WASTE EQUALS FOOD MODULE

The Lessons from Nature Project aims to challenge traditional assumptions about how things are made and how systems in the human world operate. Through discovery and activity based learning and Learning Outside the Classroom learners can connectwith nature and discover that nature can be amentor that offers insights that can inspire thebuilding of a brighter future.

This module is built around the ‘Waste equals Food’ insight that can be identified in nature. In nature everything is cycled so what looks like waste is actually food for the next cycle. For example, dead tree leaves will become soil for a new tree.

Many of our current production systems take, make and dump materials. This means that the Earth’s finite resources are being lost forever. The ‘Waste equals Food’ insight can be applied to turn current linear human production systems into closed loop systems in which scarce resources are used to best effect and waste is eliminated.

Icons can be found throughout this module:

Using insights from nature to inspire and build a brighter future

MODULE OBJECTIVES

• Discover that in nature waste equals food• Understand the problems with current production systems• Understand that nature can be used as inspiration for redesigning production systems and products

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Critical thinking - questioning- analysing information

• Creativity-using imagination-using initiative

• Discovery-coping with uncertainty

• Sharing-communicating ideas

• Reflecting & Evaluating

Supporting document

Outdoor learning

Reflection Discussion

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Biology• Waste materials such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and dead organic matter are cycled in nature. • Nutrient cycles in nature include the carbon cycle, water cycle and nitrogen cycle. • Understand open and closed loop systems.

Geography• Waste materials such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and dead organic matter are cycled in nature. • Nutrient cycles in nature include the carbon cycle, water cycle and nitrogen cycle. • There are various ways of disposing of waste.

Design & Technology• Consider sustainability and environmental issues when designing and manufacturing. • Carry out a ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ for a product. • Consider sustainability and environmental issues when designing and manufacturing. • Have a knowledge of ‘Green Designs’.

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CURRICULUM LINKS

The learning in this module can support a range of Key Stage 3 and 4 subjects including: Biology, Geography and Design and Technology.

REFLECTIONThis module aims to enable learners to re-think the way in which the human world works help them to shape a brighter future that meets their own aspirations. At the end of each section there is a reflection task. Learners are asked add notes to the Reflection sheet including how the learning could impact their future. In addition learners should chart their progress on the Learning wall at the end of each section. The activities aim to develop skills, creativity, critical thinking and understanding that will be needed for work in the post oil economy. To be able to see progress throughout the learning journey learners should identify where they are on the Learning Wall before beginning the activities.

IM1 Learning wall and Reflection sheet

OBJECTIVEDiscover that in nature, “waste is food”. The waste from one organism

becomes food for something else. Everything is cycled.

*Activities will be covered during the Introductory Module at Epping Forest Field Centre

DISCOVERING WASTE EQUALS FOOD IN NATURE

Choose one of the following tasks (A or B) or do both if you have more time available.

A. WHERE IS THE WASTE IN NATURE? (10 mins)*Using a soil auger take a soil core and examine how the soil content changes with depth. Examine the leaf litter and consider:• What happens to the waste (leaves, twigs, poo, dead animals and plants)?• How might this happen?• What benefits does this bring to the woodland and the plants and animals here?

WM1 Biome instructions

OR

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CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMIn a closed loop system the output from one part of the system becomes the input for another part.

B. MAKE A BIOME (15 - 20 mins)Work as a team to create a biome• What is happening to the waste?• What are the limitations of the biome?• What would you have to introduce to your biome to grow flowering plants?• Is it a closed loop system? Why?

B. BUILD A WATER CYCLE (10 mins)Work as a team to create a biome using a transparent tub with a lid, an ice pack, some sand and a lamp.Once the equipment is set up, leave it for 15mins whilst doing another activity and then consider the following questions: • Describe the processes that are happening to the water• Describe the processes that are happening to the water• Is it a closed loop system? Why?

