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Williams Honors College, Honors Research The Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors
Projects College

Spring 2021

Every Seed Counts

Lindsey Wasnak
law138@zips.uakron.edu

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Recommended Citation
Wasnak, Lindsey, "Every Seed Counts" (2021). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects.
1238.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1238

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EVERY SEED COUNTS: A Study of Homemade Seed Paper

Lindsey Wasnak

Williams Honors College Research Project

November 30th, 2020

 1

ABSTRACT

Above all else, humans should understand the impact of the decisions they make, before

they make them. In specific, the decisions that could harm the environment, whether that is on a

large or small scale. Humans create an enormous amount of trash, and for this honors project a

campaign was created that emphasizes the importance of being environmentally conscious with

paper. Being environmentally conscious can be expressed in a multitude of ways, so the main

focus of this project was to create plantable seed paper that people can use and then grow things

with after they are finished. This project communicates that even a small decision, like choosing

a more environmentally friendly paper, can make the world grow and flourish. The process of

creating seed paper, planting, and then growing the plants has been documented in the form of

photography and video. These forms of documentation are presented through a 3D gallery, and a

website.
 2

The environmental impact of everyday products is a subject not enough humans focus on. From

plastics, to fossil fuels, to glass, and paper we use these products without much hesitation or

regard for the ways it affects the earth. Paper is one of the many products that has potential to be

reused and recycled before it is completely discarded. In light of that, paper is the focus for this

specific honors project. To create a world where paper has less of a negative impact on the

environment and more of a positive impact on the people, this proposal is about incorporating

seeds into recycled paper. If seeds can be incorporated into recycled paper this could reduce

carbon emissions and deforestation, and even build new bonds and connections between humans

and the earth.

This project was inspired by the influx of environmentally conscious products being

marketed within the past few years. The push to be environmentally friendly is a consistent

conversation, but it seems as though there haven’t been many monumental changes in people’s

day-to-day lives. In order to combat this stagnant mindset, the proposal for the use and creation

of seed paper should allow for a rejuvenation of motivation to not only talk about being

environmentally friendly, but to act on it as well.

The approach to this project was relatively simple. The main objective was to figure out

the best way to make seed paper, and for that seed paper to be successful when planted in the

soil. It was decided to try a multitude of ways to create the paper, and then plant five of these in

small pots and document the growth process. The different creation methods helped to nail down

the easiest, quickest approach with as much success as possible. Making homemade seed paper

requires very little materials, and most are items people already have in their home. To make

seed paper, each person needs a large pile of recyclable papers, a blender, some water, seed
 3

packets, a strainer, and a screen or a microfiber towel.​1​ The recycled papers can come from any

source, but be weary that most papers do have chemicals inside of them, and the papers that do

have chemicals can only be reused so many times before the paper fibers become too weak to

hold anything together. “​Caustic soda​ is added to increase the pH in the pulping process of

fibers. The higher pH of the paper fiber solution causes the fibers to smoothen and swell, which

is important for the grinding process of the fibers.” 2​​ The best papers to use are old newspapers,

paper bags, and phone book pages. The thicker the paper chosen, the more weight and texture it

will have in the end. Through the paper experimentation it was noticed that if tissue paper,

receipt paper, and shredded printer paper are used the paper will tend to be more blended and

smooth in the end. Take these recycled papers, and cut them up into small 1-2 inch squares. After

the paper is cut up, people can choose to do a few different things. They could soak the paper in

the water for 10-15 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours. The amount of time the

paper is soaked will determine the flexibility of the fibers inside and the way that the paper gets

blended into a pulp. The longer the paper soaks, the softer it becomes and the easier it is to blend

it into a pulp. When the paper is done soaking, you can use either an immersion blender or a

regular blender to mix the paper into one cohesive pulp. Fill your blender up about three-fourths

of the way up with the paper, and then proceed to put water in until the paper is completely

covered. When the paper is submerged, turn on the blender and blend until the pulp is smooth (or

until the desired texture is achieved). Next, take the paper pulp and water mixture and strain the

excess water out into the sink. Try to push all the water you can out of the paper because the

1
Doyle, H. (2020, November 13). Make seed paper. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/
2
“About 3000 Chemicals Used in Papermaking!” worldofchemicals.com. World Of Chemicals, September
24, 2014.
https://www.worldofchemicals.com/458/chemistry-articles/about-3000-chemicals-used-in-papermaking.ht
ml.
 4

wetter the paper is, the longer it takes to dry. When the paper is strained, take the mixture and

add seeds to it. The seeds can be anything from microgreens, to vegetables, and even flowers.

