Modern Life Doesn’t Grow On Trees!
Discovering Geology – Critical raw materials teaching resources
‘Modern life doesn’t grow on trees’ is a touring festival stand, curated and designed by BGS’s public engagement team and scientists, which will tour summer festivals from 2023.
There are six sections to explore:
About the Commoditree
The stand focuses on the Commoditree, a brand-new public-engagement installation from BGS that has been funded by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre.
Members of the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, pictured with The Commoditree. BGS © UKRI.
Commoditree BGS © UKRI.
At first glance, the tree is a sculpture reflecting the natural surroundings of its festival environment; on closer inspection, it has all the electrical trappings of modern life emerging from its branches like fruit, or winding around its trunk like vines. The gadgets appear to grow from mineral specimens embedded in its roots. Standing at 3 m tall, the tree is imposing, intriguing and lets visitors trace the ways in which minerals and rocks extracted from below our feet are intrinsically wound into our modern lives. 3D-printed mineral crystals in the roots can be pressed like buttons to light up paths to their related gadgets, and solar panels and miniature wind turbines are nestled in the branches of the tree, bringing home the reality to visitors that clean energy technologies also rely to some extent on the extractive industries.
Some objects will be familiar and others surprising … visitors should leave asking themselves if a disposable vape is really the best use of a Li-ion battery!
The sections below explore in more detail how critical minerals are used in our everyday lives.
Critical minerals in our everyday lives
Critical minerals in households
There are lots of items in our houses that rely on minerals, from kettles and windows to microwaves and food cans. The items in this section are based on elements extracted from pyrolusite, chromite and cassiterite.
Critical minerals in infrastructure
Minerals can be combined and used at large scales to create our infrastructure! The items in this section are based on some of the main elements used in infrastructure.
Critical minerals in lifestyle
Live, laugh, look at what we have here! This section is all about lifestyle and these items are based on bismuth and other elements extracted from the minerals ilmenite and monazite.
Critical minerals in medicine
Health is wealth and this section is all about medical uses of critical materials. Have you ever had an X-ray? What about a trip to the dentist? If you have, then you will have relied on equipment that contains elements extracted from rutile, rhodochrosite and sphalerite
Critical minerals in renewables
If the future is green then our energy must be clean! Items in this section represent renewable energy and are reliant on ores like chalcopyrite, bastnasite and graphite.
Critical minerals in technology
From phones and laptops to headphones and tablets, this section is based on the elements extracted from spodumene and quartz, and the element cobalt, that we use to make our technology.
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Critical minerals resources
Our modern lives rely on a whole host of metals and minerals that are extracted from the ground. Available resources include classroom activities and a touring festival stand.
Critical raw materials classroom activities
Our modern lives rely on a whole host of metals and minerals that are extracted from the ground. These curriculum-linked lessons are designed to engage pupils with the idea of Critical Minerals.