Choose one of the following tasks (A or B) or do both if you have more time available.

A. INTERACT WITH MODELS AND DIAGRAMS (10- 15 mins)* • Arrange the picture cards and arrows into flows to construct closed loop systems.• Think about how natural systems are cycles unlike most human production systems.

Sediment Magma

Heat and Pressure Weathering and Erosion

IM6, IM7 and IM8 Card sorts

OR

Metamorphic

4*Activities will be covered during the Introductory Module at Epping Forest Field Centre

A. WOODLAND CYCLE (15 mins)* • Work together to arrange the set of cards into an appropriate order. Explain to the other group(s) in your class the order you have put them in.• Talk in groups to analyse and challenge the order the other groups have put their cards in.• What does this activity show?• Where does the energy to drive these cycles come from? How does this differ to the energy source of man-made products?• Discuss how a circular system can be better than a linear chain.

OR IM9 Woodland card sort

B. PLANT DIAGRAMS (10 mins) Many plants produce lots of seeds, fruits and flowers but very few of them will grow into a new plant.• Is this sustainable? • Draw a flow diagram of one of these plants to show what happens to the seeds, fruits or flowers including those that don’t make new plants

• Sunflowers produce an abundance of seeds• Cherry trees produce an abundance of blossoms• Bramble bushes produce an abundance of blackberries

WM2 Flow diagram example REFLECTION (5 mins)*You have discovered that waste is cycled in nature to become food for another part of the system. Add notes to the Reflection sheet and chart your progress on the Learning wall.Visit the Share page of www.lessonsfromnature.org to comment on the activities you have taken part in.The Waste equals Food insight can also be found in the human world. Explore the insight further by taking part in Understanding Waste equals Food activities. 5

Choose one of the following tasks (A or B) or do both if you have more time available.

OBJECTIVEUnderstand the problems with current production systems and consider

potential benefits of closed loop systems.

UNDERSTANDING WHY WASTE EQUALS FOOD IN HUMAN SYSTEMS

FILM TIME (14 mins)Watch the following video:• Get Loopy video – Discover the cyclic nature of natural systems like the forest and also discover the consequences of linear manufacturing processes. Produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (approx 11mins). Search for Get Loopy on You Tube then try to answer the questions below.

• What valuable resources are we wasting with current production systems?• What’s the problem with the current human take-make-dispose system?• How is nature different from the human take-make-dispose system?• Why aren’t man-made products (like laptops) loopy?• How can we make man-made products such as mobiles, laptops and fridges loopy?

Alternative video:• Ellen MacArthur Foundation ‘Excite Me’ video (approx 2mins). Search http://vidaru.com/ellen-macarthur-foundation-excite-me/63270569 then try to answer the questions below:

WM3 Video answer sheet

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EVERYDAY ITEM SORT (10 mins)*Work as a team to sort items into 3 groups and explain the groupings you have put them in. Re-sort the items into groups: Biological nutrients, Technical nutrients or a mixture.Check the answer sheet to see if you are correct.• How can these 3 groups of items be produced using a closed loop production cycle?

MODELLING GAMES (10 mins)* Play stage 1 of the modelling game. Work as a team to move the “aluminium” through the take make dump linear system.• What happened to the raw materials needed to make an aluminium can?• How could this system be improved using Insights from Nature?

Play stage 2 of the modelling game. Add a recycling loop into the model and work together to move the materials around the system.• Observe that recycling is not perfect and raw materials are still lost over time. • How can we improve this system further so that it is never-ending?• Reflect that we need to think about the whole process in order to make the system a truly closed loop. Simply getting better at recycling will still result in a loss of raw materials. Production systems and the products themselves need re-thinking.

MODELLING GAME CONTINUED (10 mins)*Discuss how you could re-model the game so that it is closed loop.• Why is this better?

