Aesthetics of Sustainability

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Terrarium Pictures

Below are pictures of my terrarium, whose fate is as of yet uncertain. We shall see how it goes...

NOTE: The bad pictures will very soon be replaced by better ones very soon!

The Major of New York City, Michael Bloomberg,
who has made “energy efficiency the cornerstone of his
administration”, is currently planning on putting wind
turbines above skyscrapers and bridges around the city.

Specifically because of past black outs within New York
City, Bloomberg believes that using wind turbines directly
in the city will allow enough energy produced to back up the
city, without the problem of week power grids.

As I addressed in my previous reports, the United States is
still using a power grid that is not strong enough to transfer
power from wind turbines in rural areas to cities (Like New
York City). While updating the country’s power grid would
be ideal, it is extremely exspenisve and would require going
through numerous state legislaters. Bloomberg’s plan to
place wind turbines directly in an area that needs energy
but can’t neccasarely rely on a power grid to get is basically
the next best thing.

The plan is still in early stages, so which sky scrapers and
bridges will be used in the plan are still un specified, though
Bloomberg acknowledged the importance of city officals
working with property owners to maxamize the efficiency of
the project.

Locations in Queens, Long Island, and Brooklyn will probably
be the first locations in which turbines will be built.
According to the New York Times, these places alone
could generate 10 percent of the city’s electricity needs in
10 years.

Several companies are already experimenting with different
types of “Urban-friendly” wind turbines. Smaller turbines
would be required above buildings, while larger, more
similar to rural turbines would be used on shores and
bridges.

According to researchers, “the iea of renewable power in
New York is realistic”, but expecting a drastic change in
how the city gets it’s power in the next ten years is
unrealistic.

Aside wind turbines, Bloomberg is also interested in using
solar panels above buildings as well. He believes
companies could buy individual panels and sell the energy
produced to residents within the city.

Before Wind and Hydro: The building blocks of a sustainable nation

Scandinavia could be considered one of the leaders in sustainable and environmentally friendly business practice and technology development, through the examples outlined in the previous green market article and to be described through product in the next article. However, how did they get to where they are now?

No happy accident

The rise of green and sustainable culture in the Scandinavian region was no accident. In fact, even before the technology existed, the mindset of sustainable practice was already there. Sweden’s history is a good example of how the building blocks to sustainability were present for many decades before it became a top-of-mind issue. It all started in 1973, with the OPEC-fueled oil crisis. This event, an oil embargo by OPEC on all nations that would support Israel in its conflict with Syria, Egypt, and Iraq, provided a dire lesson to the government of Sweden on nonrenewable commodity-based energy. This lesson was enough to prompt the nation into looking into not only alternative energy sources, but ways to conserve energy as well.

Some of the simplest yet most effective practices were in city and home planning. Houses were built with windows only facing the south, east, or west. A certain style of wall insulation for wooden homes had already been in use since the turn of the century. In addition, in 1975 a new Code of Building practice was established that helped to ensure houses used energy as efficiently as possible.

The first in a new energy legacy

The first real renewable energy source Sweden turned to was Solar. Solar was used to varying degrees of success, due to the countries northern locale. Solar panels were first applied to buildings to assist in the heating of water in the individual building. But as time went on, solar was utilized in larger grids, and to cut down on the amount of non-renewable fuel needed to run buildings. This later became subsumed by wind and hydroelectric power, which works better in the low solar-radiation climate of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its clear to see that Sweden, and Scandinavia have been in the renewable frame of mind for a long time in coming.

Product Design

Yet another week of exploration of the future of product design and where it is going in the future. Im gathering a wide range of information and resources to use on my final installation.

Weekly Number 9

Report 8 - Aveda

Aveda is showing leadership in sustainable development. The company is maximizing the efficiency of their office by purchasing wind power, illuminating work areas with sunlight, and repairing broken palettes for continued use with Forestry Stewardship Council-certified lumber.

"At Aveda, we can change the world by changing the way the world does business," says Aveda President Dominique Conseil." As stewards of the Earth, Aveda’s indigenous partners help ensure that our ingredients and products are both high quality and high integrity."

The manufacturer of earthy products hosted a gathering of "green" manufacturers which Aveda attended. Aveda hosted a conference for the Sustainable Packaging Committee of the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

Since 1991 Aveda has implemented energy-efficient lighting, machines and infrastructure; reconfigured the wastewater-disposal system to use gravity instead of electrical pumps and installed native plantings to further filter industrial wastewater before int enters the watershed.

An EcoPartners group met at Aveda where Aveda pointed out: Electrical power used at the Blaine campus and the Aveda Institute in MPLS is 100% offset by renewable wind energy purchases. Aveda reuses corugated cardboard, reducing the amount by 29% since 2000. In 2008 they recycled 62% of all solid manufacturing waste and it is working to further reduce even its recycled waste through reuse.

Aveda uses old bottle caps in the production of the Vintage Clove shampoo packaging. Anyone can drop off bottle caps at any Aveda. Aveda also retrofitted their manufacturing headquarters building at a cost that outstrips the value of the property. The company created an indoor water tower to ensure a constant supply of reusable chilling water and implemented a gravity wastewater system. (1)

1. Star Tribune - Tues. OCT 14th. Business D5 The beauty of green: Spreading the gospel by Maria Elena Baca - 612.673.4409

A Day at the Arboretum

The Five Panels are here.

Thank you.

Population Song

My song that shows the evolution of man and its stages, including a final optimistic look towards our future.

part four image of soil described in part 1

no till farming guide part 3

no till farming guide part 2

sources will be listed soon

Terrarium!

here are some shots of my Terrarium. The green plant is called Babies Tears, unfortunately I don't remember the name of the redish one. They have both been doing very well the past two-three weeks or so. I even have a little water left from the first desalinization process. Sleven, my roommates cat still wishes it was a fishbowl...

Coca-Cola Becoming Water Neutral! or so they say...

http://k.homes.mcad.edu/~kblock/cocacolawater.pdf

the link to my report on Coca-Cola announcing it's plan to become totally water neutral by 2010.

on a totally side note regarding layout, for once I'm actually proud of the presentation of my report. Past ones weren't so great but something clicked here for me.