Bahweting means “The Place of the Rapids,” and 12 JKL Bahweting junior high students hope to lead Sault Ste. Marie back to the zero-waste city it once was by 2121, as presented at the ‘State of Michigan Future City Competition.’
Led by JKL Teacher Susan Solomon, the team's “Bahweting 2121” essay, YouTube video and slideshow presentation package excelled to second in the state.
Students have predicted climate crisis devastation to occur within 100 years. With nowhere to look but back to their roots, the people of Sault Ste. Marie turn to the Anishinaabe for lessons about food sovereignty, agriculture and co-existing in harmony.
“They taught the public of the old ways and of Mino Bimaadiziwin, a way of life that lives in balance with the earth and with one another. This concept replaced many of the colonial ideas including capitalism and laid the foundation for the new circular economy. The community decided to reclaim the space as Bahweting (Place of the Rapids).” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
Then, they incorporated technology. Imagine a futuristic city filled with virtual reality museums, holograms and multidimensional movie theaters. Solar panels and other innovative elements cover city surfaces, lighting the streets at night and heating them during the winter months.
“Bahweting is a bustling city with citizens working in multiple roles. Engineers manage our renewable energy systems, workers install and maintain solar roads and paths, factory workers build household appliances. Additionally, people are working in healthcare, education, agriculture, construction, commerce, at the water plant, and as recycling center personnel, to name just a few of our jobs.” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
A lot of work would have to be done to achieve such a dream, completely transforming the infrastructure of manufacturing, energy and housing. Bahweting will run on clean hydroelectric, wind and solar powered energy.
“The hydroelectric plant is powered by the flow of water from the Soo Locks and generates 50% of our energy. Wind energy is harvested from wind farms and provides 35% of our electricity. Even though our region experiences abundant cloudy skies, thanks to our solar panel paved surfaces, we are able to harvest enough power to fulfill the last 15% of our energy needs and have some leftover to store.” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
Students were inspired by a trip to the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We renovated the Soo Locks,” student Jay Johnson said. “They talked to us about how electric cars work and if it would be possible to create a city powered by that. What we did was renovate the locks to put more hydroelectric power plants on it and that is where a good majority of our energy is coming from. We also put windmills along the edge of it to get some of that wind power going.”
Bahweting will employ a fictional company called, "Twin Sault’s Appliances" to lease appliances to consumers by subscription. Expired appliances are then returned to the manufacturer where they recycle the product to new.
The students graphically depicted West Pier Apartments as a “state-of-the-art housing solution.”
“These vertical green spaces provide cozy and comfortable living. These smart homes have their own balcony gardens providing food and clean air, and maximize comfort and minimize environmental impact by regulating temperature and turning off power when not in use. Kitchens and bathrooms have multiple luxury features including appliances that cook for you, shower systems that recall your preferences, and bidets that leave you clean without the extra waste of tissue paper.” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
Important Bahweting city services encompass education, public transportation, “Sharable Resource Centers” and bulk grocery stores.
“Learning is not confined to classrooms but includes lots of field learning, advanced technology including holograms, and VR learning theaters. Learning environments are multi-age level including elders who pass on cultural and general knowledge.” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
Public transportation also underwent a huge makeover, explained Spade Volrath-Bush. If part of the roadway breaks, its solar powered roads can be replaced section by section. The days of repaving an entire street or road date back to 2022.
“Public transportation includes our cutting-edge fleet of autonomous cars. When citizens need transportation they simply signal for a ride and a vehicle comes to their location and brings them to their destination. The cars are fully powered by green energy and are shared among the population. We also have sky trams connecting all the zones of our city.” – “Bahweting 2121” JKL student writers.
Meanwhile, "Sharable Resource Centers" are non-traditional libraries, lending out books, tools, and other household items. There are even “Fab Labs,” where people can repair and repurpose various items.
City markets sell items in bulk free of disposable packaging, in which customers bring their own containers to fill.
Sault Ste. Marie City Mayor Don Gerrie, City Manager Brian Chapman, Chippewa County Road Commission Manager Robert Laitnen, County Highway Engineer Stephanie Boileau and past Chair of the American Society for Materials (ASM) Detroit Chapter James Boileau and others representing Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation and Sault Tribe individually congratulated student participants at 2 p.m. on Friday.
“I am a former Ford executive,” said James Boileau who was in the Sault visiting his daughter at the road commission. “I retired. I was with the electric vehicle organization before I retired. I am looking at this in terms of the future, development and technology, and the scientists we are going to need in the future. This is what we are going to need to do to encourage more of this.”
ASM was proud to recognize each student by giving away a small gift package with pens, a shirt and water bottle.
Laitnen was very pleased with the effort put in by the students involved.
“This was a huge project they took on and they really did a great job at it,” said Laitnen. “It is great to see local kids thinking about this stuff in the future.”
Asia Jones, grade 7, co-authored the essay. She enjoyed learning how to use technology to think 100 years into the future. Jones hoped to take readers there through words.
“My favorite part was working together with everyone else,” said 8th grade student Kamryn Corbiere. “It was finding people who like the same things as me and cared about the environment as much as me.”
All students present shook hands with the mayor and city manager. But it was the county’s highway engineer that gathered everyone together on Friday afternoon.
“I wanted to make sure they knew we were all here, so they understand that the folks that work in infrastructure, in the city, in the community, and in the tribe know that they did this great thing,” said Stephanie Boileau. “We're here to support them. We're here to work with them. We'd love to see them come in the door for internships. We walk to see them stay in the community and help advance toward the city they just designed.”
View the team's ‘State of Michigan Future City Competition’ presentation by clicking the link: https://youtu.be/iIQwr6p9oQg
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