2.+Project+Proposal

= **Liquid Shoe Proposal** =

**The problem**
The objective of our project is to design affordable and durable shoes for children and adults across developing nations in Africa and South America. There are millions children around the world without shoes. For many, this may seem trivia, but for these children being shoeless can have health and sociological issues. These children go about their daily lives trampling on rough terrains and sustain injuries from stray rocks, stomps, nails and other objects. Many families of these children can’t afford regular shoes due to economic hardship and results in several cases where a child can’t be sent to school2. In this case, it is surprising to note a correlation between being shoeless and the re-enforcement of poverty for the family of such children. For many adults across villages in developing nations, the situation remains the same. In Africa for example, many farmers go about their business barefoot. These men and women are susceptible to just about any menace on the ground such as thorns, scorpions, and snakes3. According to the World Health Organization there are two hundred thousand snake bites a year in developing countries with most occurring due to the absence of protective shoes.



To help solve this problem, we are proposing a new kind of shoe named Liquid Shoe for those affected. This shoe will be made out of biodegradable components such as liquid wood. Liquid wood is a promising new bio-plastic, or biopolymer. Liquid wood looks, feels and acts just like plastic but unlike petroleum-based plastic, they're biodegradable. In this case, liquid wood is made from pulp-based lignin, a renewable resource. To make biopolymers, lignin, a byproduct of paper mills, is mixed with water and exposed to high temperatures and high pressure to create a moldable composite material that's strong and nontoxic, making it a good plastic substitute.
 * Our solution**



By making these shoes out of liquid wood, we are not only providing an economic friendly alternative to the millions of children and adults around the world who don’t have access to regular shoes, but to those who already have one but are in search for environment ones. Since regular plastic is difficult to dispose, we feel Liquid Shoe provides a new beginning towards the goal of a more sustainable future. Liquid Shoe, for one, helps the poor families in developing nations in two ways. The first is that it provides a cost effective way to attain shoes for themselves and the second is it protects them from the menace of the grounds. Farmers no longer have to work barefoot and the children can play and traverse the playgrounds without fear of striking a stomp and most importantly, can attend school without the shame of being shoeless.

**References**

1. [] 2. Ibid 3. [] 4. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/5-plastic-substitutes3.html