Creating a Composting System Prototype for the School

Growing up in Jakarta, I had never realized everything I saw - polluted air, water, and land - was not the norm for every other country. It was not until I turned 10 years old, that my exposure to social media enabled me to uncover the truth about the damage we inflict on the environment. I was instantly appalled by mankind’s ignorance and selfishness. I feel ashamed to admit this, but despite how disheartened I was, I lacked the willingness to change my habits and daily lifestyle. This was, until last year, when I decided to finally change my ways by becoming actively involved in increasing environmental awareness and sustainability, in hopes of making a difference in my community.

During 9th grade, it dawned on me how severe the problem has become. Taking a leap of faith, I joined the Eco Committee, in hopes of beginning my journey to sustainable living. Recently, I had discovered that Indonesia is the 2nd largest food waste producer in the world and the situation was worsening. Realizing that a change is crucial, I thought to myself, what could I do? After noticing the amount of waste my 8 member household produced daily, I wondered about the amount of waste my school - which houses over 400 people daily - produces. Alongside my growing interest in sustainability, I pondered on how I as an individual can help my community’s consciousness and initiative to be eco friendly.

Through this project, I aim to research various composting systems in order to explore and evaluate features that can be effectively implemented. Then design an environmentally sustainable and conscious composting prototype system for the school. This will be my first time diving into the world of composting, as well as designing a prototype of such scale, making this goal highly challenging. Designing a convenient and ergonomic system will be difficult, as there is a considerable amount of knowledge I had yet to acquire. Furthermore, to ensure the reliability of my system, I will have to test it beforehand, which will require a long time period, requiring immense effort towards self - management. Lastly, my lack of experience in composting and designing complicates the development process as it will require me to extensively explore various foreign concepts.

Global Context

The global contexts my project focuses on is Scientific and Technical Innovation and Globalization and Sustainability. My project explores different composting processes and methods to design a prototype which will create a nutritious compost that benefits the environment, specifically the plants and trees found on campus. Moreover, I am able to utilize scientific and technical advances to aid the efficiency of my prototype. My project analyzes how organic waste can be used to help the growth of plants and manage waste production. My project delves into the interconnectedness of both global contexts since I will design a system which allows my school community to support the conservation of nature and minimize human impact.

Product

After a challenging 6 months of continuously working on my Personal Project, by the end of it all, I was able to successfully create my product; a composting system suitable for my school’s environment. Following several months of planning and constantly keeping the rubric I formulated in mind, I was able to come up with a prototype which utilizes simple materials that are easily accessible and affordable. Rather than creating a compost bin, to minimize the mess and make it more convenient, I decided to create an underground composting system. I created the said prototype by using a PVC pipe which is 40 cm long and has sufficient sized holes drilled around its circumference. These holes will allow worms to enter and leave the compost, which is a method often seen in vermicomposting and helps waste break down much faster and allows the nutrients of the compost to be directly absorbed by the soil. The lid is easy to remove because of the addition of a pull handle and is drilled with small sized holes to aid with drainage and oxygen aeration. Based on my prior research, because a majority of Mentari’s ecological landscape are luscious grass, by developing an underground composting system, it will heavily benefit the growth of the plants planted directly in the soil, such as the grasses, as well as trees.

Reflection

Through the completion of my project, I was able to broaden my horizons and gain valuable knowledge, namely for my budding interest in sustainability. When I first conceptualized my idea, I had thought composting was an extremely easy process, but I have come to realize that in reality, it is highly arduous. As I delved further into fully understanding my topic, I quickly recognized that composting was not as simple as collecting kitchen waste and waiting for it to break down, rather, it is a process which requires diligence due to the several factors which affect its quality such as temperature, moisture levels, weather, and ratio of dry to wet waste. From researching, to drafting ideas, to drawing sketches, to creating the prototype, I was able to strengthen my interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Critical analysis was a skill vital to the success of my prototype because it played a major role in my decision of the features and composting method my product presents. After building the prototype, the daily maintenance required to create compost and the hardships I encountered due to the unfavorable weather conditions (heavy rain) taught me to be resilient, optimistic, and patient.

Furthermore, through Personal Project, I also had the opportunity to explore two global contexts: Scientific and Technical Innovation and Globalization and Sustainability. The process I had to undergo these past few months have helped me comprehend the interconnectedness of mankind with biological processes, specifically how our daily habits have an immense impact on the environment. As an individual with a growing passion in sustainability, I understand that as a society, we all have responsibility to comprehend the impact of our decisions and be willing to take action by implementing simple steps into our daily lives. Though the prototype produces compost on a smaller scale, I began to realize that the conservation of nature is in the hands of human’s diligence and resilience.

IB Learner Reflection

Since the beginning of my Personal Project journey, I was an inquirer and I strived to be knowledgeable, especially since I had little to no complex prior knowledge about my topic, making me heavily reliant on utilizing my research skills to gather information. I was able to enhance my thinking skills through solving the obstacles I encountered throughout the entirety of my journey. Because I tend to overthink and procrastinate, I often stray away from doing risky and complicated ideas, but I wanted to challenge myself and develop my risk taker profile by choosing to do a project which requires a high level of commitment. Going into this, I was definitely scared because I was aware that my project would be impossible to accomplish without proper self-management, so I continuously tried my best to strategize, plan my time accordingly, and be a balanced student. Being reflective was a vital profile I had to build to ensure the improvement of my prototype and its success. Without being reflective and open minded towards others perspectives and opinions, I would not have been able to alter my prototype’s features and aesthetics according to my goal and it would have been impossible to create a prototype which satisfies all the primary criterias.