Sustainable Design Update

Ball-Eastaway House, Glen Murcutt Architect

I’m finishing a grant application this weekend.  I have gathered together some Appropriate Technology Collaborative volunteers and designers and asked for their responses to the list of questions we have to answer.  I was amazed by this exercise.  I have a clear vision of what we do, whom we serve and how we get the job done, but hearing about our work from others who put in the time, sweat the details and get projects completed was an eye opening experience. 

One of the deep questions we discussed was why we do what we do.  For the most part we are designers.  ATC has engineers, architects, professors, social scientists and teachers all working hard to create new sustainable, environmentally preferable technologies for people who make less than $2.00 per day.  We have designed some pretty cool things, and the pipeline is full with new projects. 

I think we do what we do because the purpose of design is to improve life.  Everyone has a desire to create good in this world, but real life doesn’t offer many opportunities.   ATC is a place where people come together to create a better world, and ATC is growing.  In addition to our core staff of volunteer engineers and designers, we have student design teams at Michigan State University, The University of Michigan, and students in Paris and Chicago all working on designs to improve the quality of life for people living at the bottom of the economic pyramid. 

We find projects by creating long term relationships with communities in the developing world.  I believe that only by listening and observing life, and living close to the people we serve can we find what people need, what they can afford and what will make their lives better.

I think the expereince of working on real design problems, with very real and very constraining design criteria makes better designers.  I know the experience of working on a project that will help people in distant parts of the world creates a bond between designer and the place, people and culture they serve.

Much of Thanksgiving dinner is rooted in family tradition.  But even while staying within family tradition, there are  ways we can make our dinners more sustainable.  Here is a list of 10 ways to minimize the environmental impact of Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of TakePart: (with minor edits by SDU)

1. Buy produce from your local farmers market.  Rather than eating grapes from Mexico, apples from Argentina or potatoes from China, purchase as much of your holiday produce from a local farmer! takepart with the Eat Well Guide to find one near you.  In addition to finding really yummy fresh food, you are 10 times more likely to have a conversation with a friend or a vendor at the farmer’s market  than you are at the supermarket!

2. Buy organic produce whenever possible.  Organic produce is safer, and tastes better than conventional produce and is readily available at farmers markets and supermarkets nationwide.  Also, look for organic wines, beverages and condiments.  Think of buying organic as supporting supporting farmers instead of multinational petrochemical companies.

3. Support a farm worker.  Thousands of migrant workers labor in dangerous, brutal conditions for little pay to bring food to our table every day. takepart to help to improve the lives of farm workers and their families through the United Farm Workers.

4.Adopt-a-turkey! Yes, you read this correctly.  Millions of turkeys are raised in inhumane, industrial settings.  takepart in Farm Sanctuary’s program to rescue turkeys and you can enjoy a holiday free from animal cruelty.

5. Have a no-waste meal. Think about how much tinfoil, paper goods and leftover food are thrown away, to spend many, many years in a landfill. The average US family wastes $600 worth of food annually. Landfills are a significant source of global warming causing greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, use re-usable products and wash them, if possible in a dishwasher with eco-friendly detergent.

6. Get moving!  The exhaustion you feel on Thanksgiving is from all of the fat, sugar and calories. takepart in a Turkey Trot running race in your community–you’ll feel a lot better and perhaps have a bit more room for pie.

7. Skip turkey. I know it’s bold of me to write this, but I’ve enjoyed turkey-free Thanksgivings for nearly 25  years and the meals are always delicious. Factory farming is inhumane to animals and an extremely dangerous workplace for its workers. You will also greatly reduce your carbon footprint by skipping meat.  The livestock sector accounts for an astounding 1/5 of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

8. Drink delicious tap water.  If you’re concerned about your water quality, Food and Water Watch can help to find the right filtration system for you. Bottled water creates waste, often privatizes water sources and usually isn’t safer or healthier than tap water (and it’s frequently just over-priced tap water).

9. Eat endangered foods. I’m not talking about elephants or whales but foods such as the Capitol Reef Apple, Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce and the Gilfeather Turnip.  takepart in Slow Food USA’s program which encourages individuals to help save foods on the verge of extinction by eating them.  It’s a yummy way to help preserve local cuisines and foods and ensure they remain part of culinary traditions.