Lastly, use a screen or a microfiber towel to lay the paper mix onto and flatten it out. The

flattening process can be approached in many ways, some of them being hand flattening, using a

rolling pin, and pressing with sheet pans. The paper should be completely flattened and then sat

out in the sun (or inside) to completely dry out before use. This process of paper creation is

incredibly flexible and can be modified to fit anyone’s situation or item restrictions. When the

paper is completely dry you can use it to write/draw on, and then reuse the paper once again to

grow plants with. These plants can be edible or decorative, and both seed types were tested in the

plant growth process.

In order to complete the project in a timely manner, the seeds chosen for the growth

development observation were two different Zinnia, Cat Grass, Basil, and Spinach because these

are all faster growing plants. The process of the making of each of these papers was slightly

different, and it is believed that this slight difference did make a difference in the growth

development. The paper textures, colors, and growth rates were all different, but were each

successful. All of the plants were given the same soil and fertilizer, all given half a cup of water

every other day, as well as being housed in the same sized pots. To create a more diverse body of

work, different paper materials were used, and they were soaked in water for different periods of

time. Some of the papers that were used in the making of the plants were not used in the

exhibition of the 3D gallery, only the most attractive papers were featured there. The Basil pulp

was made of only newspaper and was soaked for 15 minutes​3​. The Zinnia were soaked for 30,

and 2 hours and those were made of only shredded printer paper and post-it notes.​4​ Spinach was

3
Figure 3.) “Basil 1”, Lindsey Wasnak
4
Figure 4.) “Zinnia 1”, Lindsey Wasnak
 5

soaked for 12 hours and was a combination of phone book paper, printer paper, and receipts.​5

Lastly, Cat Grass was soaked for 24 hours and was made of printer paper, and newspaper. 6​

The most successful plant growth process was the Cat Grass and the Zinnia. The seed

paper plant development was documented over a month and a half long time period from the

very beginning of August to the middle of September. The first sprouts came up about three days

after they were planted, which was much faster than expected.​7​ Almost immediately the Cat

Grass and two different Zinnia sprouted and swiftly began to grow. The Basil had a few sprouts,

and the Spinach had none at this time. Two days later, there were small plant sprouts in all five

of the pots.​8​ The quick growth rate for each of these seed papers was incredibly motivating to

see. About a week and a half after the fifth day, the plants were mostly developed and had

covered a lot of the space on the tops of the soil.​9​ The one plant that was still struggling a little

bit was the Spinach. The growth process for this set of seeds is slightly slower than the others,

but the development was significantly less than that of the other 4 plants. There were some

sprouts, but it did not compare to the incredible development of the Zinnia and Cat Grass. Fifteen

​ At this
days after this, four plants had pretty much completely developed and were thriving. 10​

point, the Spinach had sprouted but was still much smaller than the other plants. While

referencing the photo, it can be seen that the development is much less than the others. Although

this plant’s initial growth was slower, at this point it should have been mostly developed and the

growth seemed to be stunted. After a month and a half of observing the growth process, the

​ Again, all
plants had developed much further than anticipated from the homemade seed paper. 11​

5
Figure 5.) “Spinach 1”, Lindsey Wasnak
6
Figure 6.) “Cat Grass 1”, Lindsey Wasnak
7
Figure 7.) “Day 3 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak
8
Figure 8.) “Day 5 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak
9
Figure 9.) “Day 15 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak
10
Figure 10.) “Day 30 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak
11
Figure 11.) “Day 45 of Plant Development 1”, Lindsey Wasnak
 6

but the Spinach had exceeded the growth expectations, but even then there were still results for

​ The Cat Grass was practically growing out of the pot by this time,
this development process. 12​

and the Zinnia were growing with monumental height. Overall, this plant growth development

test was incredibly successful in understanding the ways the paper and seeds would work

together.

