Members of The Green Stop, AquaHacking ’19 alumni, responding to public health needs in light of COVID-19

Brendan Carberry, member of The Green Stop, heard a call-out from a local hospital in Toronto for supplies to help complete their stock of PPE for frontline health workers. The hospital had lots of plastic sheets used for face shields, but was lacking the headbands that hold the sheet. He decided to fire up his 3D printer to make the face shield headbands. The mask and headband design is informed by the hospital, and they have methods of sanitizing and reusing the PLA headbands.

“I’m happy to be able to help make a difference. Anyone interested in helping should reach out to their local hospitals and healthcare workers about what’s needed,” Brendan said. “Check out Thingiverse for a collection of 3D printable items for healthcare.”

At the same time, Brendan’s AquaHacking teammate, Rachel Labbé-Bellas, founder of The Green Stop, is exploring ways to adapt their drinking water distribution system to a hand-washing station for big stores to use at their entrance for customers. “We’re exploring this product pivot, so there is nothing concrete now, but we see good potential in using our design to respond to a current need,” said Rachel.

To learn more about Brendan’s face shield headband printing project, feel free to contact him via Instagram or Facebook.

The Green Stop was established in the 2019 AquaHacking Challenge and has developed a cost-effective water refill station for outdoor events and festivals, significantly reducing the need for plastic water bottles and, in turn, reducing plastic pollution in the environment.