Age
7
Country of Residence
United States
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Earlier this year, my family and I went to an event. A man had water in a jar with a pipe coming out of it, and the jar was hooked up to batteries. When he turned the batteries on, gas came out of the pipe, and he lit it on fire! My mom said it was "burning water," but I knew it was really gas that the batteries made from the water. Later my mom told me the same man knows how to make a machine that turns plastic into something that can burn safely, and it makes fuel too. I thought that was SO cool, and I want to make it happen!
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
My mom and dad love to make videos and perform, so we'll make lots of videos about everything we do. We already make videos about being connected to the earth and each other, so this will just be another thing we do. I think people will like it. Our family made a video about a biodigester machine, and a lot of people liked it and wanted to learn. I didn't really help with that one, I mostly watched and played with my friend but I still thought it was cool. We're still figuring out how it works and finishing the machine now. I think this project will be even cooler, because it's easier for people to use. A lot of people don't have compost to make cooking gas with, but everybody is surrounded by trash. It's a big problem, and this could be a solution anybody can try.
How many people are on your team?
4
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
First, I'll clean up the forest in my neighborhood. We always find trash and make a big pile, but then we just take it away and it sits somewhere else. I want it to really go away, not move to a different part of the Earth. Next, we'll visit other parks, like my family already does. But instead of putting trash in bags, we'll put it in the machine and show people how it works so they can do it too. My biggest dream is to go to the beach one day and ride a boat with a machine on it to pick up trash from the ocean. I want to help clean up the home of the dolphins and whales! I'll do it with helpers who know how to do it safely. I just have to pack lots of jerky, because I don't like to eat fish.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Nobody wants plastic trash on the earth or in the ocean. Did you know we could clean it up and turn it into gas for cars and other stuff? Help me learn how to so I can teach other kids and we can work together to clean up our home together!
Project title
Let’s Clean Up The Earth!
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
I hate it when I go to the ocean or the forest and see trash everywhere. Even when we pick it up, it just goes somewhere else to sit. I don't want to move trash around. I want to get rid of it forever, and I think this could be the way.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Instagram.com/journeyhomevitals
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
If I get the money to make the machine, the first thing we'll do is build one! We'll make a video of us building it. The man who knows how will connect with us and show us the safe way to do it. Next, we'll clean up trash in our neighborhood and make a video of us burning the plastic safely in the machine. Then we'll take the machine to a park in the city, clean that up, and make a video of that too. After that, we'll reach out to people who have boats and might like our idea. We'll ask if anybody would let us bring the machine on their boat so we can clean the ocean, too!
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
I don't know everything that's happening in the world, but I haven't seen a plastic machine like this made for regular people. I know one guy built a really big one, and that's so cool! But I want to learn how to make one that's simple, so people can build their own in their neighborhood, as long as they learn the safe way first. Another thing that makes it different is that it's fun! I want to take the machine out on a boat to clean the ocean, and I think lots of people would love to watch that. My parents like to sing, dance, and perform, so we can turn the whole thing into a show. Maybe I'll even figure out different ways to tell the story! I think it's a fun way to show that we can find solutions to the world's problems, even if we start small.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
You put the trash in a big pot, kind of like a pressure cooker, and seal it shut. Then you connect pipes to it that catch the liquid and the gas. When you heat the pot, the plastic doesn't just burn up. It turns into gas we could cook on a stove and a liquid we could put in cars! When it's done, all that's left is black dirt and ashes. My mom says that's called carbon. I’d learn how to do it from the man I talked about before who’s been making them for 30 years! When he teaches me we’ll make videos about it. Then we'll invite other people to make it too, and maybe I can show other kids how!
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Mostly it's just me, my mom, and my dad! We do a lot of things together as a family, and this is our next big adventure. The man who knows how to build the machine said he would help us too, as long as we can get all the materials we need. He's the expert, so he'll teach us how to build it the safe way. It's a small team right now, but I hope it gets bigger when other people see what we're doing.
