Pulpwatch.org

Pulpwatch.org is from the environment paper network, which is an ongoing project monitoring pulp mills. Before paper is produced in a paper mill, the wood must go through a pulp mill which converts it into a material for making paper. A pulp mill uses a high amount energy and at the same time releases a high amount of pollutants to air and water. On the map the mills are marked from good to bad, green to red respectively, based on the basic criteria set by the environment paper network.



From the map, we can see the location of pulp mills on the high demand of pulp is needed from different parts of the world, whether it is sustainable or not. For example, one company in Indonesia PT KERTAS NUSANTARA process 525,000 metric ton per year and have really bad management about forestry certification, bleaching technology, social conflicts and endangered forest rating. This map can give us a clear idea on the impact of paper industry as a whole from social to environmental problems.

Green Brochures

Brochures or pamphlets are commonly used for advertising events, places, hotels, products, services, etc. This is surely informative for people to get more information but the problems about paper brochures are they are produced in mass quantities and a lot of excess waste is generated. This certainly has an impact to the environment and to tackle this problem, Save Our Trees, a non profit international environment project is promoting the use of digital green brochures to reduce paper consumption. They also provide a free conversion from printed brochures into a 3D page digital format.

An example of digital green brochure,
http://www.tourismbrochures.net/businessbrochures/sidi_saler/index.htm

This is certainly a good way to make deforestation lesser where from the statistics from this project shows that by converting 240,000 pages of brochures, magazines, manuals and catalogues saves around 700,000 trees per year. TourismBrochures.net portal is also part of this project where the aim of this project is to give out information to tourists before going to the places they wish to travel. They hope to give out the most accurate information and also to reduce printed brochures so that less trees will be cut down for printing purposes.

Paper dress

What can we do with old phonebooks lying around? One of the best ways to get rid of old phonebooks is to recycle it, to reduce waste, reduce usage of raw material and many more benefits. But another good way is to up-cycle it into another product using the most of its potential. Jolis Poans is an artist who makes dress using old phonebooks. This dress is made by hand, from being sewed, glued and stuck together. Instead of making dress using regular material like cotton, this material is a good substitute to make beautiful dress in order to reduce carbon emission.

Black/African-descent communities of Choco, Colombia

These are the videos I showed for my presentation. As I only showed very little that day, I thought you might like to have a better look at them and understand why I feel the need of helping this community.

Effects of Plan Colombia on Black Colombia

Float House for Make It Right Foundation

Brad Pitt has been making waves in the green building world lately, so it’s only appropriate that the newest house completed for his Make It Right Foundation project be a floating one. Being revealed today in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, the Float House by Morphosis Architects, goes beyond sustainable design and construction and is built within the context of its environment – it can float. In case of flooding, the home can literally break away from it’s moorings and rise up up to 12 feet on two guideposts. It won’t float away, but it will act as a raft and provide the family with enough battery power to allow them to survive for up to three days until help arrives.



Thom Mayne, founder of Morphosis and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, wanted to build a home that could survive through hurricane flooding as well fit in with the surrounding homes. He and his team designed a house that was essentially built on a chassis of polystyrene foam and covered with glass-reinforced concrete. During hurricane flooding conditions, the home could break away from its electrical lines, gas and plumbing and rise with the flood waters. Anchored to its site by two guideposts the home could sustain 12 foot high flood waters.

While it has never been tested in real life flood conditions, Morphosis conducted extensive computer simulations and modeled it to withstand Hurricane Katrina-like conditions. There is also a battery backup in the home with enough capacity to power crucial appliances for up to three days.

As with all Make It Right homes, the Float House is built with environmentally friendly materials, but in contrast to the other homes, this one is built on the ground level rather than 12 feet above the ground. Mayne and Morphosis wanted to retain the look of the existing community and make it more accessible to people who didn’t want to or couldn’t get up a huge flight of stairs. Mayne says about the house and design, “Hopefully it never gets used. But when it gets used, it’s important.”

Tap Project

This project call 'Tap project' by UNICEF. The water vending machine was installed in Manhattan, US and the project is to help African who suffer from dirty water and other disease such as malaria and cholera. The water is really dirty water so never drinking. It just donate programme and to raise awareness of clean water importance.

Becoming vegetarian will help save the planet

Here's a reason to be a vegetarian or, at least, a semi-veggie: Trimming your meat consumption by 30% would benefit you and the rest of the planet, according to research reported by Reuters.

The most meat-loving nations would have healthier citizens and also would reduce carbon emissions, scientists said.

Researchers in Great Britain and Australia have found that certain measures, like reducing fossil-fuel dependence in farming, aren't enough to meet emissions targets, reports Reuters.