When the seed paper growth observations were finished, the focus switched to what kind

of paper is the most useful and easiest to make? During the experimentation with different

material mixes and soak times for the planted papers, it gave a lot of helpful hints as to what

would make the most sturdy, least textured paper possible. The research of different ways to

make seed paper had a lot of the same internal core structure, but small differences like the ways

to dry paper changed. One site suggested that the best way to dry the paper was through a

​ For most of this project, an old window screen stapled between large paint stir
window screen. 13​

sticks was used to dry these papers. This is proof you can use any kind of drying method and still

get good results. Other things that changed between directions were the method by which to roll

the paper out, or what method is best to dry papers. NASA states that “When the bath towel or

felt has soaked up as much water as it can, pick up the hoop and turn it over onto a sheet of

waxed paper to dry. (Seeds will be on the bottom.)”​14​ This method was not tested, but the

reviews following this set of directions looked very promising. Other methods say to only use a

​ The towel only method was tested, but the reason

towel and it will give you successful results. 15​

why it was only used once was because there was nothing to keep the towel flat when flipping

over and it caused my paper to rip in half. The window screen was by far the easiest way to dry

12
Figure 12.) “Day 45 of Plant Development 2”, Lindsey Wasnak
13
MasterClass. “How to Make Plantable Seed Paper at Home - 2020.” MasterClass. MasterClass,
November 8, 2020. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-plantable-seed-paper-at-home.
14
Doyle, H. “Make Seed Paper”
15
MasterClass. “How to Make Plantable Seed Paper at Home - 2020.”
 7

the paper. It allowed for ventilation through both the top and bottom of the screen. This

ventilation had allowed for the paper to dry more quickly. For the most time efficient way to dry

paper, the screen is highly recommended. No matter what way you make your paper, or how you

dry it, every homemade paper created helps the environment little by little.

Creating recyclable seed paper has the potential to make a monumental difference in the

world. “To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.”​16​ If

Sunday papers alone can take out 500,000 trees, what does a large office take out in a week?

What about a school? What about each person? “The average person in the United States at the

end of the last decade consumed as much paper as 6 people combined in Asia or more than 30

​ The use of paper is frequently overlooked but causes an immense amount of

people in Africa.” 17​

emissions to be released into the environment. “​Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can

save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy,

and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60

pounds less of air pollution!”​18​ If paper pulp was recycled and reused in any way, it could be

extremely beneficial to our environment. Whether that reuse is creating seed paper, or just

regular paper it would make a difference. Every seed counts. Every paper counts. “Discarded

paper is a major component of many landfill sites, about 35% by weight of municipal solid

waste.”​19​ Not only would reusing paper be better for the environment than cutting down trees and

creating new paper, it helps reduce the cost as well. “The construction costs of a paper mill

16
Services, USI Web. “Paper Recycling Facts.” University of Southern Indiana, 2020.
https://www.usi.edu/recycle/paper-recycling-facts/.
17
Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO MUCH
PAPER!” TG News. Upstate Medical University, 2016.
18
Services, USI Web. “Paper Recycling Facts.”
19
Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO MUCH
PAPER!”
 8

designed to use waste paper is 50% to 80% less than the cost of a mill using new pulp.”​20​ If using

recycled paper seems to only have benefits, why aren’t more people using it?

One negative side of reusing paper is the amount of chemicals the paper contains

beforehand. ​“There are about 3000 or so different types of chemicals which can be used in

papermaking, in practice only about 200 individual chemicals are typically used, each satisfying

​ Not all of these are bad chemicals, but these can harm the environment and
a specific need.” 21​

do affect the way paper can be recycled. ​“Paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Seven to ten

times is about the maximum before the fibers break down. There will always be a need for wood

pulp to be added to the recycled product.”​22​ When wood pulp is added, so are a few additional

chemicals. One of these is called Caustic Soda. ​“Caustic Soda is sodium sulfide for the Kraft

process, the process of conversion of wood into wood pulp consisting of almost pure cellulose

fibre.”​23​ The chemicals added into the paper are necessary at this point to keep the fibers sturdy.

