To draw attention to the relationship between humans and the incredible amount of waste we produce every day, the guys from the Salzig Design studio in Holland built this temple using 100 tons of recycled plastic bottles.
The Temple of Trash is a temporary structure, and was built in Rotterdam, Holland for the 2007 Follydock Festival. The Temple is 25 meters long, 10 meters wide and 7 meters tall.
What would researchers of the future say if they came across this temple while conducting their excavations?
via Salzig Design, Core77, Inhabitat
It’s an irony of faith. Usually, when you buy a little tree, the roots and the soil around it are held together by a black plastic bag. The seedlings used for reforestation also come “wrapped” in bags. Now, imagine how much plastic is thrown away after they are planted—the bags are not reused to hold new seedlings to avoid contamination.
With this in mind… Scientists from the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) together with Corn Products Brasil and BASF have created an “ecologically correct” and rigid plastic that can be used to manufacture tubes for seedlings.
The new material is made with EcobrasTM—a BASF’s biodegradable and compostable plastic that contains a corn-based vegetal polymer—and vegetal fibers such as ground cassava bark and coconut fibers. The material decomposes when in contact with microorganisms present in the soil, generating water, CO2 and biomass.
According to Elias Hage Júnior, professor and coordinator of the project, this partnership between UFSCar and these multinational companies arises from the fact that EcobrasTM is a flexible material and can’t be used to manufacture sufficiently hard molded pieces. He says that the new compost can be used to manufacture any type of molded piece—the cassava bark provides rigidity and the fiber offers mechanical resistance, making the material less likely to rupture—meant to be disposable, such as package trays.
The first step of the project, responsible for adapting the use of the cassava bark and the coconut fiber was complete in the beginning of 2009. From now on, they need to optimize the process and improve the product. Then, it will have to be produced in large scale.
The idea is good. But there is a controversy. Some experts say that biodegradable plastic decomposes quickly because it breaks down into tiny pieces. This could pollute rivers. Others say that because the material “breaks down,” it is easily decomposed and safer for the environment. Oh my, I’m feeling so critical lately.
As the saying goes “A stitch in time saves nine.” So, people, get ready. It is not enough to take our own fabric bag when we go shopping at the drugstore or the supermarket. ThaĂs Horta, educator and coordinator of the A3P program in the city of Sao Paulo, said recently during a lecture that she refuses to drink coffee or water in plastic cups. The solution? She always carries a mug and a squeeze bottle in her purse.
If somebody offers her a drink in a plastic cup, Horta uses her super ceramic mug. The squeeze bottle, adopted by many people, is “used” to drink water. What does it have to do with the plastic container in the title? A-ha. When she goes to the bakery to buy cold meats, she takes her own plastic container! By doing this, she avoids using plastic and paper that would end up in the garbage.
Girls, she gave a suggestion for our shower. Rinsing off hair conditioner requires a lot of water—especially if you have long hair, like myself. So… Horta chooses leave-in hair products. She said that this gives movement to her hair—and she sure had shining hair.
What is A3P
The Public Administration Environmental Agenda (A3P) is a program that seeks to implement good practices in public institutions in order to preserve the environment. Their actions range from implementing the use of recycled paper to checking the building’s pipes. Horta told us that Edificio Martinelli, a historical building located in downtown Sao Paulo, used to spend, per day, an amount of water that could fill 10 olympic-size swimming pools. After the remodeling, the building is saving R$100,000 Brazilian reals in their water bill. Another example of the A3P work: an amount equivalent to 10% of the Brazilian GDP is spent on government purchases. The government program stimulates the purchase of “green” products—less harmful to the nature. To find out more about the program, click here.
Note: I’ve just spotted, from my bedroom window, a flock of migratory birds flying towards the coast. How cute!
Ever since we moved to this apartment, we only had a cleaner coming here once. My daughter doesn’t like to have people touching her things. So, I resort to my eco-friendly cleaning tricks and use vinegar and baking soda to leave our place spotless.