10. Share your tips and experiences for how to have a sustainable Thanksgiving!  Click on the “comment” option at the bottom of this blog.

-Ben Connor Barrie

Photo via: William Dalton

Auto Charging Station

At a press conference held in San Francisco City Hall, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with the Mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, joined together with the Bay Area Council, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Better Place of Palo Alto to announce a sweeping plan to reinvigorate the state and region’s competitive advantage in innovative technology through public-private investments in electric vehicles and other elements of “green” infrastructure. This new approach challenges conventional assumptions that economic and environmental recovery are at odds with each other, and aligns them, instead.

Looks Pretty Easy to Find Where to Plug It In

The group defined a vision for encouraging investment in green infrastructure as a means for boosting the state’s competitive advantage while reducing its dependence on oil for transportation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The group believes that the move to a sustainable mobility model of electric vehicles fueled by renewable energy, beginning in the Bay area, will serve as an economic and environmental stimulus blueprint for the entire country, particularly the nation’s lagging automotive sector.

“California is already a world leader in fighting global warming and promoting renewable energy,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This type of public-private partnership is exactly what I envisioned when we created the first ever low carbon fuel standard and when the state enacted the zero emissions vehicle program. This partnership is proof that by working together, we can achieve our goals of creating a healthier planet while boosting our economy at the same time.”

“Creating an energy-independent economy is our generation’s moon-shot,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Venture Partner and Senior Advisor, VantagePoint Venture Partners. “For too long we’ve believed that economy and environment stood at odds with each other. By coming together in this time of turmoil to build a clean transportation infrastructure, this generation will fuel the economic and environmental prosperity of generations to come.”

Beep beep’m beep beep yeah!

More at: http://www.betterplace.com/

House Made From Surplus USAID Bags – Via Afrigadget

This ingenious house is made from traditional materials plus a layer of waterproof bags.  The bags help keep water out (not a big problem I’d say by the looks of the climate) and I would imagine the bags also help keep out the night time wind so the home can retain some heat through the night.  

The home is built by the Rendille people who are an African tribe that inhabit a harsh desert region in northern Kenya. The Rendille are semi-nomadic pastoralists who have developed a symbiotic relationship with camels.

The original home of the Rendille people was in Ethiopia. They were forced to migrate southwards into Kenya due to frequent conflicts with the Oromo tribe over pasture and water for their animals.

The  lifestyle of the Rendille revolves around their camels. This is because camels are best adapted to the desert conditions that prevail in the northern Kenya. The camels are an important source of milk and meat for the Rendille people. When migrating to new pastures, the camels are also used to carry family and community possessions.

Via: Afrigadget

Electronic waste can leech toxic heavy metals into ground water

For all their benefits, consumer electronics are notoriously dirty containing numerous heavy metal compounds. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)–a pezoelectric ceramic–is the material of choice for transducers, actuators, and microelectronic sensors. Unfortunately, PZT also has lead in it. Fortunately a team from the University of Maryland has discovered a cleaner replacement for PZT, bismuth samarium ferrite (BSFO). From an article covering the discovery on Network World:

University of Maryland researchers say BSFO can operate at higher temperatures and is easier to make than other proposed lead-free alternatives, making it a good candidate for a PZT replacement.

Products that use the new compound could hit the market in about five years, according to the university, after large-scale testing takes place, industry awareness and demand happens, and a method for mass production is created.

-Ben Connor Barrie

Jatropha curcas seeds are up to 30% oil

Air New Zealand has announced plans to fly a 747 powered by equal parts biodiesel and conventional jet fuel.  On December 3rd, they plan to take off from Auckland using biodiesel from a new source, the seeds of the plant Jatropha curcas.  J. curcas is a “weed” which is  drought tolerant and can grow in almost any conditions.  Jatropha oil makes a great feed stock for biodiesel production because it not used for food.  Could this be the beginning of an era of carbon-neutral air travel?  Let’s hope so.

More information can be found here.

-Ben Connor Barrie

Note: I’ve got a post discussing the last minute changes to environmental regulations US on Grown Ass People, check it out.