Archive for the 'Environment' Category
Green cellphone
novatrices de transport
Having An Environmental Movement
we use them and they’re great.
from the website…
gDiapers loves the Earth.
For the last 40 years there have been but two choices in diapers. Cloth or disposable. That’s it. Now gDiapers offers a third option. Flushable. gDiapers puts waste where it belongs, in the toilet. Not the landfill.
gDiapers have no elemental chlorine, no perfumes, no smell, no garbage and no guilt. In fact, flushables are so gentle on the Earth you can even garden compost the wet ones in one compost cycle, approximately 50 – 150 days. Just think of the standing ovation you’ll get from the planet.
Cradle to Cradle.
cradle to cradleWhy are gDiapers good for the planet? It is simple. Our flushables are designed using the Cradle to Cradle design principles of Bill McDonough and his firm MBDC. That means everything that goes into one of our flushables gets re-absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way. So you are turning waste into a resource. At the same time, you are putting poop in the toilet, where it belongs, and avoiding the landfill issue all together.
We Can Do Better Than Zero
I applaud the zero footprint initiative. In many ways, it gives people real-life, measurable goals to achieve. I’m heartened by the fact that institutions and municipalities are joining in on the initiative. I wonder though, if it’s a bit short-sighted and even negative in it’s goals. Surely we can do better than “zero”. I think we definitely have to try to have a positive impact on the earth, rather than a “less-negative” one.
Striving for “zero” (and incidently likely never reaching it) simply means that we’re working within existing structures to drain our resources less quickly and poison our earth more slowly. If you read William McDonough & Michael Braungart’s 2002 book “Cradle to Cradle” (mentioned in a previous post), you might see what I’m trying to get at. As a race, we have to take positive action to do more than slow environmental degradation, and more than use more recycled products. We need to create a new way of thinking, living and creating. We need to make our environment better and healthier. To borrow an idea from the book, we need to be eco-effective, not just eco-efficient.
The zero footprint does a great job to measure how lightly we tread, but to be truly effective, it should also measure and promote how we can make the earth better.
I just wanted to give a local e-bike company a bit of a plug here.
Remaking The Way We Make Things
In a previous post, I made reference to the PBS series e2: the economies of being environmentally conscious. William McDonough is featured in a number of the documentaries as an expert on environmentally intelligent solutions for architecture, urbanism, industrial design and sustainability.
His 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things is a manifesto calling a complete re-examination of we live and consume. He challenges designers to create in a way which allows nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist, a system where products can be used, recycled and used again without degrading in quality, “upcycling“
Teach (Astronomy) Differently
I’ve been exploring the recently launched WorldWide Telescope. It’s an extremely rich way to explore and tour the universe. What I think is the most exciting is that users are able to create their own presentations and share them with each other.
Below is a talk from Roy Gould at TED.
I had the unique pleasure of attending a gathering last night to honour the work of Thomas Edvard Krogh, Retired Curator and Founding Director of the Geochronology Laboratory at the Royal Ontario Museum. I’m good friends with his son.
To be sure, I have little or no knowledge of geochronology. Inspiration for learning can be sparked at any time, it seems, so now I’m learning. Maybe you should too.
His obituary states, “Tom approached life with a scientific mind, sharing his insights into geology, cooking, organic gardening, energy efficiency and more. Every experience was seen as an opportunity for learning…”
Building Sustainable Communities
I’ve been sick at home for the last two days, and watching the PBS series e2: the economies of being environmentally conscious. It’s an ongoing documentary series about solutions to current environmental problems. We borrowed it from the library. I couldn’t imagine a documentary series for me, discussing issues of cities, architecture, sustainable communities and environmental issues. Plus, it’s beautifully produced.
Anyways, I just finished the episode “Green for All” which follows architect and activist Sergio Palleroni as he continues his mission to provide design solutions to humanitarian crisis regions. I’ve read a bit about Palleroni and the BaSiC Initiative previously. This documentary does a great job to highlight his aim to inspire architects to be socially responsible; working in under-served communities to create cool and functional buildings in a sustainable way.
