Students from New Zealand have developed sustainable materials made from the leaves of a tree local to New Zealand, the cabbage tree, and a plant whose seeds are often eaten, flax. Sustainable materials are products that are made that limit their harm to the environment and the amount of resources they take. They support a long-term ecological balance. The sustainable material the New Zealand students developed could soon be used to make high-performance outdoor sporting equipment like skis, kayaks, and skateboards. Their plan is to replace the traditional materials that are used like fiberglass and carbon fiber. Skateboards need to be strong. Ben Scales and William Murrell are two students at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury. They believe they can make them even stronger by using fiber from plants. After experimenting in their at-home workshops, they created new, natural composite material, or material made up of different items. Scales is 21 and studies product design. He said their first attempt is looking good. Scales said their first experimental product is a skateboard. It is made up of 25 percent fiber from a plant called harakeke and 75 percent recycled polylactic acid, which is plastic made from corn starch. He said the material is good to make a skateboard because it can take the force and shocks skateboards receive better than what skateboards are now made from: wood or carbon-fiber. The fiber is taken from the Harakeke plant, which is a native flax plant in New Zealand. The fiber is mixed with different resins, which is a product that comes from some trees that can be used to cover a surface or hold objects together. Leaves from the cabbage tree are also an important part in their material. The plan is to use these sustainable materials to make skis, snowboards, and kayaks. These outdoor sporting items are currently made from nonnatural materials like fiberglass and carbon fiber. The university students have found interest from possible business partners in other countries. Scales said some of the companies include businesses in Europe that make boats to skis and a few overseas startups that are looking to shape the personal transport industry. He said, “… they are looking to use sustainable materials that just are not offered in industries like that. So, they are wanting to use our material once we have gotten it ready, which will hopefully be soon.” If they are successful, the students could bring new life to New Zealand’s flax fiber industry. They could also bring back practices used by the native people, the Mori, before European colonization.
Title: New Zealand Students to Build Sporting Equipment Using Plants
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='New Zealand Students to Build Sporting Equipment Using Plants' data-article-id='5800'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='16271'>Students from New Zealand have developed sustainable materials made from the leaves of a tree local to New Zealand, the cabbage tree, and a plant whose seeds are often eaten, flax.</span> <span data-start-time='16271' data-end-time='27771'>Sustainable materials are products that are made that limit their harm to the environment and the amount of resources they take. </span> <span data-start-time='27771' data-end-time='32750'>They support a long-term ecological balance.</span> <span data-start-time='32750' data-end-time='47271'>The sustainable material the New Zealand students developed could soon be used to make high-performance outdoor sporting equipment like skis, kayaks, and skateboards. </span> <span data-start-time='47271' data-end-time='56625'>Their plan is to replace the traditional materials that are used like fiberglass and carbon fiber.</span> <span data-start-time='56625' data-end-time='60438'>Skateboards need to be strong. </span> <span data-start-time='60438' data-end-time='68813'>Ben Scales and William Murrell are two students at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury.</span> <span data-start-time='68813' data-end-time='76125'>They believe they can make them even stronger by using fiber from plants.</span> <span data-start-time='76125' data-end-time='89188'>After experimenting in their at-home workshops, they created new, natural composite material, or material made up of different items.</span> <span data-start-time='89188' data-end-time='94167'>Scales is 21 and studies product design. </span> <span data-start-time='94167' data-end-time='98750'>He said their first attempt is looking good.</span> <span data-start-time='98750' data-end-time='104896'>Scales said their first experimental product is a skateboard. </span> <span data-start-time='104896' data-end-time='120771'>It is made up of 25 percent fiber from a plant called harakeke and 75 percent recycled polylactic acid, which is plastic made from corn starch.</span> <span data-start-time='120771' data-end-time='135979'>He said the material is good to make a skateboard because it can take the force and shocks skateboards receive better than what skateboards are now made from: wood or carbon-fiber.</span> <span data-start-time='135979' data-end-time='144958'>The fiber is taken from the Harakeke plant, which is a native flax plant in New Zealand. </span> <span data-start-time='144958' data-end-time='158396'>The fiber is mixed with different resins, which is a product that comes from some trees that can be used to cover a surface or hold objects together. </span> <span data-start-time='158396' data-end-time='165125'>Leaves from the cabbage tree are also an important part in their material.</span> <span data-start-time='165125' data-end-time='173708'>The plan is to use these sustainable materials to make skis, snowboards, and kayaks. </span> <span data-start-time='173708' data-end-time='184250'>These outdoor sporting items are currently made from nonnatural materials like fiberglass and carbon fiber.</span> <span data-start-time='184250' data-end-time='192625'>The university students have found interest from possible business partners in other countries.</span> <span data-start-time='192625' data-end-time='208125'>Scales said some of the companies include businesses in Europe that make boats to skis and a few overseas startups that are looking to shape the personal transport industry.</span> <span data-start-time='208125' data-end-time='217583'>He said, “… they are looking to use sustainable materials that just are not offered in industries like that. </span> <span data-start-time='217583' data-end-time='226750'>So, they are wanting to use our material once we have gotten it ready, which will hopefully be soon.”</span> <span data-start-time='226750' data-end-time='235229'>If they are successful, the students could bring new life to New Zealand’s flax fiber industry.</span> <span data-start-time='235229' data-end-time='245458'>They could also bring back practices used by the native people, the Mori, before European colonization.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17836 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/what_does_sustainable_mean.wav'>What does sustainable mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='able to be maintained at a certain rate or level'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/impervious_to_rain.wav'><span>impervious to rain</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/feeling_or_showing_envy_of_someone_or_their_achievements_and_advantages.wav'><span>feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/able_to_be_maintained_at_a_certain_rate_or_level.wav'><span>able to be maintained at a certain rate or level</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/wanting_to_do_or_have_something_very_much.wav'><span>wanting to do or have something very much</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17837 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/which_plant_used_in_their_products_also_produces_a_popular_edible_seed.wav'>Which plant used in their products also produces a popular edible seed?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='flax'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/flax.wav'><span>flax</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/oak.wav'><span>oak</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/sunflower.wav'><span>sunflower</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/oat.wav'><span>oat</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17838 data-hint-location='27771' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/they_support_a_longterm_ecological__blank_.wav'>They support a long-term ecological <span class='blank'>balance</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='balance'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/downfall.wav'><span>downfall</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/sports.wav'><span>sports</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/balance.wav'><span>balance</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5217/money.wav'><span>money</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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