IM10 Modelling game instructions

IM11 Everyday item listWM4 Item sort answers

7*Activities will be covered during the Introductory Module at Epping Forest Field Centre

STRUGGLING TO CLOSE THE LOOP (10 mins)Why is it so difficult for companies to close the loop?Work as a team to try to close the loop of a orange juice tetrapak • First separate it into its constituent parts. • What materials is it made from (biological, technical or mixtures)? • Can these materials be recycled easily?• Find out if your local authority collect tetrapaks for recycling. If not find out where you local tetrapak recycling bank is. http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/locator.asp• Look at the life cycle analysis of a tetrapak. Are they trying to close the loop? http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/tp_lifecycle_analysis.asp• Can you think of anymore ways tetrapak could close the loop?

A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM (10 mins) Research an aquaponics system.• Is this is a closed loop system? Explain why• Are there any problems with this system?

CLOSING THE LOOP (10 mins)There aren’t many examples of closed loop products and production systems in the human world. But many companies are trying to close the loop for their products.• Why do they think this is important?Choose one of the companies provided. • List the benefits to the consumers of closing the loop• List the benefits to the company of closing the loop

WM6 Companies closing the loop

WM5 Aquaponics information

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REFLECTION (5 mins)You have discovered that Waste equals Food in nature and this concept of closed loops can be applied to human production systems. Add notes to the Reflection sheet and chart your progress on the Learning wall.Visit the Share page of www.lessonsfromnature.org to comment on the activities you have taken part in.

APPLYING WASTE EQUALS FOOD TO LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENTS

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (30 mins)Make a product life cycle assessment for a newspaper or a car.Visit this website http://practicalaction.org/product-lifecycle-analysis to download a worksheet that has a diagram to help create a product life cycle analysis.An introductory presentation to support learning about product lifecycle analysis can also be downloaded.

Materials: List all the materials (metal, plastic) in your product.

Production: Most metals and plastics must be processed before they are in a useful form for manufacturing. Then all of the processed materials must be formed and shaped into something useful.

Distribution: How is your product packaged for sale? How is it transported for sale?

Use: Can it be used once or reused for a number of years?

Disposal: Does it have to be thrown away or can it be recycled (all of it or parts)?

Is the lifecycle of your product linear (take it –make it – dump it) or closed loop?

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STARTER (5 mins)

Think of an example of when waste equals food in nature. Share this with a partner.

OBJECTIVEUnderstand the problems with current production systems and

consider potential benefits of closed loop systems.

REFLECTION (10 mins)You should now know how the waste equals food insight can be applied to man-made systems. Life cycle assessments are a useful tool to analyse whether a product or production system is closed loop. Add notes to the Reflection sheet and chart your progress on the Learning wall.Visit the Share page of www.lessonsfromnature.org to comment on the activities you have taken part in.

LONDON OLYMPICS (15 mins) How did the London Olympic Park try to close the loop on the building of sporting venues? http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/london-olympic-park-is-recycling-building-materials

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OBJECTIVEApply knowledge of closed loops to design a closed loop product.

DESIGN A TRAINER (30 mins)

Work in a group to design a closed loop pair of trainers. Draw and label your design.

Each group should consider the life cycle analysis of their trainers.• What materials will you use? • How will you assemble your trainers so that the materials can be easily separated at the end of its lifecycle?• How will you package your product for sale and transport in to a shop? • Can you think of a way to extend the lifecycle of your trainer so it can be reused for a number of years?• Can all the parts be recycled at the end?

Try researching other companies to give you ideas for your design. For example, Nike's “Considered Design” range of products are made from organic cotton, recycled polyester, leather and environmentally preferred rubber. They don’t contain PVC and Phthalates. The website explains the choices: http://www.nikebiz.com/crreport/content/environment/4-1-1-product-design.php?cat=product-design.

