Why you should stop buying new and mod what you have | Gresh Chapman | TEDxRISD

Key Concepts:

• Fostering vs. Maintenance: Viewing maintenance as a process of growth and change, not just preventing deterioration.
• Sustainable Modification: Improving existing items for efficiency and longevity.
• Accessibility: Making modifications simple and achievable for anyone.
• Carbon Neutrality: Balancing carbon emissions with carbon sequestration.
• DIY Modification: Hands-on improvement and customization of existing items.
• Upcycling: Transforming waste materials into new products of better quality.

1. Introduction: The 30-Year-Old Toaster and the Modified Van

• The speaker introduces his 30-year-old Japanese toaster, modified to be as efficient as a Prius and run on algae and waste cooking oil.
• He contrasts this successful project with a previous failed attempt to rebuild a car from scratch.

2. The Glamorous Disaster: Lessons from a Failed Car Modification

• The speaker recounts his initial attempt to redesign and rebuild his car after his first year of design school.
• The project gained significant online attention but was ultimately a failure.
• The car was not improved; it became slower, harder to drive, harder to work on, and less aerodynamic.
• Key takeaway: The importance of improving an existing item rather than completely overhauling it without experience.

3. The Van Project: A Practical and Sustainable Approach

• The goal with the van was to improve it with minimal effort, focusing on accessibility and significant upside.
• The van's fuel economy improved from 24 MPG to nearly 36 MPG.
• The speaker challenges the perception of car modification as purely aesthetic or noisy, advocating for a practical and sustainable approach.

4. Fostering: A Philosophy of Growth and Change

• The speaker introduces the philosophy of Tamoki Kato, a master gardener in Kyoto, who views maintenance as "fostering."
• Kato-san believes a garden is never truly finished and requires decades of love, care, and passion.
• Key difference: Fostering emphasizes growth and change over time, rather than a constant battle against deterioration.
• Examples: Gardens that are always growing and changing, clothes that are repaired or modified.
• The speaker plants a bonsai tree in his dashboard as a reminder to foster and make the vehicle last.

5. Three Weekend Modifications for Improved Fuel Economy

• Modification 1: Folding in or removing side mirrors and using a camera for rear visibility.
• Modification 2: Flattening the bottom of the car with old street signs to smooth airflow underneath, and doing the same over the rear wheels.
• Modification 3: Creating a teardrop tail using scrap insulation foam and fiberglass.
  • An engineering friend suggested that a perfect version of this would make the toaster shape 38% more efficient.
• Tools used: Bandsaw and drill, skills learned in the first week of design school.
• Resource: Ecomoder, a '90s website with information on aerodynamic mods and biofuel conversions.

6. Achieving Carbon Neutrality: Vegetable Oil and Algae Bioreactors

• The speaker aims to make the van carbon neutral.
• He uses waste cooking oil from the campus dining hall as fuel.
• To sequester CO2 emissions, he explores using algae.
• Classmates created a DIY bioreactor that sequesters more carbon than normal land plants.
• Applying a similar system to the van would sequester carbon and produce algae biofuel.
• Old diesel engines are simpler and can run on vegetable oil, making them easier to repair and more sustainable.

7. Learning from Mechanics: The Value of Upcycling and Repair

• The speaker lives with two mechanics who upcycle junk cars into functional transportation.
• They prioritize repairs over buying new cars.
• Keeping something on the road forever is considered a noble act.

8. Formula Racing Team: Designing for Fostering

• The speaker participates in a student formula racing team at Brown University.
• The team designs and builds a race car from scratch each year.
• The design process emphasizes simplicity, easy assembly and disassembly, and easy replacement or recycling of parts.

9. Challenge to the Audience: Embrace Fostering

• The speaker challenges the audience to take something they live with (bike, jacket, kitchen sink) and make it better.
• Repair, modify, or learn how it works.
• Fostering is a way to make the world better by choosing creativity over convenience and repair over replacement.

10. Conclusion: Don't Just Maintain, Foster

• Whether it's a car, a toaster, or a bonsai tree, don't just maintain it; foster it.
• Grow with it and make it last a lifetime.