Meet StephanieinNYC
Welcome to StephanieinNYC! Walk through my journey and maybe it might inspire you with yours.
I have always had a passion for fashion and sustainablity. But I never really thought about the harmful effects the fashion industry had on the environment. Thrifting was always apart of my life but as I started educating myself on fast fashion and textile waste, I knew I had to make major changes to my shopping habits. As we were all in quarantine, I started to think about how short life is and that I wanted my career to be in fashion. While coming to that decision, I wanted to make sure that my new path included positive impact. I started to think about how so many people were consuming fast fashion and overall overconsuming clothing in general. Because of so much overconsumption, many people tend to get rid of their clothing faster. Something that made me aware of this was the growing amount of fast fashion brands in the thrift stores. I saw that people could make a difference with their wardrobes. I thought that if people started to think differently about what they were about to purchase, they'd be less likely to purchase more. It was then, that I realized helping people with their wardrobes would be my new career. My main focus was thrifting new wardrobes for any economic status and helping people rethink their textile waste. Upon learning about an AgTech program by The Urban Wild, I applied for their program because I wanted to learn how to grow plants to naturally dye clothes. One of the many topics covered w was Mushrooms and I was introduced to Oyster Mushrooms and their capabilities in decomposing waste. I knew I wanted to be apart of that solution and incorporate mushrooms into my fashion career. Being inspired by one of our lessons on Mushrooms, I decided to focus/grow Oyster Mushrooms for my farm design. I wanted to grow Oyster Mushrooms because I was inspired by their ability to decompose many things but especially non-organic fabrics and creating leather from Mushrooms. HOME
In the first week we learned about sustainable food systems and what makes them sustainable such as environmental, economic,and social sustainability. We then discussed Closed Loop Agriculture such as Hydroponics, the process for growing plants without soil and Aquaponics, the process of growing hydroponic produce. This week we covered Biomimicry, which mimics nature in the objects and systems humans design. We also went more in dept into Hydroponics and Aquaponics. We discussed the different starter sysytems such as:the Kratky Method, Deep Water Culture, and Wick Method. Also, Built Sysytems:NFT, F&D, and Drip System. As for Aquaponics we learned more about The Aquaponic Cycle and how fish, their waste, the bacteria of their waste is used for food for plants.
Learning about mushrooms was my favorite lesson. We learned about the common types of growing mediums for mushrooms, such as: wood, straw , manure, recycled paper, brewers waste, Coffee Grounds, waste from food processing. As well as the six steps of mushroom cultivation: composting, pastuerization, spawning, casing, pinning, and cropping. We also went over lighting systems. Light spectrum refers to the broad wavelengths of raditation produced by the sun or artificial lights. And why it's important for plants, because they can only utilize certain parts of this spectrum.
In third week, we also learned about DIY farm materials. Everything from safe plastics that are generally safe for hydroponic use. Such as: food grade plastics and plastics #2,#4,#5. We reviewed examples of low, medium, highcost DIY options for hydroponic systems. Some low cost systems include, prefabricated options like: Deep Water culture bins and bucket Kits. Examples of medium cost systems are prefabricated options such as NFT systems and smaller tabletop systems and DIY options like: small NFT Systems, Drip Systems, and Bato Bucket Systems. Highcost Systems examples are prefabricated options like Larger Home Systems and DIY options like Aeroponic Bins, Larger NFT, Larger Flood and Drain, and Larger Drip Systems. We also went over items used for hydroponic plumbing: PVC, cPVC, uPVC being the safest choice. HOME
In Technology week 1, we learned about the structure of HTML, how to create a standard HTML Document, and CSS. We also used Figma to create our Wireframe and saw how our website design will look once completed.The following week we used GitHub which stores changes between version of the code you're creating.
