The Circular Life of Coffee Grounds and Plastic Bottles
Taiwan, a beautiful island with a diverse population of ethnic groups as well as various variety of ecological environments. Taiwan is a semi-tropical island situated in East Asia on the northwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean. Taiwan is heavily populated with a population of 23.5 million people and is highly advanced in terms of economy, technology, and transportation, similar to many other Asian countries. However, like most countries in the world, Taiwan has a serious waste production issue. Coffee grounds and plastic bottles are two of the important waste products in Taiwan. According to the International Coffee Organization, Taiwanese drink about 2.85 billion cups of coffee every year and the world drinks about 2 billion cups of coffee a day, producing about 6 million tons of coffee grounds. Reusing these coffee grounds will help the Earth while reducing waste production. Also, the Taiwanese produce about 4.5 billion plastic bottles per year, causing a serious problem. Therefore, we are going to introduce people to know about “Circular Life, Natural Economy: The Circular Life of Coffee Grounds and Plastic Bottles” and the reuse of both coffee grounds and plastic bottles.
As the environment around the world is slowly declining, we are starting to see the negative changes impact our lives. Oceans are polluted, the climate is changing, and species are dying out, we must begin to take immediate actions in order to slow down it all. Our project mainly focuses on 2 parts, coffee ground-made shoes, and plastic bottle slippers, which both tie back to the idea of a “Circular Economy”. Businesses and brands around the world are beginning to turn to eco-friendly products, countries begin raising awareness regarding environmental protection. Through this project, we investigate and research the companies and organizations in Taiwan which focus on promoting a circular economy. Moreover, we dive into the details and analysis of waste disposing habits of Taiwanese people, hoping to fully understand the cause, effects, and solution to environmental change.
With improved internet connectivity, setting up a website has become a hassle-free task that can be accomplished using computers. In our group, all students have internet access at home, enabling us to conduct research and create websites. Our school has provided internet access across most areas, offering a conducive learning environment for students. This opportunity allowed us to complete our project with greater efficiency and effectiveness, without any internet-related issues. The internet speed in our classrooms is fast and reliable, allowing us to complete most of the work at school. Each classroom has access to three different types of the internet for students, teachers, and guests. We utilized computers, cameras, and iMovie throughout the project, with these tools being vital to our competition entry. We used computers to create the website, cameras to record interviews, and iMovie to edit videos and add subtitles. All group members had access to their own devices, such as laptops and iPads. In conclusion, our project was completed without any internet-related irritations or errors.
During this project, we successfully interviewed Ccilu on the topic of the circular economy. However, we faced a problem during the process. Initially, we contacted a company and engaged in prolonged communication with them to secure an interview. Although they initially agreed to participate, when we called to confirm the interview date a few weeks later, they informed us that they were unable to participate. This forced us to find another company to interview. Eventually, we connected with Ccilu, and they were able to provide us with great and detailed information on the topic.