BKFK: Going Green Ideation Tips

Ideation Tips: Green Ideas

Do you want to make the world a better place to live in? help the environment, maybe fight pollution? Here are some tips to help you generate the best ideas possible for your idea locker.

Step 1. Identify Your Idea: The better you are at defining your idea, the easier it is to turn it into an effective environmental improvement. Whatever your idea, the goals should be absolute and measurable (i.e. colonize Mars by 2009 won't cut it). Examples of measurable goals: safer water supply, cleaner air.

o Name all of the different environments you can think of; in buildings, in nature, in cars, in classrooms, in cities, states, countries
o Choose an environment you think you could improve on with an invention
o Write down everything about that environment that you think needs to be improved; better air quality, cleaner water, better waste management, less noise, more people friendly conditions
o Pick one environmental condition you think you could improve

Elizabeth won $10,000 for her Going Green Idea

Elizabeth came up with the idea of the "Water watcher" to make everyone more aware of their water usage. Read more about her winning idea.

o Do you want your invention to make your environment better all on its own or along with something else? Will it be a process of doing things or a combination of both?

Step 2. Take an Idea and SCAMMPER: Pick your favorite environmental solution or create your own and then SCAMMPER to find out what you can do.

o Substitute –What could you do instead? Can you use another material/process?
o Combine – How about a blend of two or more ideas/processes?
o Adapt –Can you make it better?
o Minify – Can you make it smaller?
o Magnify – Can you add something to it?
o Put to other uses – How or where else could you use it?
o Eliminate – What can I need to get rid of?
o Reverse – Will it work backwards?

Step 3. Break It Down: You can draw your idea or even make up a set of directions for an Environmental Inspiration Manual. Remember, this is YOUR idea, so you can just write down everything you would tell people if they were there talking to you about your idea.

o After you decide on your favorite idea, think about what it will look like & how you will use it.
o What are some names your Environmental Invention might be called?
o How can people use it?
o How many people can use it at one time?
o Does your invention need directions or instructions? What are they?
o What specific environment does your invention improve? How?
o What does it look like?
o What is it made of? What materials?
o What are the parts and pieces?
o How does it work?

Step 4. Test It: You need to see if your Environmental Innovation really works. The best way to find out if your invention really improves your environment is to record and track your results. There's no such thing as a dead end. If your friends and family say, "No" just re-think your strategy.

o Define your problem. Eg: Cars put out exhaust which adds to pollution.
o Define your goal. Eg: Making cars in a way that they produce less pollution
o Define your measure of success. Eg: How much less exhaust did your system create?
o Define how to test your invention. Eg: Test the air around cars with and without your environmental innovation installed.
o Results. Eg: Is your environment better, safer, cleaner, and healthier. If it is, you have a great new environmental improvement invention, so keep inventing!!!

Harness the power of technology. When you're deciding how to get the word out, remember the Internet. It's a key component for any world-changing organization.

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