UNDERSTANDING THE WASTE EQUALS FOOD INSIGHT IN THE HUMAN WORLD

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REFLECTION (10 mins)You should now know how to apply the waste equals food insight to design products. Life cycle assessments are a useful tool to analyse whether a product or production system is closed loop. Add notes to the Reflection sheet and chart your progress on the Learning wall.Visit the Share page of www.lessonsfromnature.org to comment on the activities you have taken part in.

IMAGE REFERENCES

Green leaf Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Dead leaves Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Soil Augering Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Sediment Photo ‘123-2367_IMG’ by Ron Schott Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Magma Photo ‘Erta Ale Volcano Magma lake’ by pierre coste Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Metamorphic Photo ‘Cheshire Cat’ by subarcticmike Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Fly Photo ‘Fly ##’ by Gerald Yuvallos Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Mushrooms Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Great tit Photo ‘Great Tit’ by Sergey Yeliseev Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Beech trees Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Modelling game Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Biome Photo by Epping Forest Field Centre Staff © 2012

Aquaponics Photo ‘Growing Power, Milwaukee’ by grifray Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Life cycle assessment

Photo on the website: http://practicalaction.org/product-lifecycle-analysis

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GLOSSARY

Biological nutrients

Materials that can be easily returned into natural systems (e.g. are compostable) including manufactured objects such as wooden furniture and paper products.

Biomimicry Using observations of nature to develop new designs and products.

Circular economy

An industrial economy that is intentionally designed to enable natural materials to cycle and re-enter nature safely, and to enable technical nutrients to cycle without being used up.

Closed loop systems

In nature waste becomes food for other organisms and systems. Materials such as carbon, nitrogen and water are cycled in ‘closed loops’ that are powered by sunshine.

Cradle to cradle design

Modelling human production systems on nature's closed loop systems. Considers the “life” of a product to be from the acquisition of the materials it uses to the reuse of these materials.

Downcycling Materials such as glass and plastics are made into new products of poorer quality than the original as they are mixed up during waste disposal to form hybrids of different types of glass or plastic. Downcycling is not sustainable as the quality of each product is lower than the one before until the materials are no longer useful.

Environmental impact assessment

An assessment of the possible positive or negative impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment.

Linear systems Manufacturing processes that require a continuous supply of raw materials to make products that are often dumped as waste when they are no longer useful (take→ make → dump systems).

Monoculture The agricultural practice of growing a single plant species over a wide area.

Recycling Making new products out of used materials. Recycling is only truly sustainable if there is no loss of quality in the products produced (unlike downcycling) and the materials can be infinitely recycled (unlike upcycling).

Sustainability Literally, the ability to endure or continue. In the context of human production systems, it means maintaining things over a period of time without depleting resources. Wikipedia has some excellent further information.

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GLOSSARY CONTINUED

Technical nutrients

New materials that have been manufactured by humans (e.g. plastics) or materials that have been refined and processed (e.g. metals). Most are not biodegradeable and can be toxic if allowed to build up.

Upcycling A form of repurposing where products or materials are used to create a new product rather than being thrown away. Examples include using reclaimed yarn to knit ‘new’ clothing and making reusable carrier bags out of old drink cartons. Upcycling is not sustainable as the upcycled product cannot easily be recycled into something else indefinitely.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This module reflects

the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which

may be made of the information contained therein. Lessons From Nature (LFN) ©2012

Two 2-litre drinks bottles Scissors Leaves/leaf litter Two bottle caps Soil or compost Cress seeds Thick shoe lace Drill (or alternative)

Pond weed Water

Make a biome (WM1)

Materials:

