Local young inventor is a national finalist with 'Smart Toilet' invention
Being energy efficient can be costly, but one 14-year-old from Ava has invented an inexpensive way to cut costs, while saving water and energy. As our Sarah Hagen tells us, MaryAnn Bulawa competed against thousands with her "Smart Toilet" invention, to become a finalist in a young inventors contest.
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UTICA, N.Y. -- When MaryAnn Bulawa took a national challenge to make an invention out of Bubble Wrap, she decided to cut the waste of water and cut the cost of flushing. Her creation, the Smart Toilet.
National Young Inventors Finalist MaryAnn Bulawa said, "You push it down and it displaces the water inside the tank. So less water is used to flush the toilet and less energy is used to pump the water through."
Bulawa used bubble wrap, plexiglass and PVC piping for her invention. A cheap and doable solution, she says, compared to other energy efficient options.
Bulawa said, "when you want to be energy efficient, you have to go to the store buy a new toilet, pay someone to set it up, but with this you can adapt it to your old toilet."
The idea for the smart toilet grew our of the Museum's Neighborhood After School Science Association. It's a group that started over a year ago and its goal is to get kids excited about science.
NASSA Founder Beth Bulawa said, "The world of tomorrow is based on the children of today and we have to educate them in the area of science."
CNY Children's Museum Executive Director Marlene Brown said,
"That is a critical critical area for kids. We are twenty-sixth in the world, and that's a shame. We need to get up past that."
The hope is that the public will be inspired to check it out, and turn the invention into a reality at home.
MaryAnn Bulawa said, "I think it can impact society, there are a lot of water shortages in the U.S. It's easy to make and it saves a lot of water..."
The invention is now on display at the CNY Children's Museum in Utica.
Time Warner Cable is the parent company of YNN, and we are committed to "The Connect a Million Minds" program, inspiring youth to develop science, technology, engineering and math skills.
For more information on the initiative, go to connectamillionminds.com.