Implementing Sustainability: Bamboo toothbrushes for UW Dentistry

Dear CSF,

I am requesting funds to create a sustainable change for UW campus. For my senior capstone project, I am pursuing the idea to help UW Dentistry change from giving out plastic toothbrushes to it’s patients to bamboo toothbrushes. This change will save thousands of plastic toothbrushes from ending up in a landfill and in oceans a year. Plastic takes millenial to break down and is already extremely harming our wildlife and nature. Bamboo is a more sustainable option as it grows fast and biodegrades. The company “Brush with Bamboo” manufactures and sells these toothbrushes. Unfortunately, this company is not large enough to sell their toothbrushes in bulk to dentists at as a competitive price as the plastic ones. Therefore, I am requesting funds to provide the first batch of toothbrushes to UW Dentistry for “free” as a trial. I also plan to create a strategic business plan that will convince UW Dentistry to pay for the toothbrushes with their own budget once this supply runs out; therefore creating a long lasting sustainable change. I am also applying to the “Community, Environment and Planning” grant called the ‘Community Support Grant’ to hopefully match the amount of money the CSF supplies as well. Implementing this change will deeply reduce the amount of plastic that UW is responsible for, giving UW another metric to add to “UW Sustainability Metrics”.

This is my very own project, as it is for my Senior Capstone Project. This idea was born last spring semester in my group project for the class “Attaining a Sustainable Society”. I am now taking the implementation process into my own hands. This project is completely student run and organized.

First, there will be a natural form of education and awareness that patients will encounter when they receive a free bamboo toothbrush after their appointment at UW Dentistry. I will also be conducting and organizing a community beach cleanup on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2017. This event is intended to get people involved and engaged in the need for reducing their own plastic footprint. It would be ideal to hand out a free bamboo toothbrush to the participants as well!

The people holding me accountable for this project are the program managers of my major, “Community, Environment and Planning”: Kelly Hostetler, Megan Herzog and Chris Campbell. Throughout winter and spring quarter I will be enrolled in a “Senior Project” class, a requirement for my major. This class holds us accountable and provides resources for success as well. Thanks to these forms of accountability, I feel completely supported, capable and responsible to complete this project. In addition, last spring quarter I took the class MGMT 440: Business Consulting. This class provided a real life scenario with a local boxing company that needed consulting. My group and I were responsible for doing everything that a paid business consulting company would complete. This included a business plan, many meetings with the client, much research and a final presentation to the client. Engaging in this project gave me the skills that I plan on repeating for UW Dentistry.

I am requesting $900.00 from the CSF as there is a 15% discount from “Brush with Bamboo” if a customer orders 10 cases at $90.00 each. The leftover money after the discount is being budgeted for shipping costs.

Budget

• 1 case bamboo toothbrushes (36 count): $90

Timeline

This timeline shows my plan according to my Capstone Project Proposal that I have already submitted to my major.

I am sincerely excited to implement this project. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. If you would like my full Senior Project Proposal, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Thank you,

Isabelle de Mozenette