The Driving Question

How can accessible, community-driven solutions help restore polluted marine environments?

The Project: Improving Water Quality in Hawaii’s Ala Wai Canal

In response to the driving question, Kenzo W. developed a service learning project focused on improving water quality in Hawaii’s Ala Wai Canal. By collaborating with the Genki Ala Wai Project, he explored how natural, low-cost solutions can address pollution while engaging the local community.

The Design Goal

Working from a personal connection to the marine environment, Kenzo aimed to implement a sustainable solution to reduce pollution in a highly contaminated waterway.

• Creative Direction: A bioremediation approach using natural microorganisms to restore ecological balance.
• Production Process: Coordinating the creation, drying, and preparation of Genki Balls with local partners.
• Final Outputs: Deployment of over 1,000 Genki Balls and documentation of environmental impact.

Innovation & Ethics

The project highlighted how simple, nature-based solutions can drive change:

• Sustainable Practices: Use of effective microorganisms and organic materials to break down pollutants.
• Accessibility & Community Impact: A low-cost, hands-on process enabling participation across age groups.
• Environmental Responsibility: Focus on natural, long-term restoration methods.

Field Research & Immersive Learning

Kenzo grounded his project through direct engagement with his local environment:

• Ala Wai Canal: A heavily polluted waterway impacted by sewage runoff and unsafe bacteria levels.
• Genki Ala Wai Project: A key partnership supporting implementation and learning.
• Community Collaboration: Over 30 volunteers contributed to producing and deploying the Genki Balls.
  

Final Product: A Community-Based Environmental Intervention

• The Assessment: Successful production and deployment of 1,000+ Genki Balls.
• Academic Component: A collaborative, hands-on initiative involving local volunteers.
• The Summative Reflection: Featured on Hawaii News Now, expanding awareness.

The Summative Reflection:

Kenzo recognized the power of accessible, natural solutions in addressing complex environmental challenges, highlighting the impact of community-driven action.

Getting into the field of robotics with little hardware knowledge was both challenging and exciting. I learned that I can find ways to implement existing knowledge into a new field and that there’s always room to lead my own learning experience if I work hard enough. My biggest takeaway is always approaching any new project with a positive, open, and flexible mindset.

-Class of 2023 Student Bido H.

Driving Question: How can I design and build a robot – inspired by Expo 2020 and the Mobility Pavilion – that performs an action to increase our quality of life?

Our project is an autonomous conservational technology system that aims to provide efficiency in agriculture. NutriBot goes around agricultural fields and senses its surrounding environment to measure moisture levels and the type of nutrients in the soil. It then uses this data to evaluate the minimum quantities of water and nutrients necessary to keep the soil healthy and sprays them in the targeted blocks. Implementing this system will make farmers no longer have to apply water or fertilizers across entire fields. NutriBot can conserve up to 40% of water already wasted in agriculture alongside nutrients due to human error and inefficiency.

I gained a newfound appreciation for all of the work that goes into architecture. This module made me excited for the future since I got to learn about many new and upcoming sustainable technologies.

-Class of 2023 Student Saffron B.

My project, “Central Palm,” is located on the golden shores of Kite Beach. The central courtyard is the house’s spine, allowing year-round use due to the shade of the ghaf tree while still maintaining privacy from the outside world. The state-of-the-art Tesla solar roof reduces the owners’ reliance on the grid, even allowing you to sell excess solar energy back to the grid. Water-collecting tech that utilizes local sea breezes alongside sound-absorbing glass, inspired by the Czech Republic Expo pavilion, combines sustainability and modernity, thereby maintaining harmony with the local environment. The house features traditional Islamic design, such as columns, a majlis space for entertaining guests, and a prayer room. This house isn’t the future; this house is now.

One of my favorite sessions was right after our wexplore, visiting Tierra del Sol. It was unbelievable. The place was fantastic and so heart-warming. Everything was so thought out and showed an impressively accurate representation of what a community space should look like. I spent such a great time there and hope to go again. I learned more than I could’ve imagined.

-Class of 2023 Student Mila F.

Driving Question: How might we use our understanding of architecture through time to design a context-informed structure?

Our group designed what we believe is a modern take on a traditional Oaxacan house and gastronomical hub which showcases the Oaxaca’s rich food and drink diversity.

What new things did you learn about yourself?

We learned about the impact of colonialism on Mexican architecture through our experience through seeing the use of traditional European elements that incorporate Mexican structures.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

Our biggest takeaway was the process of the environmental impact analysis as I feel like the process of environmental impact analysis will be very important in any project I want to do that involves construction thinking about input and output I am putting in the environment.

This module was one of my favourites, as I learned more about the ins and outs of sustainable buildings in the state of Oaxaca and a little bit of architecture. Ever since TGS introduced the core value of Pixki, I have become more aware of the environment and the impact humans have had and will continue to have on the world around us. Every small project like this makes me think more and become conscious of my actions.

-Class of 2022 Student Viktoria L.

Driving Question: How might we use our understanding of architecture through time to design a context-informed structure?

What were your goals for this module? How did you achieve them?

