Photography by Dawid Kopa
YAKU: A HYDRANT HEALING VEST
Yaku Hydrant healing vest is fashion accessory that keeps active humans, continuously hydrated, healed and protected. With a smart dispositive makes its users aware of vital signs such pulse, heart rate and proper timing for a pause and hydration. The first prototype is made with coffee ground waste, red clay, and Agar agar biomaterial.
MAIN FEATURES:
– Thermal regulation, antibacterial and healing properties are a result of adding red clay into this bioplastic recipe.
– Enhancement of cognitive parameters, including continuity of attention, quality of memory, and speed of memory, and also increased the mood score of alertness are a result of adding coffee ground waste. (Source: Effect of one time coffee fragrance inhalation on working memory, mood, and salivary cortisol level in healthy young volunteers: a randomized placebo controlled trial by Thaneeya Hawiset)
-Human’s heart rate and pulse monitoring.
-Alerts humans when vital signs are outside a normal and safe range.
-Lights up in sync with human’s vital signs.
FUTURISTIC WANTED FEATURES:
They are based on the 4 future scenarios report of Water Management 2040 prepared by Kemira.
The 4 future scenarios are: Scenario 1: Water conflicts and resource games, Scenario 2: Cities and corporations lead on water; Scenario 3: Data- and platform-driven water and Scenario 4: Circularity and regulated water.
Therefore,
a. Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest communicates with other smart devices for locating the closest sources of water.
b. Capable to convert poor quality water into safe and drinkable water.
c. Capable of converting mist or environmental humidity into water such as wetlands.
Yaku Hydrant Vest is just the beginning of a Renerative Fashion Revolution, one example of what can be done with coffee ground waste in a near future.
In an immediate future, utilitarian items such as mobile phone cases, tablet cases, coasters and biolabels will also be able to be bio manufactured. Curently in Barcelona City there is an initiative called Remix El Barrio created in the neighbourhood of Poblenou, Barcelona last January 2019. Poblenou is one of 73 barrios of Barcelona, known for its creativity. This set the ground for the pilot to foster social transformation and test new sustainable practices based on crafting with food waste. A documentary about this amazing initiative can be accessed here.
PROJECT’S CONCEPT
Imagine a world where our garments would be biocompatible and truly reflect our identity, become our second skin as they used to be conceived by our ancestors and reflect our sense of activism againts climate change, while at the same time, have a regenerative impact in our society and environment. A world where materials would be designed to interact with the human body and the environment. A world where users would be empowered through their garments, which would result in feeling proud of their essence and identity while at the same time – they reconcile and regenerate with nature.
This second prototype main inspiration is the urgent need of creating solutions for the main challenges we have: Methane emissions and water scarcity
¨Conscious humans, who decided to turn their well-being around, reusing the waste they generated with their favorite drink, coffee. After all, they knew that the future was in their own hands and that action was needed to repair the damage to their lands, lakes and oceans and ensure future well-being¨.
Would you like to co-create your YAKU HYDRANT HEALING VEST?
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated in regards of how coffee lovers are creating solutions for reducing Methane emissions around the world.
MAIN CHALLENGES
1. Water Scarcity
According to United Nations SGD Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all is being mainly affected by Climate Change.
Climate change is making water scarcity worse. The impacts of a changing climate are making water more unpredictable. Terrestrial water storage – the water held in soil, snow and ice – is diminishing. This results in increased water scarcity, which disrupts societal activity.
Women and girls are among the hardest hit. Poor and marginalized groups are on the frontline of any water scarcity crisis, impacting their ability to maintain good health, protect their families and earn a living. For many women and girls, water scarcity means more laborious, time-consuming water collection, putting them at increased risk of attack and often precluding them from education or work.
Lack of data means lack of integrated management. Many countries do not have well developed water monitoring systems, which prevents integrated water resource management that can balance the needs of communities and the wider economy, particularly in time of scarcity.
2. Coffee Ground Waste Management
In the Nordic countries and the northern hemisphere, due to their climatic conditions, have a real need to resort to a hot drink such as coffee. Main consumers are USA and Europe.
According to Aware Magazine, just to make a cup of coffee only 0.2% of the coffee bean is used and the remaining 99.8% goes to waste. Ergo, 0.38 ounces or 10.6 grams of ground coffee beans must be used to make a 6-ounce cup of coffee.
According to the Uruguayan blogger Sebastián Cardozo author of Cafemalist, in Spain, currently 4.5 kg of coffee per capita per year is consumed, which places it far behind the main coffee consumers and which is equivalent to 3.5 cups of coffee per day on average.