I like to use vinegar; it works great and doesn’t leave a smell. I soak a sponge with vinegar and rub it on the mold accumulated on the tile joints. Then, I just rinse it up. If you like, just leave it from one day to the next without rinsing it. You don’t need to use any chlorine or bleach. When the tiles are very dirty, I add a little bit of baking soda, in the proportion of four coffee spoons for 500ml of vinegar. You can find some other cool and practical tips here, on this post: An exceptional wine.
My next experiment with vinegar will be to erase the scribbles left by Little Princess on the walls, while a new coat of paint doesn’t come. I’ve already tried it on a tiny piece of the wall and it worked like a charm. Pure vinegar or vinegar mixed with an equal part of hot water can erase every trace of color pens, crayons and color pencils.
My back complains. I need to convince my daughter to change her mind and call the cleaner back. After all, cleaning white tiles and a wall full of scribbles is not a piece of cake!
This piece unites the functionality of a lamp with plant pots, bringing a little more green to the interior of a house. The lamp uses a special light bulb created by Osram, called Floraset, which promises to stimulate plant’s growth.
Introduced during the 2009 Milan Design Week, this piece was created by Laura Fiaschi and Gabriele Pardi, designers from the Italian studio Gumdesign, for Tredicidesign.
Source: ArchiPortale
This is this week’s slogan of two top US retailers specialized in custom t-shirts and other items, in celebration of Earth Day. During this entire week, whenever you buy a Threadless tee or any Zazzle product you will be donating US$1 for the PlantABillion.org and AmericanForests organizations, respectively.
Here are some precious tips to keep your kitchen, the heart of your home, ecologic and sustainable.
Step 1: Reduce your water consumption
Use flow reducers in your faucets to cut down your water consumption.
Step 2: dishwashers can save water
If you fully load your dishwasher (the same applies to washing machines) and select the appropriate washing and drying cycle, you can actually save water. Tests conducted in the United States show that rinsing plates before putting them in the dishwasher wastes up to 75 liters of water. And we all know that we can reuse the water used by the machine to wash our kitchen and/or courtyard…
Step 3: biodegradable soap, please.
Make an effort to use biodegradable soap everywhere: in the dishwasher (as far as I know, we don’t have any biodegradable dishwashing soap in Brazil), washing machine, and the rest of the house. Unfortunately, there isn’t any study— let alone any unbiased evidence—that shows us which soap is really biodegradable. However, we do have a recipe for a home-made ecologic soap…
Step 4: Use organic waste to make organic compounds
You can get free fertilizers out of food-wastes. I’ve already showed the solution here: Terra Boa composter. You can also have your own home-made composter—no matter if you live in an apartment or a house.
Step 5: Reduce the amount of packaging
At the grocery store, avoid buying those (organic) lettuce heads that come in a polystyrene tray and wrapped in a plastic film. Stay away from things that use too much packaging. Buy larger beverage and yogurt bottles or cartons (which, by the way, are easier to recycle). At home, forget plastic films and aluminum foil; use bowls with lids instead (read the next step, please).
Step 6: Trade plastic for glass
Instead of using plastic products to preserve your leftovers (Ziploc bags or plastic containers) use the newest glass or stainless steel sets (with lids). Ok, many types of plastic can be recycled but they all come from oil, remember?
Step 7: heat just the amount you need
This is a sensational tip. If you are going to heat a small portion of food or some leftover, then your microwave oven or toaster will consume less energy than a conventional oven or stove. Personally, I’ve been heating only the exact amount of tea, coffee or water (mate!) that I’m going to drink…
Step 8: energy-efficient appliances
Always choose energy-efficient appliances when buying them.
Step 9: Small potted plants for freshing-up
Potted herbs not only make your kitchen look prettier but also absorb CO2 and release oxygen… Easy and simple.
Step 10: reduce, reduce, reduce
None of this matters if we don’t change our consumption habits and start consuming less. This is fundamental.
Inspired on tips available at the Better Home and Gardens website; tip by LuMonte
Photo: Green Your Home, Kimberly Faye’s Flickr
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