Our goal this term was to create a sustainable settlement that involved the development of a community garden, greenhouse, and administrative building to encourage ethnobotanical practices in the city of Oaxaca. We achieved this by creating an environmental impact statement, presenting it to a panel of Oaxacan architects, and applying the feedback we received from them to build a miniature settlement in real life.

We acquired the knowledge to do so from our weXplore, where we first practiced building models and creating environmental impact assessments. Tierra De Sol also factored in, as it’s where we learned more about sustainable practices. Oaxacan architects also played a large part, as they answered our questions even after the panel.

What new things did you learn about yourself?

We learned that we are very good at building expandable walls as a team. At Tierra De Sol, we were given the chance to do so, and we were the fastest, most efficient group of all. We sawed and drilled twice as many sticks as everyone else. Our secret was that everyone had a role in the activity, and we worked the best we could.

This module was unique to me, as I had never known how interested I was in architecture until I experienced it during these two months. I have also learned the importance of focusing on the journey and the learning instead of making my product look perfect.

-Class of 2023 Student Sara G.

Driving Question: How can I design and build a model home or community that will function efficiently in a desert environment?

Are you looking for a house that is both nature-friendly and luxurious? Then my project, “Fresh Air,” is perfect for you! Located in The Palm Islands, it combines different panoramic views, from the relaxing beach view to the moat with the fish, and finally, the lush green spaces all around the house.

This house combines many aspects of sustainability: It saves water by taking it from the beach and using it in the pool and the moat. The greywater is used for watering the garden and for the flowers all around the house. The materials used (concrete, bamboo, etc.) are very eco-friendly. Solar panels help produce electricity using solar energy. The fish in the moat produce waste that contributes to the growing of plants.

Driving Question: How can I use the logic of building up a garment using the right techniques to build up a dress from scratch?

Module Overview: For this project, my goal was to create a summer dress that meets my goals and purpose. My goal was to do a dress that is trendy, comfortable, and that suits me well. I did all the process from making the pattern, cutting the fabric, sewing it, assembling it, and adjusting it to fit me best. I didn’t know anything about sewing, so I had to learn the basics to then sew my dress. The final product is a photoshoot of the dress showing it from different angles.

Project Reflection: “This project was challenging and exciting at the same time. I knew nothing about sewing, so I had to learn everything from the basics. The dress that I wanted to do was so complex that I would get frustrated at some points and didn’t know how to continue. After tons of work, I am proud and surprised by the final product; I wasn’t expecting to do such a pretty dress with so little experience.”

Driving Question: How can I address some of the present threats to global health while promoting human rights and social progress?

Project Overview: In this module, students were introduced to the foundations of global health. They learned about basic concepts, measurements, and determinants of health, and a number of key perspectives for considering global health issues.

For her project, Estelle explored water scarcity in Honduras, which leads to a lack of basic sanitation and clean water for up to 1.8 million people. Non-communicable diseases in Honduras attributed to water cause a DALY rate of 4,540 per 100,000 people. Disease spreads through contaminated food and water tanks, and poor management, climate change, and political unrest worsen the issue.

Project Reflection: “Exploring the niche of environmental global health opened my mind to so many new areas of interest in this field.  I thoroughly enjoyed this module and felt like the skills will be very applicable to other modules.”

Driving Question: How does the fashion industry work in China and what are its impacts?

For her personal project, CM2 student Monica D. created a video essay focusing on fast fashion’s environmental impact. The presentation’s goal was to convey the environmental effects of fast fashion and how everyone can help reduce these negative effects by being conscious of the items they choose to buy and donating clothes instead of throwing them away.

Clothing brands make new clothes based on the trends of the moment and churn them out quickly to make them accessible to the general public. Brands that do this are considered fast fashion brands and create a total of 150 billion garments per year.

Monica discusses how the mass amount of clothing produced affects the environment, including the ocean and land, and explains how the production of clothing – from beginning to end – releases an unimaginable amount of greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide into the air. For example, during the fiber production stage, oil is utilized. Next, when the clothes are produced, chemicals are added to change the appearance of the textiles. As the consumer uses the garment, it is washed with additional chemicals, and finally, after use, it goes to landfills where it is eventually burned.

So what can you do about the issue? Monica explains that the main thing you can do is decrease your purchase of fast fashion brands. If everyone did, this would lower consumption, and these brands would be forced to reduce their production, lessening the environmental impact. Also, when purchasing clothes, look into buying items that are made through greener methods.

Driving Question: How can I incorporate more local and homemade food into my diet to improve my sustainability and health?

Project Description:

My project is a short book of recipes I have written myself that use local, sustainable, and healthy ingredients. To write these recipes, I looked at foods I eat most often and local foods I have access to decide on the items before researching the history of each item and the different methods used to make them so I could create my own recipes. I also researched how a recipe is written, how to cater to your intended audience, the proper language to use, and the elements to include. My final product is a collection of these recipes that could be used by relatively new cooks.

Reflection:

“This project was especially interesting because I have done a lot of cooking and baking in my life, but I have never been one to follow recipes. Doing this project and creating my own recipes really helped me understand how recipes can be useful as well as how much work and effort goes into making each one. I think I will now be at least slightly more inclined to follow recipes when cooking in the future.”