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Here at Animas we do plenty of big projects and do lots of hands-on activities. For our last major project, we did the sustainable design project. We came back from spring break and went on field trips to learn more about sustainable design. We were told that this would be very hands-on which I looked forward to.

 

I went on a field trip to turtle lake where I was able to see a house made of cod, a mixture of grass and mud. After doing the field trips I learned that sustainable design is something that is supposed to give back or benefit your 5th generation grandchildren.

 

I learned what an empathy interview is and went around the school to interview my peers. I found that students valued quiet, nature, music, and privacy. During the sustainable design project we where given tons of freedom to design and prototype. We used popsicle sticks and construction paper to prototype.

 

Later we did a design thinking process to create visual posters that were shared with the rest of the grade. We then got into groups to figure out who is going to do what for their projects. My group and I decided to do a thing called tree nooks. We designed and prototyped until we got a perfect idea. We set up a station in one of the classrooms to get feedback during all school exhibition. Thus our tree house.

My team and I wanted to contribute to our campus by creating a quiet, safe, and private space for all.

As I did this project I built a treehouse with my peers as well as a shade structure on the other side of the school. I was working hard and well with my peers that were doing the treehouse with me. I was able to perceive that teachers would be anxious about students smoking or vaping back at the treehouse. About three days into the project I saw that we would not be allowed back at the treehouse often so, I decide to go work with another group of students to create a shade structure. Going from one project to another I was able to see how different other people's values and ways of working are as well as how to adapt to fit people's values.

 

Throughout the project, I realized that refinement on the project would be possible. As we built the treehouse we noticed that we can make the structure look nicer and more well refined. If we had time my team and I would make the paint nicer add more walls and support the whole structure better.

 

The teachers were very troubled and nervous about having a treehouse on campus. In response, we wanted to make it nicer and follow the rules. So that we can make the treehouse, a place for students to go and relax, eat or, study.

 

There were some problems with my other group. We did not have enough materials, time, or money to complete our initial design. Instead of giving up on our structure and ideas we made some changes to our design. We went from a large gazebo that would have been structured on supports. We made a small structure that will provide shade from the sun all day for students to eat lunch at or to go and read a book.

 

When we first started to design our treehouse we wanted to have four structures on four different trees. Having bridges as connections between each structure. As we continued to build we realized that we would not be successful in creating four structures. Our success ended up looking more like one structure with a hammock under it some chairs on top as well as having been painted to look more appealing.

 

I would want to let students know that before they start this process they must be prepared for troubleshooting and problem-solving. They need to be ready for challenges. And, must be ready for people to shoot them down and tell them it sucks. When this happens you need to be prepared to ignore it and push through but in the end, it would have been worth it and you will feel accomplished.

Sustainable Design Project

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