Eventually, the goal would be to use no chemicals at all.​ “The results indicate that phasing out of

chemicals is the most effective measure for reducing chemical contamination.”​24​ In order to not

use chemicals in the paper, humans would have to phase out the current chemicals because there

are already so many in circulation. ​“ Understanding the disastrous negative effects paper

consumption has on our environment can help encourage the world to use less of it.”​25​ When

humans can recognize the effect paper has on the environment, hopefully that will promote them

to use less of it.

20
Services, USI Web. “Paper Recycling Facts.”
21
“About 3000 Chemicals Used in Papermaking!”
22
Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO
MUCH PAPER!”
23
“About 3000 Chemicals Used in Papermaking!”
24
Pivnenko, Kostyantyn, David Laner, and Thomas F. Astrup. “Material Cycles and Chemicals: Dynamic
Material Flow Analysis of Contaminants in Paper Recycling.” ​Environmental Science & Technology​ 50,
no. 22 (2016): 12302–11. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b01791.
25
Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO
MUCH PAPER!”
 9

In the United States alone, people use a massive amount of paper. “The average person in

the United States at the end of the last decade consumed as much paper as 6 people combined in

Asia or more than 30 people in Africa.”​26​ Try to wrap your head around that one. People in the

United States use paper as take out menus, tissues, toilet paper, paper bags, newspapers,

magazines, you name it. It is something that exists in people’s day-to-day lives numerous times a

day. If people are not willing to recycle paper, create homemade paper, or commercially use

recycled paper, then the only other choice is to lower the consumption of paper in general.

“According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (​FAO​), we are losing

around 33 million acres of forestland annually around the globe. In addition, this massive loss is

responsible for 20 percent of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).”​27​ If these high

levels of emissions do not go down soon, they may not be able to be turned around. Luckily, in

the past few years we have lessened the amount of deforestation that occurs. “According to

current rates of tree cover loss, the number of trees worldwide has dropped 46 percent since the

dawn of agriculture 12,000 years ago. Still, over 15 billion trees are felled every year.”​28​ Even

with this lessened deforestation, each person needs to do their part in consuming less paper, and

recycling it when they do.

When people recycle paper together to make their own homemade paper, it is a bonding

moment for all involved. The creation of paper is a lot like cooking. The kitchen is often the

heart of the house, and making paper can be seen as an event that should be taken in this place.

Making homemade paper requires a lot of love and attention. Without the right balance, the

paper may not be able to hold itself together. If the effort put in is substantial, then the results can

26
Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO MUCH
PAPER!”
27
“How Many Trees Are Cut Down Each Year (And How to Slow It Down).” Green and Growing,
November 19, 2019. https://www.greenandgrowing.org/many-trees-cut-each-year-help/.
28
“How Many Trees Are Cut Down Each Year (And How to Slow It Down).”
 10

literally grow in front of your eyes. Homemade paper when dried gives an amazing sense of

satisfaction. This satisfaction can be a feeling shared between friends or loved ones as you

create, use, and then grow the paper together. The use of seed paper can expand beyond just your

family, and into your work life too. Workplaces will sometimes use seed paper to communicate

their loyalties to being environmentally friendly, to talk about the concept of growing, to

promote environmentally friendly actions from employees, stakeholders, and customers, to be

unique, and lastly to focus on the positive traits their brand holds true to.​29​ When companies use

these tactics, they are seen as innovative and revolutionary. Recycled seed papers have the

opportunity to help save our world, one seed at a time.