In week 3 we were introduced to Javascript. We learned about Javascript Operators that compute values such as: + addition, -subtraction, *multiplication, / division, %modulo. Variables can make programs easier to write, read, and understand. They are containers for storing data values. We learned that in order to create a variable you have to use the keyword var, let, or const. We then covered Functions and how they are blocks of code designed to preforms a particular task when “something” calls it. In week four, we covered Conditionals, Loops, Arrays, and Objects. HOME
In week 1, we were introduced to Food Systems. A food system is a complex combination of factors involved in or linked to the production and consumption of food by a population. The following week we covered digital designs. In week 4 we went over the materials list for our farms. I am growing Mushrooms and decided on doing a Martha Grow Tent. In week 4 we went over a Farm Planning Template. Growing conditions, light requirements, and grow area information were also discussed. HOME
In Construction we learned how to construct garden beds. We also learned about the different tools such as a shortstop, saw, and powerdrill we used to construct the garden beds. The following time we met we went over hammers & bars, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, saws& cutters, and clamps. We identified and discussed various hammers and bars, such as: a ball peen hammer, claw hammer, framing hammer, masonry hammer, a flat bar, and a wrecking bar. We then identified and discussed wrenches such as: open ended wrench, box end wrench, combination wrench, pipe wrench, adjustable wrench, spud wrench, and socket wrench. We then identified and discussed screwdrivers, such as: Phillips screwdriver,Robertson screwdriver, torx screwdriver, clutch screwdriver. Then, we identified and discussed pliers, such as: slip joint pliers, long nose pliers, locking pliers, tongue and groove pliers, linesman pliers, and wire strippers. Saw and cutters were then identified and discussed, such as: a back saw, a rip saw, cross cut saw, hack saw, coping saw, and a drywall saw. Some clamps that were identified and used were bar clamps, spring clamps, and locking clamp. HOME
Name of project: Stephonce's Mushies. Project duration: 9/07/2022 - 9/17/2022 Author: Stephanie Virissimo Table of Contents: 1.Executive Summary 2.Project Overview 3.Project Analysis 4.Project Milestones 5.Challenges 6.Solutions 7.Visual Data 8.Results 9.Conculsion
1 a.The purpose of this report was to grow Oyster Mushrooms in a Martha Grow Tent. 1b. The problem being addressed is growth in a controlled environment.
2a.What prompted my report was learning about Mushrooms capabilities in decomposing waste. 2b.The timeline for the Mushroom grow kit was 1-2 weeks. My total budget for my Mushroom farm was $419.85.2c.A factor that should be taken into consideration would be the placements of my Mushrooms, the one kit closer to the humidifier had more growth. Recomendations would be to increase the humidity.2e. 2 out of 3 kits were significantlly smaller.
3a. The contributing factors were placements of the kits and the humidity. 3b. Some strengths and weakness of the location is the sunlight the Mushrooms recieved and the overall placement of the kits in grow tent. 3c. 10-12 sprays of water on each kit was the recomended amount by the Forest Origins. 3d. a concept I learned was the Martha Grow Tent concept.
4. a milestone for my project was bigger caps forming. 5. A challenge that was faced was technical difficulties with my webcam, most of the time it would have difficulities connecting to the wifi. 6. tried to constantly connect but the connection couldnt be achieved.
Space: my solution will occupy 59inchesx72inches and has plenty of room around it for future maintenance. please refer to picture below.
Light: Mushrooms require little to no light to grow, placed right by the sliding doors, provides a natural light. But artifical light was aquired to compare with next harvest. The color spectrum is full spectrum and the wattage is 3500k.
Air: Vivosun Air Filteration kit will aerate my system, even though I was told by my instructor that it would not be necessary unless I had more kits.
Water: I put water in a spray bottle and sprayed the recommended amount 10-12 sprays. Tap water was ok and no filteration was needed. There was no potential for splash back, spills, or electrical hazards.
Physical Foundation: the foundation is very durable. It is a steep and not flat foundation with potential for rust if it will be long term.
Labor: Needs to be watered twice a day and since it is in seperate location, in my fathers house, from my house, it will need to be watered by my dad on most days. He was educated on watering schedule.
Money: my solution is very economically viable, with a budget of $500, $419.85 was used. A $250 maintenance budget provided by The Urban Wild will go towards more kits and filters for the spores.
Setting: my solution petains to an indoor environment. Geography: My crop would fill a food gap, locally grown in NYC is usually always preferred. Target Demographic: For now I am trying to feed myself, family, and friends. Eventually, go to farmer's markets and sell there. Location: farm is located in an isolated corner and doesnt have any potential distrubances. Metrics: according to NorthSpore, the low range of humidity to 70%, meaning the humidification system will turn on when humidity drops to that level and a high range of 90% (meaning the system will turn off when it hits 90%). This will make the average humidity around 85% which works well for the majority of grows. consistency will depend on the humidity controller kit. Yield: a small system that can store nine kits. Eventually, I would want nine kits and will focus on one singular crop. Frequency: my crops would yield every 1.5-2 weeks. System: Martha Grow Tent. Materials: Greenhouse Tent, Fresh Air Exchange Fan, Ultra-Sonic Humidifier, Humidity Controller, Hose Clamp, Poly Pre-Filter cut down to size. IPM: Pests would be managed by monthly maintanence. Power: system needs access tp electricity and connected through the tent. Practices: proper food schedule and maintenance will be how I manage my system. Replicability: this system is extremely easy to follow and has very low risk.
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