How it Works
Meet the Creek Mobile
The Creek Mobile is designed to make appearances at community events in Portland, Maine.
Our truck houses activities and displays that educate residents on the detrimental effects of rising salinity levels in Portland's Long Creek. We provide easy ways for individuals to make a difference. The Creek Mobile also operates with assistance from the local non-profit Friends of Casco Bay, which aims to keep Portland's water systems healthy.
The front of the truck is made to look like a food truck, immediately attracting attention with the phrase "Got Salt?", a play on the famous "Got Milk?" campaign.
The back of the the truck features a map of Portland, and displays the severity of salinity levels along Long Creek. Residents can recognize the places they frequent on this map, putting the issues facing the creek into perspective.
Interactive Activities
1. The Salt-O-Meter
The Salt-O-Meter rod simulates the effects of high, average, and low salinity levels on Long Creek's ecosystem. We provide buckets of water with varying amounts of salt for participants to test.
When participants cast their line into the high salinity bucket, a corresponding red light flashes on the rod. As participants attempt to reel in their line, they will find that it is hard to move, as the reel becomes jammed. This symbolizes that creek life will be much harder to come by as the environment becomes unsuitable for life.
On the other hand, when participants cast their line into the low salinity bucket, a green light flashes, and their line will reel in easily, symbolizing that the creek is healthier and inhabitable for more fish.
2. Mix Your Own Salt Water
Salinity levels can be measured using a conductivity reader. As salt content goes up, so does the amount of electrical currents in water. The higher the conductivity reading, the higher the salinity. Measurements are initially taken in Microsiemens and then converted to Parts Per Million (PPM).
To help participants understand this complicated process, we created a Mix Your Own Salt Water station. Participants take a cup of water and mix in varying amounts of table salt. They taste the water and guess how much salt they think is in their cup, referring to our chart for context. Our team then helps participants take an actual reading of the water in their cups.
By partaking in this sensory experience, residents of Portland can get a better sense of the salinity levels in Long Creek, as well as how hard it would be for freshwater fish to live in such salty conditions.
3. Road Salt Display
A main source of the salinity in the creek is the excessive amounts of road salt used on nearby roads and sidewalks. What many residents of colder climates do not know is that they could be using far less road salt than they currently do.
Our road salt display shows on a smaller, more understandable scale, how much salt is actually needed per square foot, versus how much is typically used. With this display, we aim to give Portland residents an easy, and cost-efficient, way to help Long Creek.
So, What's Up with Long Creek?
Across the United States, freshwater sources are increasingly prone to Freshwater Salinization Syndrome (FSS), and Long Creek is no exception. FSS, caused by dangerously high levels of salt, can contaminate drinking water, corrode infrastructure, and, most importantly, create toxic, even radioactive, chemical cocktails.
Long Creek is especially susceptible to FSS and its effects, as it is subjected to large amounts of runoff from a nearby highway and strip mall, where tons of road salt is poured each winter. Long Creek is also part of a larger watershed system, draining into Casco Bay, Fore River, and Clarks Pond, putting these bodies of water at greater risk as well.
Process & Prototyping
40 Sketches, 3 Ideas, & 1 Creek Mobile
Our mentor for this project works with Friends of Casco Bay to raise awareness about the issues facing Long Creek, and they were able to facilitate a video call with a staff member. After being briefed on Friends of Casco Bay's mission and goals, as well as the Portland area and its residents, each team member sketched out 10 rough ideas for physical interactions that might educate the public about rising salinity levels.
Following peer and mentor critique sessions, we narrowed our sketches down to 3 main ideas:
1. A pop-up on Long Creek where residents could measure and mark salinity levels
2. A fishing game that demonstrates how wildlife is affected by high salinity levels
3. The "EduTruck," which travels to local events.
After another round of feedback and critiques, we found that our EduTruck idea might be the most engaging and interesting to potential participants. We also realized that some of our initial ideas, including the fishing game and salinity testing, could be incorporated into the functions of the truck. Instead of only having visual aids on the outside of the vehicle, we could additionally provide interactive ways to learn.
Based on mentor feedback, the EduTruck seemed to be lacking a coherent message, though the overall prototype did evoke positive responses. With so much information being presented by the truck, we wondered if Portland residents might feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of such a big issue. This was a turning point in our project, as we began to think about branding and how each activity would come together to tell the same straightforward message: Long Creek is in trouble, but there are feasible ways for residents can help. So, we landed on the Creek Mobile, fit with easy, clear, and fun activities to help make a difference in Portland.
Next Steps
This project mainly serves as a preliminary proposal, so we didn't have a chance to visit Maine ourselves. Though we were able to speak with a Friends of Casco Bay staff member and test our prototypes with residents of the larger New England area, we did not get a chance to engage with the Portland community. This is a clear next step for our project.
We also started on pamphlets and flyers to reinforce the role of Portland residents in keeping Long Creek healthy, but this element definitely needs more development.
Overall, our project still got great feedback. The Creek Mobile not only aligns with Friends of Casco Bay's goals but also encourages self-efficacy and positive change.