Part 1: Map Sketch, Sources List, Description
Sophie’s Sketch 1
Sophie’s Sketch 2
Dianer’s Sketch
Sophie and I decided to study the life cycle of instant noodles. Both of us made a sketch and decided to combine our sketches to come to a more comprehensive conclusion.
I mainly summarized transportation, materials, water, climate, money, and energy. The main raw materials for instant noodles are barley and wheat, both of which are hardy to cold and drought, so they are mostly grown in temperate regions, while barley can also be grown in subarctic regions. As a result, most of them are produced in Europe, the United States, and Asia and transported by air or shipping to countries such as South Korea and China, where they are processed by machines and then transported to other countries in the world. The cost of instant noodles comes from transportation, energy, processing, land, and labor. When I was drawing the sketch, I found that in fact, every link was interrelated, and Sophie and I planned to continue our research on this.
Close-up of final map
Final Map
I did the part of Water and Air. After searching for information, I found out that producing instant noodles requires a large amount of water, and also creates pollutions to water and air. During the process of production, water is polluted with carious byproducts, such as pesticides. Also, “Instant Noodle Industry Analysis and Outlook Report” shows that 103.6 billioThe ingredient, palm oil, is very harmful to the environment. Thousands of acres of forests are being cut down in order to be able to grow large quantities of palm oil plant. In the last 20 years, 300million hectares of rainforests have been destroyed. This not only causes carbon emissions to be released into our atmosphere, but the displacement of communities occur as well as the endangerment of species like orangutans. Styrofoam cups are another source of waste when consuming instant ramen noodles. Styrofoam is non-biodegradable, meaning it can take up to 500 years for a piece of it to be fully decomposed. Styrofoam waste makes up 25-30% of our world’s landfills, with an estimate of 25 billion styrofoam cups being thrown away per year. If the styrofoam is burned instead of being thrown in a landfill, it can release over 90 different hazardous chemicals which can affect the environment and worker health if not burned in a designated facility.
Resources List:
-https://www.colliercountyfl.gov/your-government/divisions-s-z/solid-hazardous-waste-management/keeping-green-helpful-information-page/the-facts-on-styrofoam-reduce-and-reuse#:~:text=Non%2DBiodegradable%20Pollutant,years%2C%20with%20limited%20recycling%20options.
-https://nissinfoods.com/products/cup-noodles
-https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00449-014-1135-3