But if these steps were combined with a 30% cutback in livestock breeding in key meat-producing nations, and a similar reduction in meat consumption, there would be "substantial population health benefits" and reduced emissions.

So, how much healthier would people be if they passed on the steaks and burgers?

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, noted that in Great Britain alone, a 30% smaller intake of animal-based saturated fats by adults would slash the number of premature deaths from heart disease by 17%, says Reuters.

And Sao Paolo, Brazil, would have 1,000 fewer premature deaths a year if residents cut back on meat eating by 30%, Reuters notes.

Some 18% of all greenhouse-gas emissions can be attributed to meat production, according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization.

By 2030, rising demand for meat could drive livestock production up by 85% from 2000 levels, Reuters reports.

Polar Bear

www.planestupid.com

I saw this today. Horrific!

Icebreaker Merino clothes

Here you can trace the origin of the Merino wool they use for their garments, listen and watch stories about their farmers, and read about the company's philosophy..You need a BAACODE to do all this, here's one: 7B5FFE27B!

http://www.icebreaker.com/site/index.html

"The Footprint Chronicles" of Patagonia

On this mini website you can trace the manufacturing process of the Patagonia's new collection items: water/energy consumption, distance traveled, carbon dioxide emitted, waste generated, etc...

http://www.patagonia.com/web/eu/footprint/index.jsp

Cameron Sinclair on open-source architecture

2006 Ted Prize Award Winner Cameron Sinclair talks about Open Source Architecture. Open Source Architecture Network is an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. It was born from the wish Cameron Sinclair made when he accepted the 2006 TED Prize: to build a global, open-source network where architects, governments and NGOs can share and implement design plans to house the world.

"My wish to develop a community that actively embraces innovative and sustainable design to improve living conditions for all"

Until this day he still works in the development of Open Source Architecture together with Architecture for Humanity: a nonprofit that helps architects apply their skills to humanitarian efforts.

These come form trees - case study

http://thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com/

These Come from Trees is an experimental project about the environment, particularly paper waste. Their aim is to save thousands of trees, by spreading the message about paper wastage though the use of stickers. So far more than 50,000 stickers have been distributed since 2007. By placing this sticker on objects or products which is associated with paper, it gives out a direct statement to the user, so that to be more aware about paper wastage and thus using less paper. This was proven when an elementary school teacher introduced this to the school; the stickers were posted on a paper towel dispenser. A year later the school managed to reduce from 129 cases of paper towels to 95 cases. They manage to save 34 cases of paper towels and from statistics 34 cases is worth 1800 pounds of paper, which is equivalent to 18 trees. These stickers not only change people’s attitude towards paper usage but also is linked with bigger issue such as financial for example in the case of the elementary school where they can save money from purchasing less cases of paper towels.

Shrinkpaper - Case study

http://www.shrinkpaper.org/

At shrinkpaper.org, it tells us the facts about paper wastage which is increasing rapidly around the world. The production of paper is increasing and thus causing more destruction to forests, pollutions and the rise of carbon emission. From this project, they’re aim is to see future Europe that consume less paper than its current state, since Europe(besides America) consume 6 times more paper compare to other countries.

They give advices and suggestions so that they will be a significant change to paper consumption like to reduce the amount of virgin pulp used, using recyclable paper, changing the social behavior, etc. On the website, you can also take a pledge about reducing paper consumption, where it is broken down into several categories which you can choose then it will calculate how many trees are saved, how much energy and water are saved and the amount of pollution we create less. Maybe then it will set an example to the paper industries if majority of the society is concerned about paper waste.

Working for Cleaner Beaches

How we're improving and and protecting our bathing waters.

India’s Barefoot Solar Engineers Are Building a Brighter Future

Throughout India there are many rural villages that are completely removed from the grid. With no source of power for cooking, light, and heating they currently must rely on firewood, kerosene or diesel for fuel. Now green jobs are blossoming throughout these remote areas as the Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme rains women and youth to become barafoot solar engineers. This brilliant initiative provides a bright future for the semi-literate and illiterate rural poor by teaching them to harness the sun through the construction of photovoltaic systems and solar powered lanterns.

The initiative makes a lot of sense – rather than dropping down solar technology from above, teach those who will use it how it works and they’ll be able to repair it, will pass the information on to others in need, and will benefit from the green jobs that are created. The Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme (funded by the UK’s Department for International Development) also stands to increase the availability of renewable energy, reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuels, and cut down on the use of dangerous kerosene lamps.

Talsa Miniaka, Pulka Wadeka, Minakshi Diwan, and Bundei Hidreka are four barefoot solar engineers in Tinginapu, in the Eastern Ghats of Orissa. Thanks to their training they now have a contract to build 3,000 solar-powered lanterns for schools and other institutions. These lanterns enable students to study after dark without using kerosene lamps and have encouraged local businesses by enabling villagers to work at night from their homes.

Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme

Bottle Bank Arcade Machine

Many of us return our plastic bottles and cans. Noticeably fewer recycle their glass. Maybe that's because we don't get any money in return, as we do for cans and plastic. Can we change this attitude by making recycling glass fun to do? So you are not just rewarded with a good conscience, you also get a smile. See the results here.

The Bottle Bank Arcade is a recycling bin that encourages a higher rate of returns by rewarding bottle recyclers with musical notes and tons of fun. It’s one of several kooky and kinetic entries in The Fun Theory competition, which will award £2500 ($4185) for the best idea that proves “fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior … be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different.

LINK

The pedal powered stage

Sam Isaac - Carbon Dating - The Pedal Sessions from Magnificent Revolution on Vimeo.

Here's a nice video of the pedal powered stage I've mentioned this afternoon. You might want to check out Magnificent Revolution's other projects such as the pedal powered cinema or pedal powered home on their website. They're also organising bike generator workshops across britain in which you can learn the basics about building one by your own.

Remotely controlled garden using Twitter and Arduino

via instructables.com

I'm always excited when I come across projects in which interaction, open source technology and social media is being used in resilient everyday design proposals and appliances. So, here's a great instructable about how to build a remotely controlled garden using the open-source electronics prototyping platform Arduino and Twitter. Instructable user natantus had the brilliant idea to combine the "Tweet-a-Watt" power-metering project with the automated garden how-to "Garduino". In this step by step tutorial you'll learn how to build your own garden that you can monitor from work, university or with your smartphone via Twitter.

http://www.biomimicry.net/

Learning from Lotus Plants How to Clean without Cleaners
Learning from Human Lungs How to Sequester Carbon
Learning from Nature How to Create Flow Without Friction
Learning From Chimpanzees How to Heal Ourselves
Etc.....

http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/case_studies.php

Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family's farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key.

It is an interesting documentary on Peak Oil and it’s potential impact on farming. It is also an introduction to Permaculture as a way of designing a way out from the reliance in agriculture on fossil fuels.

Here is the link to the YouTube playlist to watch the entire show (takes around one hour).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xShCEKL-mQ8&feature=PlayList&p=9975CC0E8CC2CDDE&index=0&playnext=1

http://www.loveletterstothefuture.com/

Imagine that you could write a love letter to the future - what would it say?

Future generations will be living with the consequences of whatever action we take - or do not take - on climate change, would you send them messages of hope and inspiration - or regret? Your message is important!

A time capsule has been built that will be permanently installed in Copenhagen - the site of the upcoming UN Climate Summit this December. The capsule will store love letters from this generation to the future - either as text, images or video - using technology we hope will maintain their survival for approximately five hundred years.

Post Petroleum City

A city which will entirely rely on solar power. According to their measurements their solar power have been tested to produce twice the energy output that they would in a European climate.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/masdar-city-tour.php

Stewart Brand: Whole Earth Discipline

Stewart Brand, the publisher of the Whole Earth Catalogue back in the 60's proposes a whole different view on slums. Villages of the earth are drying out and it's in town where poor people find opportunity, action and a cash economy. Slum dwellers are poor but intensely creative and urban. Considering population growth on earth in the next decades, squatters are building the world. Brand's notion is that slums do not undermine prosperity instead they help to create prosperity. Although I don't agree on every point with him, his TED talk is an interesting presentation about a completely different approach on the topics of cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo-engineering which will surely provoke widespread debate.

mapping

New York travel times on commuter rail



The map of Japan which was made by time of movement and Sugiwura Kohei.

Daniel Goleman on Ecological Intelligence

Daniel Goleman is a psychologist and the author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence. His newest book, Ecological Intelligence, is a look through the haze of the true cost of what we buy. He places a strong emphasis on industrial life cycle assessment, a discipline that blends industrial engineering and chemistry with environmental science and biology — in order to assess how man-made systems impact natural ones.

Listen to the Interview on Treehugger Radio:

In the interview Goleman mentions goodguide.com a website which claims to "help you find better products that represent your values, avoid products that are harmful to your health, the environment, or society – and enable you to take actions to help improve the world."

Here is another talk:

Jonas Bendiksen: The Places We Live

In addition to our discussions yesterday about alter-economies and population growth, an article on change observer: design observer gains insight into Jonas Bendiksen's work. Bendiksen, a Norwegian photographer, lived in slums for several months while recording and photographing daily life and people in slums around the globe.

Read the article
View the slideshow

http://www.ageofstupid.net/

The UN climate summit will meet in Copenhagen in December 2009 to finalise the successor to the Kyoto Treaty. If the new deal is not as strong as the science demands - massive cuts in global emissions starting very soon - then it will be nothing short of a suicide pact. Right now, the most ambitious plans being put forward by any rich nation would give us a 50% chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change. We think humanity deserves better.