Therefore, each Spanish citizen is generating 35 grs of coffee waste per day. Which means a total of 27.657 tons of coffee waste per day, only in Barcelona city and considering citizens between 20-60 years old. (Source: IFEMA Madrid and City Population).
3. Methane Emissions:
Typically, spent coffee grounds are dumped into general waste and sent to landfill where they emit Methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide and one of the primary causes of global warming.
According to United Nations Environmental Program, Methane is the main contributor to the formation of ground-level Ozone, a dangerous air pollutant, exposure to which causes 1 million premature deaths each year.Methane is also a powerful greenhouse gas. Over a period of 20 years, its heating capacity is 80 times more powerful than that of carbon dioxide. Methane is responsible for about 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times and is proliferating faster than at any time since records began in the 1980s. In fact, according to data from the National Bureau of Oceanic and Atmospheric Energy in the United States, even as carbon dioxide emissions slowed during the 2020 pandemic-related lockdowns, atmospheric methane spiked.
Yaku Hydrant Vest is just the beginning of a Renerative Fashion Revolution, one example of what can be done with coffee ground waste in a near future.
In an immediate future, utilitarian items such as mobile phone cases, tablet cases, coasters and biolabels will also be able to be bio manufactured. Curently in Barcelona City there is an initiative called Remix El Barrio created in the neighbourhood of Poblenou, Barcelona last January 2019. Poblenou is one of 73 barrios of Barcelona, known for its creativity. This set the ground for the pilot to foster social transformation and test new sustainable practices based on crafting with food waste. A documentary about this amazing initiative can be accessed here.
PROJECT’S CONCEPT
Imagine a world where our garments would be biocompatible and truly reflect our identity, become our second skin as they used to be conceived by our ancestors and reflect our sense of activism againts climate change, while at the same time, have a regenerative impact in our society and environment. A world where materials would be designed to interact with the human body and the environment. A world where users would be empowered through their garments, which would result in feeling proud of their essence and identity while at the same time – they reconcile and regenerate with nature.
This second prototype main inspiration is the urgent need of creating solutions for the main challenges we have: Methane emissions and water scarcity
Photography by Dawid Kopa
¨Conscious humans, who decided to turn their well-being around, reusing the waste they generated with their favorite drink, coffee. After all, they knew that the future was in their own hands and that action was needed to repair the damage to their lands, lakes and oceans and ensure future well-being¨.
PROJECT’S INSPIRATION
Yaku Hydrant Vest is inspired in the movie called Hija de la Laguna: The film tells the story of Nélida Ayay, a young activist from a peasant family who travels to the city of Cajamarca to study law in order to legally protect one of the lagoons threatened by the Conga mining project. Throughout the film, Ayay communicates with the lake, which she refers to as Mamayaku (Mother Water), and provides assistance to the community leader Máxima Acuña in their fight to protect their land from the Yanacocha mining company which seeks to exploit the Conga deposits.
It’s known that one of the best Peruvian coffee is produced in Cajamarca Land of the Inca’s, which natural ecosystem is full of lakes, thermal waters, cascades and waterholes.
THE INNOVATION
This project was born as a question: What would the Hydrant Healing Vest of the future look like? Would It be possible that a fashion accesory could alert to Humans when the vital signals are above the safe thresholds? Would It be possible that this vest could help them to locate safe sources of water in their sorroundings? and If that was not the case would It be possible that Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest could automatically extract humidity, filter it and convert it in drinkable water? Finally in extreme conditions could Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest be capable to communicate with others hydrant vest or accesories in order to find the closest water supply?
To answer these questions, we decided to produce the first prototype in a smaller version, following the Synthesis of the Future Methodology taught by Cecilia Tham at Domestika.
To validate this first hypothesis, we decided to manufacture our first prototype almost 100% manufactured with Agar agar and Coffee ground waste bioplastic with a minimalist and geometric pattern.
Like the Bio Uncu Project, this prototype is inspired by Inka clothing. The tocapus, however, represent two main symbols “volutas” that represent the waves of the sea and the Chakana (or Inca Cross) is a stepped cross formed by a cross with equal arms that indicates the cardinal points of the compass and a superimposed square. The square is suggested to represent the other two levels of existence.
¨Therefore, by reusing coffee ground waste for cooking bio textiles and producing fashion or home deco accessories, we become warrior citizens that fight every day for better water quality access while taking care of our health and safety, our overall well-being”.
