Graindrop

Sukruti Gupta (Design and Environmental Anlysis, Cornell University)
Siyi Chen (Cornell University)
Gourab Kar (Cornell University)

Food and water security are threatened by climate change. The analysis of trends in food production, water management, and waste indicates that the key to endurance against climate change lies in the nexus of these three major issues.

We introduce a systems solution to achieve long-term and high-impact management of water and nutrition resources. We derive inspiration from nature, specifically, deep-sea benthic communities. Benthic communities use recycled nutrients redistributed into the aquatic food chain. This co- operation system enables survival of a staggering variety of organisms through seasons and across various depths of sea levels. “Graindrop”, our proposed solution, incorporates food recycling, water management, and inter-species cooperation. It is a system of interconnected bioswales in urban or semi-urban areas. These swales getinput from organic food waste, rainwater, and greywater. Swales recycle waste into food, conserving the nutrients within a closed loop. The benefits of a system like Graindrop are plentiful. Unsorted organic waste is diverted from landfills. The system enables water management, creates habitat, and improves microclimate; while providing aesthetic and recreational affordability. Research indicates that urban water management projects achieve higher resident satisfaction, better quality of life, and rise in property value. It also incentivizes sustainable human behavior. Similar to benthic communities, the system is designed such that increased individual benefits leads to increased collective benefits. Using Human-Computer Interaction, the system promotes reward and sharing.

With respect to practical application, the systemic components such as the greywater unit, the composting unit and the bioswale network are proven solutions individually, but have not been tested as an integrated solution. Graindrop was conceptualized in a Design Thinking studio course at Cornell University as a competition entry for the Global Biomimicry Design Challenge, 2017, and was awarded Honorable mention in the student category, placed in top 8 of 180 entries.