JA (Junior Achievement) China Green Innovation Challenge was recently held at Shanghai's Changning Library. Students from 11 primary schools of five Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Jiaxing, Suzhou, Wuxi and Xi'an, presented their self-developed products and services as solutions to the global challenge of sustainability.
During the half-day event, 11 teams, each comprised of five student representatives, showcased and promoted their own invention targeted to solve resource waste, water contamination and renewable energy.
Participating teams pose with their trophies during the JA China Green Innovation Challenge event in Shanghai.
Baby patting device
Pupils from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Affiliated Primary School introduced an innovative green product called "Douding patting device," the brainchild of a fifth grader named Zhu Minghao.
"I had the inspiration when my parents tried to sooth my little infant brother by patting. They had to take some time and effort to put him to sleep. So I figured I could make something to help free up their hands," Zhu told the Global Times.
The device is made entirely out of environmentally friendly materials and is designed to help babies fall asleep by patting their back automatically. The patting movement and frequency can be adjusted accordingly.
Zhu said that it took him and his team a couple of months to materialize the contraption. They named the device after Zhu's little brother, Douding. According to the team's instructors, the device has won multiple awards from city-level innovation competitions in Shanghai.
Douding patting device
Student study lamp
The team from New Huangpu Experimental School in Putuo district invented a solar-panel-powered desk lamp. What makes this reading lamp stand apart from ordinary lights is that it is equipped with a mini air purifier, a stationery container and even a potted plant.
Li Xintian, the young mastermind behind the invention, told the Global Times that she was struck with the idea of creating something that can help her focus when she becomes too stressed.
"Nowadays, we students can become quite tense due to our heavy study loads. Such pressure can negatively affect our moods and academic performance. But with just a little change in our study environment, such as fresh air and green plants, it can do magic. That's how I came up with the idea of an all-in-one reading lamp for students," Li said.
She added that the lamp is made of recyclable materials and designed to be self-sufficient. Her team is still working on an upgraded version to make it eco- and user-friendly.
Solar-panel-powered desk lamp
3D smartphone case printer
The team from Shangbo Experimental Primary School in Pudong New Area applied cutting-edge 3D printing technology to their invention. Specifically, they created a 3D printer to make smartphone cases.
"We encourage people to recycle their used cellphone cases to us. In return they will receive a tailor-made, 3D-printed new case as a reward for reducing waste and protecting our environment," Zou Liangyu, a team member, told the Global Times at the event.
He went on to say that their 3D printer can work with various raw materials including metal, plastic, rubber and silicon gel. Users can DIY different features of their cases, such as the model, color, size, pattern and even a logo through a mobile app.
More importantly, it only takes the 3D printer around 10 minutes to produce a phone case, a much shorter time that most 3D printers would take in today's market.
The team members believe their printer is an effective way to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and are also working on perfecting the printer so that it can print other small daily items.
Smartphone cases made with 3D printer
Our City program
JA China Green Innovation Challenge is a celebratory event for Our City, a program brought together by JA China, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, in cooperation with multinational chemical corporation Dow.
The Our City program is a semester-long course designed for primary school students of grades 3 to 5, which helps inspire citizen responsibility and the awareness of sustainability through classroom activities, interactive learning and practices from the perspective of socioeconomic.
Since 2008, the program has expanded to 25 Chinese cities, benefited over 450,000 primary school students and impacted over 10,000 teachers from all over the country, according to the event organizers.