THE REGENERATIVE STORY:
Being fashion the second most pollutant industry, coffee ground waste is the perfect link between Fashion and the Hospitality and Tourism sectors for contributing to a much better common worldwide wellbeing.
Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest main mantra is ¨Because there is not good coffee without water. Human had created me for reducing Methane emissions and help you to preserve sources of good quality of water around the world¨.
With this prototype we are conscious that we are correcting the last chain of the entire supply network, although with motivational phrases that can be included in this garment we pretend to create awareness about conscious consumption of coffee making sure every consumer questions about the origins and traceability of the coffee they buy and enjoy at home or in a coffee shop.
¨Because there is not good coffee without water. Human had created me for reducing Methane emissions and help you to preserve sources of good quality of water around the world¨.
Therefore, as coffee lovers in Barcelona City, the minimum gesture of responsibility that we have as conscious citizens, it’s making sure that we continue drinking one of the most popular beverages and making sure that each 10 grs of coffee waste, we generate are back to the production system and deliver useful products, biofuel and fashion accessories for our community.
Recent studies indicate that each Spanish citizen is generating 35 grs of coffee waste per day, meaning 27.657 tons of coffee waste per day, as raw material for other products and services that can be produced and offered.
THE REGENERATIVE IMPACT
Being fashion the second most pollutant industry, coffee ground waste is the perfect link between Fashion and the Hospitality and Tourism sectors for contributing to a much better common worldwide wellbeing.
Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest main mantra is ¨Because there is not good coffee without water. Human had created me for reducing Methane emissions and help you to preserve sources of good quality of water around the world¨.
With this prototype we are conscious that we are correcting last link in the the entire supply network, although with motivational phrases that can be included in this garment we pretend to create awareness about conscious consumption of coffee making sure every consumer questions about the origins and traceability of each cup of coffee they drink at home or in a coffee shop.
¨Because there is not good coffee without water. Human had created me for reducing Methane emissions and help you to preserve sources of good quality of water around the world¨.
Therefore, knowing that with each cup of coffee we consume we obtain 10 grams of the main ingredient for our therapeutic biotextile. Yes, with those 10 grams we were able to make the mini Yaku vest a Hydrant Healing Vest. Imagine the amount of biotextiles that we can manufacture with the almost 28 tons of coffee waste per day and the reduction in Methane that this implies. Finally, healthier soils, Lakes, rivers, seas and oceans. Secured water sources for today and the future.
Infographic by Mashua Project
THE REGENERATIVE INGREDIENTS
First Yaku Hydrant Healing Vest has been made with a bioplastic which main ingredients are coffee ground waste, red clay and Agar Agar.
Algae Extracts – Agar Agar
The great protagonists of bio-revolution in the textile and fashion industry are undoubtedly microalgae and fungi. Different Seaweeds such as Gelidium, Gracilaria, Pterocladia and Gelidiella are the main sources used for the extraction of agar.
Agar agar is a mixture of two components, the linear polysaccharide agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called agaropectin. It forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae and is released on boiling. These algae are known as agarophytes, belonging to the Rhodophyta (red algae).
In addition, Agarose can be used for molecular exclusion chromatography and as a nutritional base for dyeing processes with microorganisms – it is the key to be able to separate it’s staining elements.
Agar agar is odorless and tasteless. A recent study, developed by Peruvian and Chilean researchers, has made it possible to complement the description and circumscription of the red algae genus Phyllophorella (Phyllophoraceae, Rhodophyta) on the central coast of Peru, as well as to have new reports and document the development of their sexual structures.
It’s natural habitat in Peruvian’s coast goes from Bahía San Nicolás in Ica to Paita (Piura), Peru. Source: Seaweed in the Peruvian’s Diet.
Red seaweed © Gavin Maneveldt
Coffee Ground Waste
Only in Barcelona City, cofffee drinkers between 20-60 years old are generating 27.657 tonnes of coffee ground waste every day and about 0.830 tonnes/ day (3%) of that waste comes from Peru.
Peru started growing coffee in the 1700s. For much of the country’s history, coffee was kept as a domestic product. But in the early 1900s, foreign investments made it possible for Peru coffee growers to reach coffee drinkers beyond their borders. Most of the coffee produced comes from small farms. The farmers don’t have a lot of access to modern coffee growing technologies or pesticides. Coffee grown here is most often the result of the natural process without the use of pesticides. While the organic nature of farming coffee may not always be documented, farming without pesticides is common.
Peru has a history of having highly decentralized coffee processing practices making it hard for small farmers to get a good price for their coffee. It’s a highly manual process done by a small group of people working on small farms. (Source: SaggeBrushCoffee AZ).
