Core77

Student Spotlight: Hannah Dow's Biodegradable Temp Tools

By Teshia Treuhaft - April 11, 2013

in Object Culture | Sustainable Design | Hand Tools

In design school these days, we've gone so far around the 'sustainability' bend that it seems like the word might have lost meaning all together. That's why whenever we see a unique take on the cradle-to-cradle conversation; it's a breath of fresh air. The most recent addition to the canon of sustainable design comes from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design's Hannah Dow, in her senior BFA thesis project cleverly entitled, Temp Tools. I created Temp Tools aiming to stir up the conversation about the complete life cycle of objects; Thinking about where our items go once they leave our house in a garbage bag. I hope that with Temp Tools, I can get people thinking about other things they own that could be designed in a similar way as the tools, with sustainability in mind.

Hannah has been developing the tool line, consisting of a skewer to roast marshmallows or hotdogs, a spatula, and a shovel for nearly 8 months. Each tool in the line can be fitted to a stick to be used as a makeshift handle and will fully degrade in nature leaving only flower seeds in its wake. While sustainable design will never embrace the 'hey, just toss it out' mentality, maybe we can still do a little guilt-free littering with our Temp Tools.

We asked Hannah to share with us some insights into both the material exploration and product development leading to Temp Tools:

Core77: How did you develop a composite material strong enough to create a durable 'temp tool'?

Hannah Dow: The material the tools are made of is what comprised my first four months of the project. After trying to find a man-made, biodegradable, strong material that I could purchase and coming up empty-handed, I realized I needed to do my best at making whatever it was that I wasn't getting elsewhere. The composite material is completely natural and biodegradable after use and strong and rigid during its role as a tool. If put into production the tools would be made using a 3-4 part mold seeing that the material is a kind of liquid wood mixture.

Core77: Where does the life cycle of the tool end?

Providing a fool proof method for disposal (you essentially drop the tool on the ground and forget about it), the user will get into the habit of giving back, hopefully relaying the idea that the afterlives of our objects should be something more highly considered in the world of design and consumption.

Core77: What are the temp tools constructed out of?

The composite material is constructed from a gelatin-based glue and sawdust, essentially creating a liquid wood material. The composite is completely natural and biodegradable after use, as well as strong and rigid when used. [Because the composite] houses a specific species of regional flower seeds, this product addresses the problem of invasive species and explores the relationship between consumer and product; how one can establish a connection with an object even after its use is fulfilled and it has been discarded. With these tools, people will be able to actually leave their site in better condition then when they arrived. The consumer uses the tool to thrive in and manipulate different aspects of the land and then repairs it by planting the tools and promoting the growth of a new life form.

We appreciate the 'if you cant beat them, join them' take on consumer culture and her killer process sketches (a lesson for all you ID students out there). Hannah will be graduating from the University of Michigan in May and we wish her the best as she joins the design workforce.

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Mark Nowotarski (patent agent)

11 years ago

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Interesting design concept. It reminds me of CowPots. Flower pots made from processed cow manure. They are actually better then conventional pressed fiber pots (also from recycled material), since plant roots can grow right through them.

Here's more about them: http://gegardensupply.com/CowPots.html

(full disclosure - my Dad sells these)
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bob

11 years ago

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I do love this as an exploration for sure- push the capabilities of new materials. I believe huge breakthroughs often happen when people attempt something so contrary to convential wisdom (that tools should only be made of steel or something that will last generations)
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Austin

11 years ago

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However you feel about Andrew's comment, I can't wait to see more "gorilla advertising". Maybe at the zoo?
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Andrew Mitchell

11 years ago

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Sorry I might not have put my points across very well. I Agree the work is beautiful, and the execution is fantastic. I was commenting because it is thought provoking and does make you think about the things you use and throw away. I love the new use of materials, novel application, I can imagine some interesting uses for this, as a concept I do love the sentiment; I just hope it gets put to good use.

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David Maxwell

11 years ago

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I find Hannah's piece inspired and thoughtfully executed. As anyone who has followed the history of design knows, the ability to incite some sort of dialogue, to raise a greater awareness or consciousness, is the mark of a great designer.

I'm afraid that Andrew Mitchell has failed to understand this by taking what is clearly a conceptual piece far too literally. The point is not to analyze the life cycle and sales strategy for a spatula, but rather to understand that it's possible for our society to embrace tools that have a more direct connection to the world around us. In fact, I'm guessing that one of Hannah's key points here is that the life cycle for tools like this is infinite.

The way I see it, Hannah's piece is a simple (read: elegant) response to a culture that is completely saturated by consumerism. And in order to make any sort of a change as a designer, you need to start the conversation. Hannah has done this.

Nice work, Hannah! Hope to see more of your work.
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Mike Fen

11 years ago

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Simply put Andrew...you're wrong.
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Marissa McClain

11 years ago

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I think it was made clear that this design is a concept to raise awareness and inspire conversation, not something that will actually be put into production. Hannah's concept is beautifully executed, I can't wait to see where this takes her in the future!
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Andrew Mitchell

11 years ago

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I hope this is just a concept to raise awareness through some sort of gorilla advertising and never actually goes into production!

I struggle with the idea that this is in any way more sustainable than a well made tool that you can keep for years and potentially use again and again, perhaps pass onto a child, or give to someone, or give to a charity...etc (it doesn't even have to be metal...)

Hypothetically if this did go into production, and you did purchase one, I would love to see the life cycle analysis that proves its more sustainable. lets say they are sold in packs of 3 - your essentially making a novelty purchase because this is unlikely to be good at doing any actual gardening/work - which means you had manufacture, packaging, shipping, the trip to the shops etc for a sub-par tool! which you likely have to buy a 'proper' version of anyway. Or in the case of a marshmallow attachment... a job the stick could have done without any of the additional CO2!

I agree with the sentiment of this product, but the execution is hypocritical! This product is everything that I'm sure its creator was hoping it wouldn't be - Its the worst sort of throw away consumerism; where the end user doesn't even know they are having an impact! Its a short-sighted and naive concept that shows a lack of true understanding about sustainability. Its up there with charging your electric car from a coal fired power station...
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