Step 1 – Remove the labels from the bottles. On bottle 1, cut 2 cm below the shoulder to produce component "A," a shallow funnel top and "C" a deep reservoir. (This could be prepared prior to the activity). Step 2 – Ask an adult to poke or drill a hole in one bottle cap. (This could be prepared prior to the activity). Step 3 - Thread a shoelace through the hole. Step 4 – Mark 1 cm from the bottom of bottle 2. Cut along this line to make component B and screw the bottle cap with a hole on the top. Discard the bottom piece or recycle. (This could be prepared prior to the activity). Step 5 – Half fill component C with water and add pond weed. Step 6 – Upend component B so that the bottle cap goes inside component C. Make sure the shoelace is dipped into the water. Step 7 - Add soil to component B. The shoelace should run up into soil, not be plastered along the side of the bottle. Step 8 – Sprinkle the cress seeds onto the soil and then cover with a 2cm layer of leaf litter. Step 9 – Make sure component A has a cap screwed on and place component A onto the end of component B to complete the biome. Step 10 – Put the biome in a sunny place. Check it regularly to see what’s happened.

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! Take care when cutting the plastic bottle and piercing the bottle cap. These tasks should be done by an adult.

Acorn flow diagram (WM2)

Digestion

Excretion

Nutrition

(water and mineral uptake)

Acorn Squirrel

Oak tree

Poo Bacteria

Soil

Video answer sheet (WM3)

Get Loopy video answers:

• What valuable resources are we wasting with current production systems?

• What’s the problem with the current human take-make-dispose system?

• How is nature different from the human take-make-dispose system?

• Why aren’t man-made products (like laptops) loopy?

• How can we make man-made products such as mobiles, laptops and fridges loopy?

Everyday item sort answers (WM4)

Biological Technical Mixture

Bees wax candle Plastic bottle Wool (dye)

Willow bird feeder Metal paperclip Cotton T-shirt (dye)

Wooden plate Plastic bag Newspaper (ink and paper)

Tea Glass bottle Hard bound book (ink)

Sugar Pencil (paint)

Coffee Wooden peg (have metal parts)

Compostable bin bag Leather purse (metal fastener)

Cork Porcelain plate (glaze)

Fleece jacket (dye and metal fastener)

Rubber duck

Pen (plastic, metal and ink)

Tetrapak (cardboard and foil)

Aquaponic systems are being regarded as a closed loop food production system.

Aquaponics (WM5)

Water containing waste products of the fish is drawn up through a pump and used to water the plants. The plants remove the nitrogen from the fish waste. The clean water then goes back into the tank. The plants and fish chosen for the aquaponic system need to be able to tolerate changing water chemistry. Tilapia is a very tolerant fish. Low to medium nutrient plants like lettuce and herbs will survive environmental changes in the system.

1. Why is this aquaponics system considered to be a closed loop? 2. Draw a flow diagram to show how this aquaponics system works

Companies closing the loop (WM6)

Patagonia The company has a Common Threads Initiative. They encourage customers to return worn-out Patagonia clothing so that they can recycle it into new fibre or fabric. Since 2005, the company as taken back 45 tons of clothing for recycling and made 34 tons into new clothes. The company also have a repair service for their gear. http://www.patagonia.com/eu/enGB/common-threads

HP HP makes it easy to return items such as computer equipment, printing supplies, and rechargeable batteries for recycling. The company has a Design for Environment (DfE) program with 3 priorities: To reduce the energy needed to manufacture and use its products To reduce the amount of materials needed to make the products and develop materials that have less environmental impact To design equipment that is easier to upgrade and/or recycle http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/index.html Nike

Nike's “Considered Design” range of products are made from environmentally preferred materials that don’t contain toxic chemicals. They are designed using minimal materials for easy disassembly. For example the Considered Boot that they designed in 2005 used a shoe lace rather than adhesives to bind the leather upper part to the sole so it can be easily taken apart and recycled. http://www.nikebiz.com/crreport/content/environment/4-1-1-product-design.php?cat=product-design

Apple Apple design products that contain less material, have smaller packaging, don’t contain toxic substances and are as energy efficient and recyclable as possible. For example the iPad became 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter in one generation. Apple will recycle old iPhones, iPads and computers. In 2011, Apple global recycling exceeded their 70 per cent goal. http://www.apple.com/uk/environment/#footprint