigh the Great Pyramid of Giza (McGinnis)

Microplastics discovered in sea water, waterways and rivers not only include broken down plastic bags but unusual black, tubular shaped microscopic elements. These are tiny bits of tire waste (plastic polymers) that have been swept into local waterways, where they can have devastating effects on plant and animal life.

Tires are accounted amongst the commonly known environmentally damaging man made materials. A 2017 study by Pieter Jan Kole at The Open University of The Netherlands, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, estimated that tires account for as much as 10 percent of overall microplastic waste in the world’s oceans. A 2017 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature put that number at 28 percent (Root).

Tires that are worn out land up in the landfills and sometimes burned. The burning of tires releases dangerous toxins and pollutes the air. Since old tires don't biodegrade, throwing them away in a landfill simply means they'll keep stacking up over time (called ‘tire mountains’), taking up tremendous amounts of space while becoming a haven for rats and mosquitoes to breed.

Stray dogs in Mauritius

There are an estimated quarter of a million dogs on Mauritius, most of them owned but free to roam the streets and beaches. The state of animal welfare in Mauritius is characterised by a constant rise in animal abandonment, animal cruelty and the widespread of illegal breeding activities.

The dog shelters are overflowing with puppies and adult dogs, where most sleep on hard floors or newspapers.

Success Criteria:

The 50 donut beds created to be donated to PAWS and will be actively in use by our canine and feline friends.

Any excess tires that have not been donated shall be sold to raise capital for the purchasing and donation of dog and/or cat food.

Outcome and Sustainability:

This project has a large ecological impact, as it acts as a simple yet effective preventative measure to reduce the quantity of unused materials and waste sent to landfills, consequently decreasing the amount of air and land pollution.

From a standpoint of sustainability, the project itself is fairly strong, as, to keep minimal waste, the cut sections of the tires will be attached to the bottom of the dogs beds, while the paints (art materials) remaining will be stored for other projects relating to community service or used in the LBIS art studio.

Meeting our Vision and Mission statements

This project relates to the “changing world” aspect of the mission and vision statements as it deals with the repercussions of urbanisation through the damage done to the environment by tyres. Furthermore, the project connects to the principled and balanced aspects as it enables students to work together to make a difference through donating beds to dogs. Moreover, students from diverse backgrounds in the school community collaborate and work towards a common goal that benefits all, which ties into the “multicultural world” and “collaboration” sections of the Mission Statement.

Addressing UN sustainable development goals

#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

#12 Responsible Consumption

#17 Partnership for the Goals

Creative Process

Co-leaders divided the participants into two main teams, Tyre and Cushion team.

The tyre team focused on washing, painting and sanitising the final bed structure created out of old tyres. The cushion team measured, cut and stitched cushions for the 50 tyre bed structures using collected unwanted fabric and cushion fillers.

While most of the above was completed by Wednesday, students worked on finishing touches and assembling the final bed on Thursday and finally on Friday, they focused on transporting all beds to Paws in north of island and working on their final reflection.

Photos

Videos