One of the best coffees in the world is produced in Jaen, Cajamarca, Peru. Located in the high tropical jungle of the Peruvian northeast, the provinces of San Ignacio and Jaen that bask in a warm-weather during the hole year. And it is from there, in their highest zones, between 1500 and 2000 meters above sea level, near the humid peaks, that nature in its endless wisdom, compensate this hot environment with an average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and recurrent, refreshing rainy days, which makes the ideal scenery to originate one of the best coffees of the world.
Actually, there are more than 85 coffee growers, where each one works in solidarity, performing an innovative crop in their processes, providing an excellent coffee, made with the best products that this rich Jaen’s ecosystem offers, creating a name and recognition as best coffee in Europe and Asia.
(Source: Caficultores Alto Cajamarca).
Coffee Ground Waste Flat Lay by Mashua Project
Red Clay: The Therapeutic Ingredient
Clay was used as healing and geotherapy element by many ancestral cultures such Egyptians and Greeks.
Some amazing properties about Clay are:
-It’s absorbent, clay absorbs microorganisms and toxic substances.
-It is Antibacterial.
-Clay is anti-inflammatory, anti-oedematous and detoxifying.
-It’s Healing and astringent.
-Clay is a natural material that the skin tolerates very well. In internal use, it is not dangerous if the indicated doses are not exceeded.
-A substance made from natural clay, is becoming the basis for a new generation of fireproof, high-strength plastic nanocomposites.
-There are 4 colours of clay white, green, yellow and red.
– Its therapeutic properties: According journalist Megan Julia in her article The Ancient Andean Tradition of Eating Clay May Have Helped To Protect Health, some Peruvian scientists think that the same characteristics that allow the clay to stick to potato toxins give it therapeutic properties as well. Throughout Peru, Chaco (sauce made with Clay) is now sold as an alleged treatment for stomach problems ranging from indigestion to ulcers.
Did you know that there are many people in the Peruvian-Bolivian high plateau that still consume clay?
Photography by Ritesh Arya (Pexels)
THE CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM
María Javier: Peruvian Industrial Engineer and Textile Materials Researcher. Gave her contribution and work as Product Manager and Consultant in Social and Environmental Impact. She specialized in agile technology applied in the textile sector at the Fabricademy 2019-2020 in Barcelona. She is the founder of Mashua Project, a company dedicated to the dissemination and production of regenerative solutions.
Concept, Future Synthesis including Storytelling by Maria Javier.
Wearable Features design, programmed and assembled by María Javier.
Textile Research, Yaku Hydrant Healing Prototype Design, Product Development and Content Creation by María Javier.
Factory 103, this Co-Working Space has been our Bio-Factory since june 2021.
Fab Café Barcelona, a Co-Working Space where we completed the digital fabrication of our first garment (engrave and laser cut processes).
Dawid Kopa, who helped us to communicate the main impact and purpose of this project.
THE REGENERATIVE COLORS AND ITS MEANING
The principal colours used in Inca textiles were black, white, green, yellow, orange, purple, and red. These colours came from natural dyes which were extracted from plants, minerals, insects, and molluscs.
Colours also had specific associations. For example, red was equated with conquest, rulership, and blood. This was most clearly seen in the Mascaipacha, the Inca state insignia, where each thread of it’s red tassel symbolised a conquered people. Green represented rainforests, the people who inhabited them, ancestors, rain and it’s consequent agricultural growth, coca, and tobacco.
Red symbolizes bravery, strength, and valour. Main ingredients that were used for obtaining this colour were Cochinilla, Annatto but also an herb that was denominated “Raíz de Teñir”.
Brown one of the most used tones for the decoration of Inca ceramics were red, sepia, brown and white. To obtain this neutral color, native communities in Peru use Qaqa sunkha (Lichen Usnea Florida) an Andean plant can also be used to produce shades of brown by adding yarn to the left-over water after producing a batch of orange-dyed yarn. This weakened mixture produces a light brown. Another important source of brown yarn is from nogal seeds and leaves. About two kilos of nogal is needed to dye one kilo of yarn, and it produces rich shades of very dark brown.
Black signified creation and death, and also foreigners at Cuzco could wear only black garments. It was the color of purity and deity.
For more information about the meaning of colours, refer to the Digital Archaeology Record and Inka’s Textiles by World History Encyclopedia.
Photography by Mashua Project
YAKU HYDRANT HEALING VEST TECHNICAL DATA SHEET
For more detailed information in regards of the biotextile research and digital design, please go to the following link.
