Every once in a while, the e-NABLE Community is blessed to find themselves a part of something that is making a difference in the world in a way we have not thought about.
A few months ago, I got an email from Laura, who co-founded The Million Waves Project with her husband Chris, and who is based out off of the coast of Washington State. She asked if they could partner with our community to help us make more 3D printed hands for people in need, using recycled plastic that they are collecting while cleaning up the waste on our beautiful beaches.
Not only are they making a difference in a quest to create a cleaner world, make our waters safe for wildlife again and give back by turning the garbage into 3D printed assistive devices for those in need, but they are also donating e-NABLE hand assembly kits to our volunteers who have recipients waiting, so that the volunteer’s costs to create the hand can be reduced and the recipients can have devices that are made with good quality and correct materials!
I asked Laura to share a little bit about what they do and she writes, “The Million Waves Project aims to use reclaimed ocean plastic and turn it into 3D printed limbs for those in need. We launched on Earth Day, 2018 and are making great progress toward our goal. Currently, we partner with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and Washington CoastSavers to supply the marine debris.
We have raised enough money to fund a plastic shredder and the Filabot extruder system to close the loop on our 3D printing. While we are in the R&D phase for the filament we wanted to be sure we are still supplying limbs for those in need. We are doing this by purchasing the assembly kits from 3D Universe for those e-Nable volunteers who request them.”
MIllion Waves Project from Chris Moriarity on Vimeo.
HOW IT WORKS:
Send Laura and Chris an email at millionwavesproject@gmail.com with the following information:
- Age, location, and gender of the recipient as well as measurement photos (we cannot fund test limbs)
- Any photos that can be shared with the donor/or on social media
- Shipping address for the kit
- Type and quantity of kits
The Million Waves Project will then place the order with 3D Universe and the kits are shipped directly to you**!
**Some overseas locations packages are taxed over a certain amount, in these cases, they will need to work with the requester on how to be mindful of the donor funds. Sometimes this will limit how many kits they can send, or how many they can send at one time. You may request more than one kit.
Laura adds, “Eventually, we would love to move beyond just supplying kits and be able to provide filament to e-Nable volunteers as well.
We love being a part of this community and hope to be able to provide more and more assistance as time goes on.
If anyone is interested in partnering with us; especially anyone with expertise in recycling plastics and 3D filament making, please let us know!”
Do you want to help make a difference with the Million Waves Project on their next Beach Cleanup event?
Laura writes, ” We are also a participating in the International Beach Clean Up on September 15th. We encourage anyone and everyone to be involved! If you participate be sure to take photos and # your location (city, country) and #millionwavesproject so we can feature you on our website!”
For more information on how to participate on September 15th, please check out their blog and the information below!
If you are interested in using your 3D printer to make e-NABLE devices to donate to those in need, want to obtain a printer of your own to start helping out or want more information on 3D printers that work well with recycled plastics, please visit our amazing partner at 3D Universe, who can help you find the best printer that fits your needs!
Thank you Million Waves Project for making a world of difference!!