Week Twelve

Proposal

Week Eleven

Designs



Website Final


Home page:

The home page give you insight to what the website is about












About:

This page gives consumers more knowledge and information of the effects and harms that chemical cleaning can do. It also gives insight to how switching your products can be beneficial









Stories:

Stories page allows people to get insight to other peoples experiences and how the change has benefited them. You are able to add your own story to share with the community your journey







Events: 

Get involved with your community by participating in workshop events. These include activities such as making your own cleaning products or trying out some ethical brands










Contact:

Ask more question or get in touch to find out more. Get involved by following us on Facebook or instagram













Why am I doing a website?
I think it is a good way to get people informed I wanted to design something that also gets people involved. From my research I found a lot of similar websites informing people but they were lacking aesthetically


Poster:
Poster used as a first touch point that leads people on to the website where they can find out more.
Provides audience with an alarm statistic that makes them think twice about products they may be using

Theory of change

Week Ten

Starting to design possible creative outcomes
Website draft :

Firstly who am I targeting ?

Understanding my target audience

Assumptions

-Parents
-More like to be a more female demographic -from my research 60% of women
in the US report they read labels on products and avoid those with certain chemicals.
-Females are the ones that usually clean around the house
-30+


what do I want to achieve ?

-Inform people of the harms, this is created through awareness and education (one of my pathways to success )
- Gain insight from others, for people who are wanting to make change


Intervention -Survey

I created an online anonymous survey asking all people who use any house hold cleaning products I wanted to see what brands they are currently using and whether they think that the brands they are using could cause health problems.

I got a response from 16 people

What brands are you currently using ?

Why do you purchase these products?

Are you aware of any health issues you may have?

Do you think that certain cleaning products can affect your health/or have an impact?

If yes, then does this effect what products you buy?

Week Nine

Behavioural  change presentataion

Changing ones mindset


Why have theory of change ?
-what you have to do to achieve to get to each step
-by doing one thing will get you to the next stage
-guide, doesn't have to be  set in stone
-changing and adaption
-considers how multiple pathways may link and relate to each other

Defining the problem
-what do we know about it?
-it it unique to this situation/audience
-what are the assumptions

Know your audience
-what is important to them
-do we really understand their world
-what is the influence
-what are our assumptions


Ethnographic research
-going to the supermarket and observing
-talking to people and asking them about the products they are purchashing
-survey

Needs
-empathise their situation, what are their beliefs
-what are the social norms
-how realistic is it to shift to the ideal state

How could your intervention support change?

What is the long term goal ?
-can you test your logic



What do I plan to design?

I want to essentially inform people and make them think twice about the products that they are purchasing


New Theory of change 
Changes made after feedback:

Week Eight

Design precedents

Apps: 

Posters

My ideas :

Brain storming some possible creative outcomes

What can I design?
My aim: Informing people
How ?
- Campaign - website ?
-Info graphics
-Poster
-flyers




















Interventions:
Interview with my boss

Whilst working at my hospitality job I noticed that my boss was cleaning the floor with vinegar and whitening cups and plates with baking soda.

I asked him as to why he did this

He said its the most efficient way of cleaning as he stated " it simply does the job". I went on to ask if he does it as it might benefit health, he said no I have no health problems but I think that using vinegar to clean my floors might benefit my health as opposed to using bleach.

Week six

Interim Critique

Proposal

Long term: To improve health and wellbeing

Ultimate: Reducing the use of harsh chemical cleaners and soaps we use and finding alternatives

Inspiration:

I don’t have any health issues myself but I have had an experience when using oven cleaners that

even the smell made me feel sick and affected my breathing for a small amount of time. Through this

experience it really made me wonder what are really in these products and why do I feel like that they

could be doing harm to my health and are there other alternatives I can use?

Vision:

My vision is to make people more aware of the cleaning products that they are purchasing. Many

household cleaners and soaps contain harsh chemical ingredients that can harm our indoor air

pollution and are often linked to health problems such as asthma. In the end it is a small change we

are making to our lives, whether it’s changing to a safer product or making your own at home. In the

long run this small change can be beneficial to our health and our environment.

