Zachary Tinubu-Karch

Sustainable Systems May 2022

Urban Hack Final Sp

Research: My urban hack was looking at synthetic textile usage and disposal in New York City. Currently our utilization of synthetic textiles has a skyrocketed placing huge reliance on these materials. In New York alone each year 200million pounds of clothing ends up in New York City’s landfill. With synthetic textiles being derived from petroleum and other fossil fuels, the world’s fashion capital becomes a dumping ground for unwanted apparel. It’s important to devise a system to account for the potential circular solutions within this problem. Therefore I created Circular Synthetics: A proposal that brings material recovery and reproduction to Brooklyn Army Terminal, a hub for local manufacturing. The system takes local synthetic garments of non-renewable sources, breaks them down, and respins them in to new fibers for local industries, designers, artists, and people.  This started from wanting to extend the reach of my systems-map about performance textile: Lyocell.

Field Trip/Climate Justice – East River Park

Zachary Tinubu-Karch

Sustainable Systems SP

April 27, 2022

The East River Park has been a cultural landmark for decades from its inception in 1939. The park has an exceptional way of bringing a variety of different demographics, people, and social classes together. However as we bring this space into our contemporary landscape, the dynamics of this increasingly communal space are inhibited by threats to equitable decision making. Risk of flooding has increased as a result of global warming, leaving us with volatile weather conditions as already seen throughout this year’s rainfall and with the unfortunate occurrence of hurricane sandy. 

East River Park is standing right in the fire zone, and ultimately this circumstance places the park in a difficult situation. The park is both threatened by flooding and acts as a buffer zone for it simultaneously. The dynamic becomes complicated when we look at the latter half of this predicament:the buffer zone. The potential for the East River Park to provide protection still needs to be developed in a thoughtful and ethical way. It requires further construction to fortify the area and protect East River residents. However who makes these decisions? The residents of the East River have lived there for years and rely heavily on the park for its green lush nature–highly contrasting from the dense urban center that is manhattan–and additionally, further construction will affect the livelihoods of residents, from transportation, sound and air pollution and mobility restriction. Decisions are made by a select few government officials and disregard the lives of those on the East River Park. The trip was informative and allowed us to see the beginnings of the preventative measures and infrastructures put in place to stop flooding and other weather. As seen in the documentation below, the utilities of the communities right off the FDR are being raised so that buildings can retain energy functions when flooding occurs. Tall cement walls are erected as barriers. Lastly, places of leisure are being demolished for the sake of more absorbent structures. 

After the field trip I looked at the NYC Stormwater Flood Map Viewer that depicts stormwater flooding resilience based on the geographic location within the city. They use a variety of variables that cater to five modes of classification amongst results. From looking at map I realized that Manhattan and the western most part of bk are not the only places that exist in nyc. Weather is only becoming more adverse, and flooding will threaten city wide at increasing rates. This dynamic will only increase – community decisions vs those of a select few. How do we incorporate a system for dealing democratically with time-pressing and complex infrastructural issues within communities. Especially when these changes lead to displacement, hindrance, and disempowerment.

Kombucha leather duration: 3.5-4weeks

Location: Bathroom

Average Temperature: 75-80ºF

Findings: The Kombucha leather grew sparsely at first producing small bubbles/islands of matter. As the week continued I kept the mixture covered to hopefully increase the growing rate of the leather. As the formula was in the bathroom, I kept all doors closed in order to seal the temperature in and hold the room at a constant average temperature. However as the bathroom wasn’t a controlled environment, certain components of the experiment fluctuated. Those included: Temperature (any fluctuations occurred through showering, washing hands, the fan/heater, leaving the door open, and leaving the window open in adjacent rooms. Light: as the formula was to be kept in a dimly lit room, fluctuations in consistency could be seen in using the lights, leaving them on, or again light from an adjacent room were to creep in. As it was in a frequently used area of the apartment I was never away from the substance for too long and was able to take care of it despite any minor interruptions that may have occurred.

The growth was fast but has plateaued slightly due to it shifting into its formation stages. The solution should be ready to be cultivated in a weeks time. In this next week I can begin the drying process and create an object or mold in that time.

I’m actually quite satisfied with the process I’ve completed up until this point. I’ve checked in consistently, maintained an average temperature, and prevented any invasive matter from entering the area.

Zachary Tinubu-Karch

Earth Futures Response

March 28, 2022

EVENT 1

The first event I attended was with TJ Shin in conversation with Remina Greenfield & Shuyi Cao. The Event was based on the biological habits and connections we form with the areas we’re in, especially considering our internal digestion and responses to geographically developed microbes. Specifically when referring to the displacement of native peoples. She first mentioned something I found quite interesting saying “Immigration westernizes the gut microbe.” Explaining that as peoples of a respective area adapt to their surroundings the types of bacterias they interact with become a part of their natural systems, their body, their lives. To remove that, and placed in more complex contexts can completely throw off biological rhythms. She also spoke about deriving energy from alternative sources such as bacteria from animals concentrated into strategic composting, and then used to plant agriculture. How circular forms of bacteria production is viable but rather displaced from the mainstream as stigmas of mold, fungi, and bacteria are heavily ingrained in society.

EVENT 2

The second event I attended was Newton Creek Alliance’s executive director Willis Elkins and horticulturalist Brenda Suchiit & Catherine Telford Keogh. This one was a bit different than the first event however it was just as informative regarding how to restructure natural systems for the benefit of the environment and our own well-being. The Newton Creek Alliance for background is a community based organization that restores, reveals, and revitalizes Newton Creek. However what impressed me about their organization was the methods and procedures for mending the area. What they emphasized was the effect that distorted water systems do in times of natural disaster. Disturbing water flow can be detrimental to entangled micro and macro-habitats. Therefore, Newton Creek Alliance works on securing mitigation and remediation of environmental disasters. Doing this is a technical feat to say the least. The scope of these actions is broad as well, and so the group has divided it into a few relative categories: Green infrastructure, bioremediation, and habitat restoration. This can be invested into any work we’ve done in the class that relates to water. What this event did was reassess our perspectives on how water isn’t a tool that we choose to use, but a vital body we must manage and take account of in all circumstances.

