The BiRB Project Pivots to Provide PPE for Nurses in Need

Enactus students at Youngstown State University are taking an opportunity to help nurses in need by making and providing personal protection equipment (PPE) to nurses in need. Due to the strict stay-at-home orders placed in Ohio due to COVID-19, students have been unable to collect plastic waste from local businesses as usual, so they decided to temporarily put their resources to use toward another good cause.

By using the resources they had at hand from their previously established BiRB project (Bring it Right Back) where they would turn plastic waste materials collected in the city of Youngstown to turn into 3d printing filament to sell, they are able to produce this PPE.

One of the PPE items that they are producing are "face shields" (pictured below) that are reusable and are able to be used in lieu of face masks, which are in short supply. Enactus YSU 3D prints the face shield head band and mails them into the "Makers Workshop" where they supply the plastic sheet that will cover the nurses entire face instead of just their nose and mouth. Makers Workshop then mails out these face shields to hospitals that have the most need.

Another PPE item that Enactus YSU is producing are "ear savers" (pictured below) that are meant for nurses and doctors to wear behind their head to loop both sides of their mask to instead of their ears, essentially saving their ears from the damage of wearing a mask for days on end. They designed these ear savers to have inspirational messages in them such as "hero" or "warrior" as a kind gesture to thank them for serving our country by helping citizens in critical need.

The third PPE item that Enactus YSU is currently looking into designing are "door openers" that are attached to any door so that they can be opened with an elbow or foot instead of a hand. This aims to reduce the amount of germs spread by touching door handles.

The students are currently store-bought filament, due to the high demand of these items. Once the area starts to recover from COVID-19 and strict stay-at-home orders are relaxed in the area, the team will be able to resume collecting plastic waste and recycling it to produce filament once more.

The BiRB Project Secures Space at the Youngstown Business Incubator!

The BiRB Project is excited to announce that they have secured a work-space inside of the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI)!

In this space, they will be able to set up machinery to re-purpose the plastic waste they have collected from local Youngstown restaurants into 3D printing filament. They will also gain access to additional resources from the YBI to help further their project and initiatives as they move forward. The BiRB Project would like to thank the YBI for all of their support, and they look forward to the future success of The BiRB Project within the YBI!

The BiRB Project Partners with Multiple Youngstown Restaurants in Straw Recycling Program!

The BiRB Project is excited to announce that they have already partnered with multiple Youngstown restaurants! These fast food restaurants have agreed to let us place straw recycling bins inside their dining area to allow customers to recycle their plastic straws once they are done with their drink. Other dine-in restaurants have also agreed to collect straws for the project.

Restaurants who have partnered with us so far are Starbucks, The Kitchen Post, Charlie Staples, MVR, Hot Heads, Pressed, Kilcawley Center Restaurants (Chick-Fil-A and Wendy's) and Chipotle. More restaurants are being added weekly!

Enactus YSU students will be collecting straws from these restaurants once per week, or more upon request. If you are a restaurant owner in the Youngstown area who would like to participate in this initiative, please reach out to us at "birbproject@gmail.com".