Research:

Through my research I found some very shocking information that some of the products we are using

can do a lot of harm. Children are particularly vulnerable than adults are as their bodies are still

developing. They spend more time with direct contact to surfaces and may accidently put things in

their mouths for example and this can lead to exposure from places that may have been cleaned with

these chemicals.

Chemicals such as drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners are in fact the worst

for our health. The corrosive chemicals that these products can cause severe burns on eyes, skin and,

if ingested, on the throat and oesophagus which is extremely alarming and concerning that in some

cases that these products can lead on to cancer risk. Health risks aren’t the only problems associated

with these products they also can have an impact on the environment, as they can enter waterways

and pollute our streams and rivers. This can then enter our food chain in some cases where they are

consumed by aquatic life such as fish and then the cycle continues where we eat the fish and in some

ways can have an impact on our health.

Feed back:
-Make it more clearer
-Think of it more as pathways. Have clear pathways !
- Back everything up
-Work on visuals, too all over the place

Week Five

Today in class we had a presentation by Wendy Bertholet from the Wellington City council,
her role is to educate people about recycling and food wastage around wellington, as much as it didn't so much relate to my topic it was very insightful.

Week Four

Today I couldn't make it to present as I came down with the flu
but my outcome for my intervention was :

Testing out using only natural ingredients to clean for the week.

What did I use ? Lemon juice, vinegar and hot water mixed to together for bathroom and for microwave half a lemon in a bowl of water.

What was I cleaning? Microwave and vanity in bathroom.
For the microwave I placed half lemon submerged in a bowl on water and turn the microwave on high for 2 minutes

Result:

I was actually really surprised how easy it was to clean and it didn't really make cleaning such a
chore, all the dirt came off easily. I noticed that I wasn't coughing when using these ingredients as most other cleaning agents smell very poitent






Chemical free recipes:

Bathroom

Toilet: 1/2 cup of baking soda and 10 drops of tea tree oil into the bowl. Then add 1/4 cup of vinegar to bowl and scrub as it fizzes

Tub and shower: Spray vinegar and let it sit for 1/4 hour then rinse with warm water. Alternativly, mix baking soda with castile soap and scrub and mix

Kitchen

Counter tops/bench: Mix together equal parts of vinegar and water in spray bottle and wipe

Cutting boards: Cut a lemon in half and rub into board let it sit for 10 mins and rinse

Oven: Heat oven to 125 degree, once oven is warm spray with vinegar and then pour salt to affected areas. Turn off oven and let it cool and then use wet towel to scrub away

Fridge: 1/2 cup of baking soda to a bucket of hot water, wipe down.

Rest of house

Floors: Combine 1 part vinegar and two parts warm water in a bucket, then mop and leave to dry

Walls: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 1 quart warm water in a bucket, then use rag to scrub walls down

Windows and mirrors: 1 part vinegar, 4 parts water then use a cloth to wipe away

Further research on my chosen topic 


http://www.womensvoices.org/safe-cleaning-products/basic/

Advertising :

Infographics 

Research 

1 out of every 3 chemical cleaning products contains ingredients known to cause human health or environmental problems
A study comparing women who work ouside the home with women who work at home , found a 54% higher risk of developing cancer in women who work at home. The study concluded that this is a direct result of the chemicals in household products

2,403,539 human exposures to poisons were reported in 2006

Unintentional ingestion of toxic household chemicals is associated with an annual average of 39 deaths to children under age 5, and an estimated 87,700 children treated in hospital emergency rooms. These poisoning incidents resulted in an estimated societal cost of almost 
$2.3 billion

Health

When consumers buy commercial cleaning products, we expect them to do one thing: clean! We use a wide array of scents, soaps, detergents, bleaching agents, softeners, scourers, polishes, and specialized cleaners for bathrooms, glass, drains, and ovens to keep our homes sparkling and sweet-smelling. But while the chemicals in cleaners foam, bleach, and disinfect to make our dishes, bathtubs and countertops gleaming and germ-free, many also contribute to indoor air pollution, are poisonous if ingested, and can be harmful if inhaled or touched. In fact, some cleaners are among the most toxic products found in the home. In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10% of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers, accounting for 206,636 calls. Of these, 120,434 exposures involved children under six, who can swallow or spill cleaners stored or left open inside the home.