This project was incredibly successful in figuring out the most efficient, successful way

to create seed paper. Using cut up newspaper, a blender, soaking the paper for 24 hours, and

drying on an old window screen is the best way to complete this task. Of course, this is not the

only way it can be done. Not only was the paper making triumphant throughout this project, so

were the planted seed paper observations. The observations were a necessary step to take

because if the seeds never actually grew from the paper, what would be the point in adding them

in the first place? It could have just been recycled paper. Fortunately, four of the five plants

flourished. The ten homemade seed papers that are up in the exhibition ended up being

incredibly beautiful. Through this project, it is hoped that people notice the affect their daily

items have on the environment, and they might think twice before throwing paper products

directly into the trash. From this text, people should know that every paper counts. Even better,

every single seed counts in the making of a better earth for the current generation, and for those

29
Paperworks, Botanical. “5 Main Reasons Clients Use Seed Paper Promotional Products.” Botanical
PaperWorks. Botanical PaperWorks, September 1, 2020.
https://botanicalpaperworks.com/blog/5-main-reasons-clients-use-seed-paper-promotional-products/.
 11

to come. Whenever a small batch of seed paper is planted, it helps save our environment. Make

sure to keep in mind that certain plants do better in certain environments, so choose your seeds

accordingly before creating. The documentation of this process was recorded through photo and

video, and were put onto a website and 3D gallery to view.​30​ Seed paper was also used for the

exhibition invitations.​31​ Every seed planted helps restore our environment, so help make the

difference by making and planting your own.

30
Wasnak, Lindsey. “Lindsey Wasnak.” Every Seed Counts, November 1, 2020.
https://sites.google.com/view/seedpaper/home.
31
Exhibition Invitations, Lindsey Wasnak
 12

Bibliography

“About 3000 Chemicals Used in Papermaking!” worldofchemicals.com. World Of Chemicals,

September 24, 2014.

https://www.worldofchemicals.com/458/chemistry-articles/about-3000-chemicals-used-in

-papermaking.html.

Doyle, H. (2020, November 13). Make Seed Paper. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/

“How Many Trees Are Cut Down Each Year (And How to Slow It Down).” Green and Growing,

November 19, 2019. https://www.greenandgrowing.org/many-trees-cut-each-year-help/.

MasterClass. “How to Make Plantable Seed Paper at Home - 2020.” MasterClass. MasterClass,

November 8, 2020.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-plantable-seed-paper-at-home.

Medical University, Upstate. “Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, Paper, PAPER… TOO

MUCH PAPER!” TG News. Upstate Medical University, 2016.

Paperworks, Botanical. “5 Main Reasons Clients Use Seed Paper Promotional Products.”

Botanical PaperWorks. Botanical PaperWorks, September 1, 2020.

 13

https://botanicalpaperworks.com/blog/5-main-reasons-clients-use-seed-paper-promotiona

l-products/.

Pivnenko, Kostyantyn, David Laner, and Thomas F. Astrup. “Material Cycles and Chemicals:

Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of Contaminants in Paper Recycling.” ​Environmental

Science & Technology​ 50, no. 22 (2016): 12302–11.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b01791.

Services, USI Web. “Paper Recycling Facts.” University of Southern Indiana, 2020.

https://www.usi.edu/recycle/paper-recycling-facts/.

Wasnak, Lindsey. “Lindsey Wasnak.” Every Seed Counts, November 1, 2020.

https://sites.google.com/view/seedpaper/home.
 14

Figure 3.) “Basil 1”, Lindsey Wasnak

Figure 4.) “Zinnia 1”, Lindsey Wasnak

 15

Figure 5.) “Spinach 1”, Lindsey Wasnak

Figure 6.) “Cat Grass 1”, Lindsey Wasnak

 16

Figure 7.) “Day 3 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak

Figure 8.) “Day 5 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak

 17

Figure 9.) “Day 15 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak

Figure 10.) “Day 30 of Plant Development”, Lindsey Wasnak

 18

Figure 11.) “Day 45 of Plant Development 1”, Lindsey Wasnak

Figure 12.) “Day 45 of Plant Development 2”, Lindsey Wasnak

 19

Figure 30.) Lindsey Wasnak’s “Every Seed Counts” Website and 3D Gallery and Direct Links

Site: https://sites.google.com/view/seedpaper/home.

3D Gallery: ​https://www.artsteps.com/embed/5fa8838a58511f3742bdf32e/560/31

Video: ​https://youtu.be/P8SOJ9PLbcs
20
 21

Figure 31.) Exhibition Invitations

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23
24
25