Biodegradable Construction Stakes
Mother Earth will appreciate it almost as much as the landowners!
Mother Earth will appreciate it almost as much as the landowners!
I am an aspiring Civil Engineer whose background in business has made me realize the competitive advantage that something as restrictive as regulatory requirements can provide. By finding a balance between the emerging concept of “Bio-engineering” and conventional construction methodology, I have created a product that can streamline yet another universal construction practice while minimizing the impact on the built environment.
Conventional construction stakes are a primary item used in surveying. Many of these stakes are piled into the ground in order to communicate right-of-ways or boundaries to other parties over a short term period, but the problem is the vast majority of the installed stakes are not reclaimed – they stay in the ground. Additionally, most stakes are colour coordinated in order to represent different things on a construction site. Colour is often added via typical spray-cans and corresponding flagging tape.
What I am proposing is a cardboard-based construction stake. This product can still follow the typical “install and forget” procedure. The difference being, you can feel good knowing that the product will be out of the way sooner when it passes its usable life cycle.
This is a product that can be used throughout the construction industry, though it would be most impactful in the pipeline industry given the relatively high linear meter measure in typical projects that occur in remote areas (which are often environmentally sensitive).
There is a notion that the construction industry (in general) generates the vast majority of “waste” in our communities. This is simply another solution to address the sociopolitical aspect of a necessary sector that gives company’s another argument of due-diligence towards constructing in a sustainable manner.
Our construction stake biodegrades in less than a quarter of the time that a conventional stake can decompose in. This is because the corrugation provides more surface area exposure which makes the stake more susceptible to regular weather-related erosion. This does not pose a problem since locates are only valid for 14 days from their initial installment.
Instead of relying on post-purchase oil based spray-can paint, our stakes are pre-coloured using the same type of inert dye that is used in “flow tracing” in water bodies to test for sufficient mixing. In layman’s, this dye has no detrimental effects on the environment it is used in and is already an environmentally acceptable option. The dye comes in a series of colours to correspond to typical colour codes in construction. More specifically, Rhodamine WT (Orange), Lissamine FF (Green), and Amino G Acid (Blue) are just some of the basic strands used in this environmentally responsible product. Additionally, the fluorescent dye that we use is less expensive and less wasteful than the typical flats of spray-can paint that are commonly purchased.
Above all of this, we are the only company that builds regular sized stakes (48 inch) out of these materials.
The substitutes and alternatives that exist all have a common problem – due to the lack of retention, site management is seen as unprofessional and irresponsible until the stakes are taken care of. This typically involves an unhappy landowner who is left to take care of the clean-up.
There are some biodegradable stakes that exist, but they are used for more things such as geotextile anchoring which means they have to be built out of a more substantial material (commonly recycled plastics). This means that their decomposition time is in the range of 2-3 years – much longer than our cardboard design.
Although not our primary customer, the first key “person” is the general public. We see the impact of the public word on construction projects each day. Look at the amount of pipeline projects are consistently rejected based on environmental premise alone. Adding this element to high profile projects directly addresses the influence that the public has on provincial approval of these type of jobs.
This is where our customer comes into play. The best thing a construction company owner or general contractor can do when it comes to environmental sustainability is to accommodate the general need of all stakeholders involved. It also provides an opportunity for companies to increase their own margins since the product itself is cheaper.
Our final “person” is the directly affected stakeholder – the landowner. Whether it is farmers, indigenous people, or the government, having a short term solution to what some call an obstacle, disturbance, or eye-sore provides a platform in which all can continue on with their regular routines without having to escalate any potential disputes any further.
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Welcome (back) to our Idea Page site!
Access to the Creative Commons tools and a lot of the content on site is free. We just ask that you sign in / sign up using your existing social account. To do this, click one of the icon(s) below:
This will take you to their secure sign in tools - we'll never see your password and you don't have to create and remember yet another one. This is for convenience but it's also to keep the sign in process as secure as possible.
That said, we will receive your name and email address from them as well as any other profile information you approve for them to share.
By signing into this publicly available version of the Idea Page web site: 1) you acknowledge that anything you share here cannot and will not be protected in any way; 2) you agree that you will only share ideas and intellectual property that you own and that you are willing and able to have publicly shared; 3) you agree not to share any personally identifiable information about any other person and that any personally identifiable information you share about yourself is shared voluntarily and at your own risk; and 4) you acknowledge that you are bound by the full Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and License Agreement found here », including but not limited to the terms related to Termination, Limitations of Liability, and Indemnification.
Customer (C)
8.7
Value proposition (VP)
9
Substitutes & alternatives (SA)
9.2
People (P) on the team
9
Offering (O)
9.3
Distinctive competencies (DC)
8.1
Overall a great idea that has strong value and could potentially shake up the construction industry in terms of becoming more environmentally conscious wherever it is possible.
Customer (C)
10
Value proposition (VP)
8.8
Substitutes & alternatives (SA)
7.5
People (P) on the team
9
Offering (O)
9.5
Distinctive competencies (DC)
9.3
I think your value proposition is really well defined, it’s very obvious how this could be great for the public, the customers and the other stakeholders. Minimizing impact is a really important issue across all types of development and I think if you can get the product to perform as offered, that it’s a great idea. I’m not sure how you will get enough strength along the stake to endure the pounding of a large hammer, while simultaneously degrading within the short time frame you have proposed. However, the idea of using inert dye to colour the stakes and remove the need for extra paint is a great way to build in more value for the customer. I suspect that if you could make it work, that this would be a very high impact innovation!
Customer (C)
8.7
Value proposition (VP)
9.2
Substitutes & alternatives (SA)
8
People (P) on the team
10
Offering (O)
9
Distinctive competencies (DC)
9
Overall an awesome idea, its a step in right direction for sure in terms of the environmental approach. My chief concern is the integrity and strength, particularly when held against a pounding hammer. With that being said there are several methods of pounding a stake without causing excessive damage to it. I do see the value in needing less paint and the movement to the dye approach.
You clearly understand what is needed to make the venture viable. However, my biggest concern is the Substitutes and Alternatives, as the current stake is pretty diverse and has lasted for quite awhile in the area of surveying as the ideal marker for construction. Although I have faith that your venture will find a niche within the market.