Cleaning ingredients vary in the type of health hazard they pose. Some cause acute, or immediate, hazards such as skin or respiratory irritation, watery eyes, or chemical burns, while others are associated with chronic, or long-term, effects such as cancer.

Environment

After bubbly cleaning liquids disappear down our drains, they are treated along with sewage and other waste water at municipal treatment plants, then discharged into nearby waterways. Most ingredients in chemical cleaners break down into harmless substances during treatment or soon afterward. Others, however, do not, threatening water quality or fish and other wildlife. In a May 2002 study of contaminants in stream water samples across the country, the U.S. Geological Survey found persistent detergent metabolites in 69% of streams tested. Sixty-six percent contained disinfectants.

http://wendyls.co.nz/ecostore-better-choice-persil/

Week Three

Today we talked about methodology, Identifying what our possible long-term goals are and our ultimate outcome.
Our task over the week is to 'test something' and then to present our intervention we made, tried, performed or prototyped.

I am thinking of only using natural products throughout the week such as using only lemons and baking soda and seeing if they do the same job as chemical cleaners.

Research :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McURp93WofQ

http://thehumanexperimentmovie.com

The Human Experiment follows several women whose lives have been changed by chemical exposure. One was diagnosed with breast cancer, despite being a young, healthy athlete. One has a non-verbal brother with autism. Another has polycystic ovarian syndrome and struggles to get pregnant. A woman who works as a house cleaner became terribly sick from the chemicals, primarily bleach, that her employer made her use.

It looks at how we a surrounded by toxic substance from personal care products, furniture, and building materials to clothing, cleaning products, plastics, and pollution The human body absorbs and retains these toxins and, while certain small doses of chemicals may do little harm, there is great cause for concern that the cumulative effect of all these chemicals is creating a population that’s sicker than ever.

I found watching this documentary quite scary it has informed me that through making better choices, chemical harm can be avoided but in some cases it seemed almost impossible such as toxins from furniture.

Ethical brands 

Ecostore, one of the more common sustainable brands 

Their brand essence:

-Safer for you

-Better for the planet 

-Not tested on animals 

-GE free

-Have carbon capture packaging ( plastic made

 from sugar cane, 100% recyclable, every kg of this plastic captures 2 kg of CO2 

from the atmosphere 

Earth Wise:

-Family first, have packaging specially designed to target young children 

-Plant based ingredients 

-Sensitive skin choices

 Eco planet:

 -Imagery of animals and marine life on packaging- intended to show how they could be helping 

to protect the environment ,yet is shown/ displayed in a fun and light hearted aesthetic 

-Cares about recycling- bottles and labels are made from materials that can be recycled together 

-Ingredients are bio degradable 

Price comparisons and observations at supermarket 

Pak n Save : 

It was interesting to find that products such as Ecostore and Earth wise were ether roughly the 
same price as others brands like Ajax. When I asked people why they used brands like 
Dettol and even them knowing the harshness of these brands, they said that they just used the 
cheapest option or whatever looked like would do the job.

I think what I want to explore more of throughout this project is making people informed 
and making them aware that, yes you can buy safer brands that are actually cheaper to what you usually 
buy that not only do the job but benefit your health.

Product placement in supermarkets is also a contributing factor to how people shop. 
Companies pay more for their products to be at eye-level and therefor these products 
are likely to sell better than the others that are not. I did notice that as shown in my photos that 
Ajax, Mr muscle and Detail where placed right at eye level and Ecostore or Earthwise was placed 
lower or higher. 

New World:    

New world is considerably more expensive than Pak 'n' save, but yet 

in most cases they were all roughly the same price