Green thing

"Green Thing is a not-for-profit public service that inspires people to lead a greener life. With the help of brilliant videos and inspiring stories from creative people and community members around the world, Green Thing focuses on seven things you can do - and enjoy doing."

>Do the Green Thing

Social lending platforms

Following on our discussion of (alter-)economies in studio today, you may be interested to have a look at 'webank,' which investigates alternative structures of finance, from lending to currency exchange.

Also check out this Nesta-related project:
>Big Green Challenge

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/

Hi guys!I found this BBC website its quite funny..have a look!

This is the link to the program for the mapping. There are others around the web but this is really easy to manage and not too heavy. It is open source and... have fun!

http://vue.tufts.edu/download/index.cfm

Greens: too radical or too conservative?

A series of BBC programmes addresses whether Green thinking and practice is either too radical or too conservative to be taken up by wider publics. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8308989.stm

Today: The Bigger Picture | Festival of Interdependence

Just stumbled upon The Bigger Picture Festival while checking 350.org for some action today, the international day of climate action. See the detailed programme here. See you there!

UPDATE: Some great impressions of the festival can be found on NEF's or Kate Andrews Flickr site.

http://www.worldmapper.org/

Thames21

Thames21 is an environmental charity working with communities to bring London's waterways to life. Thames21 mobilise thousands of volunteers every year to clean up waterside grot-spots, remove graffiti and create new habitats for wildlife. Thames21 aim to transform neglected and littered waterways into areas that everyone can use and enjoy by encouraging all Londoners to treat their waterways with care and respect.

Video : The River Cleaners
Website : Thames21

Rainwater Harvesting System

Rainwater harvesting is surely one of the most effective ways to cope with problems regarding water such as the lack of water, reducing the impact on the environment, saving money, mitigating flood, and so on. It allows to reduce water bill by up to 50%, which is used to replace mains water in non-potable applicants like toliet, washing machine, irriation, vehicle washing.

This is public interest advertising regarding rainwater harvesting by the Centre for Science and Environment in India.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWnhYIIKY0U

I am going to study on Rainwater Harvesting System and would like to produce design works that encourage people to be interested in it.

Gathering Spaces

Debate of architecture is offer the opportunity to possibility of to experience architecture. It can mix the disciple and bring things together which may bring an interesting out come together.

Architecture with no wall will allow everybody into the space and become part of the freedom in the park.

A gathering space is a structure which invite people to interact, to climb on, to go inside, start to walk around and walk pass the structure.

The two images above are the fixed open structure which allow people gather around. They bring the "new experience" to the local and become some kind of landmark and attraction. They are in different form the 1st one the structure melt into the surrounding by using aluminum plate as a roof and reflect the sky. The 2nd one just like bring something normally in indoor to outdoor which represent as bring something out to the public.

Air Forest to create the public to converge and spark dialogue across the city through innovative cultural initiatives. The structure is to create a temporary public space to be utilized in a vast array of scheduled events (such as the Yoga Health Festival, a cocktail party for the convention, a high school play, Dialog: City closing party) as well as for the general public to enjoy.

The dome expands and organically adjusts to its surroundings, be it in a field, a wooded park, or below a highway overpass. The material is a sturdy, specially-designed translucent plastic, allowing the varying events taking place inside of the shelter – dance parties, lecture series, or dinner buffets – to be entirely visible from the outside and likewise the exterior environments become the events’ backdrops.

3rd and the 4th are inflatable structure using membrane and air pump to create the form. They have a high flexibility and can be easily transport. Air forest is more close to the nature as it didn't draw any boundary. The dome create a transparent indoor space and create an intimate atmosphere.

F2H: Flood Harnessing Housing

The concept of harvesting energt from river waves to power.
VIDEO

Sustainability Now - Event on 8-9 December 2009

Sustainability Now is a virtual event which means there's no cost or travel involved in attending, thereby reducing the event’s carbon footprint. It's all accessible straight from your computer.


About the event

The event is an opportunity for professionals working across architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, project management and construction to discuss and collaborate on cost effective sustainability.

Conference programme

The event programme will be released soon and will focus on the following 4 areas:

* Refurbishment: This remains the single biggest challenge for construction. How to tackle the footprint of existing buildings.

* Passivhaus: Looking at this design technique as a solution to low carbon design, both for housing and for other building types (schools, offices e.t.c.).

* Data/embodied energy: Two overlapping themes that underpin sustainability in the built environment. Including an examination of embodied energy used in construction projects.

* Green entrepreneurs: Is the time of a recession a great opportunity to start a new business? We look at the people involved and how green thinking impacts on their professional lives.