From their work/info on Curbside Rain Gardens

MYCELIUM 1 | INITIAL THOUGHTS

ZACH TK

MATERIALS

1) ‘Back to the Roots’ oyster mushroom kit. The ‘mini’ kit will do. These are readily available on
Amazon and there are equivalent kits sold in China and elsewhere. There are similar, locally
made, kits too, available at farmers’ markets. The main thing is to get a kit that contains oyster
mushrooms, the white Pleurotus ostreatus being the most common variety. Oyster mushrooms
thrive in a variety of conditions.
2) Used surgical masks (several). Remove strings, nose wire and cut up with scissors into
reasonably small pieces.
3) Used coffee grounds. Around a cup. May contain leftover paper coffee filters
4) Shredded paper (optional). Any kind will do.
5) Two identical plastic meat trays. Clear is best but any kind will do. These will serve as the mold
for your tile. Make sure they are well washed!
6) Clear plastic bag or plastic wrap (for keeping your mycelium humid)
7) Large bowl or bucket with some kind of cover. I used a dinner plate
8) Disposable gloves and spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. (Optional but recommended)
9) A pot or kettle to boil water

COMMENTS:

1)Like the Kombucha leather the ingredients involved in creating the Mycelium are actually quite simple.

2)The materials warrant it’s a matter of first collecting the initial mycelium content and then the means to grow is actually again found within household items.

3)Additionally as it says in the brief, these oyster mushrooms, are fast growing, can grow in diverse conditions, and can be combined with a variety of forms of waste to create, new, useful forms.

4)Mycelium feeds on carbon-based materials

QUESTIONS:

1)Can Mycelium grown with the wrong waste become toxic?

2)What type of waste (synthetic & organic) is applicable to the creation of new healthy forms?

3)How odorous is this? Should any precautions be taken in the case of smell?

PHOTOS [EXAMPLES FROM BRIEF]

Findings:

-Not cars and trucks, but large buildings, skyscrapers, hospitals & apartment blocks are the truest emitters of green house gasses.

-By 2050 we either adhere to our goal of reducing emissions by 80% or face the consequences. Most of these buildings with their inefficient cooling, heating, and lighting systems amongst other aspects will still be standing.

-These buildings account for roughly 67% of all the city’s free house gas emissions

-Retrofitting is more than just changing lightbulbs and enhancing window panes, but install additional pipes, upgrade ventilation systems, or tune boilers.

-An optimal retrofit can cost up to 12% of the buildings current market value.

-Some entities and organizations throughout the city have taken the initiative to act on their own however these actions only account for 9% of building square footage in the city.

-Progressive and Environmental groups: “They argue that if building owners won’t clean up their properties of their own accord, the City Council must pass legislation to make retrofits mandatory.” However building owners are less inclined to fix and modify their existing structures without subsidies for the work being done to complete this.

-Furthermore these progressive groups stipulate any retrofit must enact laws to protect its lower income residents from rent spikes due to retrofittings property value.

-Bill De Blasio Tried a retrofitting “year”/”year of the retrofit” in 2019 but lack of involvement from partners had the plans dissolve.

-Urban Green Council (UGC), a not-for-profit group dedicated to developing climate solutions in the built environment

-“The real estate industry fought previous legislation in part because goals were based on an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) metric which measures the total amount of energy and fossil fuels a building is consuming, but does not consider what type of building it is or what is occurring inside.”

-Each sector has specific retrofitting requirements and approaches/needs.

-There may be more connection between landlords and tennants in the fight for better buildings.

-Making sure the costs of a retrofit are not passed on to the Tennant is crucial.

-Patrick Houston: “the voices of low-income communities and communities of color become integrated into the future of climate solutions from the get-go.”

Findings :

KOMBUCHA LEATHER POST 1 | INITIAL THOUGHTS

Comments:

The ingredients for Kombucha Leather are quite 

simple. Most of them were already found in my house and were easily accessible. A few of the more specific items however are still in the proccess of 

being delivered.

Q1) What are the limitations of making Kombucha in cold climates?

Q2) Do different tea strains influence different Kombucha growth results?

Kombucha_Leather_Zach_TK_Initial_Brief

Systems Map – Zachary Tinubu-Karch

Sustainable systems SP

March 7, 2022

Reflection

The Systems map allowed me to reassess different areas of a supply chain in terms of how intertwined with one another they are. Additionally the extent to which these small processes reach and effect the environments around them. These systems are largely dependent on one another and are so deeply ingrained into communities, its hard to separate the corporations from these legacy methods of operating. I found it surprising as well that almost every step of the textile production process is wasteful or requires major energy inputs to complete. Though this may seem straight forward I think there’s an idea within society that those fashion entities doing sustainability right are fully ridding themselves of any energy intensive processes, however this is not correct. Fashion & textile entities actively practicing sustainable practices or the production of sustainable products still use massive amounts of energy to achieve these results.

Zach_TK_Systems-Map-Final

(open link to see systems map final in new page)

References:

Easy Eucalyptus Farming Business Guide For Beginners

https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/lyocell-fabric

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenzing_AG

https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-fashion/what-is-lyocell/#item%201

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/nov/18/pulp-fabric-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lyocell

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