Left to right: Juan Araya, Azita Rezvan, Lora Hall, Jennifer Strouse, Dr. Kyle Brown
Left to right: Lora Hall, Azita Rezvan, Jennifer Strouse
Lora Hall
“Behavior of Biodegradable Good Containers in a Vermicompost System.”
The premise of Lora’s thesis was that garbage has no value because we assign it none. Contemporary landfills are closing and garbage has nowhere to go. A large portion of our waste that would otherwise be shipped away could be recycled or composted. The idea of zero waste – upcycling - is thinking about how things are packaged and how easily it can be dismantled for reuse. Composting has been hampered by the lack of infrastructure and pulic understanding. Packaging decomposition in vermiculture was the subject of Lora’s study. She took several bioplastics and polystyrene alternatives and put portions in the vermicompost at Santa Monica College. Of the 8 different corn based plastics with a polystyrene control that were tested, only one sample broke down within the testing period. Most bioplastics did not decompose in the vermi-system. Most bioplastics are designed to break down in the high heat of an industrially maintained system. The palm fiber (from oil palms) started to break down first and in the end was the only substance to breakdown in the vermi system.
Azita Rezvan
"Regenerating semi-open spaces in Iranian House Architecture"
Azita researched the role of semi-open spaces in traditional and modern Iranian houses. She was interested in looking at the way semi-open spaces mediate climate and social interactions and ways these spaces could be regenerated in the design of contemporary houses. She researched three historical periods of Iranian housing development to establish the importance that semi-open spaces have in people's daily lives. She then conducted a survey and interviews with people to try to understand the loss of the use of the Eyvan (porch) and other semi-open spaces in contemporary houses and finally, she developed a series of suggestions and guidelines for regenerating the semi-open space to once again make it an integral part of Iranian houses, climate, and social interactions.
Jennifer Strouse
Project: creating a medicinal herb garden
The objective of Jennifer's masters project was to further the understanding of landscape design in San Diego California with regard to natural treatment for common diseases. The components of her healing garden were herbal medicine and regenerative technologies fused to form a design approach called Medicinal Plant Landscape Design (MPLD). Jennifer designed a one acre garden to illustrate these principles. The design is composed of seven gardens defined by human physiological systems of the body including the cardiovascular, digestive, immune, muscle, nervous, reproductive and skin systems. For each condition, garden formulas were developed, including how much to use of each plant and dosages of different types of delivery forms including team tincture, capsules, and syrup. She created a garden website at www.herbalscapes.org providing information about sustainable landscaping practices that reduce pollution, conserve water and energy. A step-by-step instructional guide is available. This project helps promote healthy communities of suburban populations throught holistic gardening. Jennifer recommends further research to bridge the gap between healing gardens and medicinal plant gardens.
