Advocating climate change on a green blog journey
Sustainable Solo cup is a green blog brimming with information on sustainability in the design of space. It talks about the most pressing environmental issues and their implications on the environment. Sustainable solo cup examines topics such as adaptive reuse, sustainable materials, and energy efficient sustainable strategies in buildings. |
Photo Credit: AP Photo/ Josh Edelson Ghost ship – this name will bring chills for quite some time for all of us. Ghost ship ironically turned out to be a ship that carried away 36 beautiful souls early this December 2016 in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California. Called out as the one of the deadliest fire accidents after the West Warwick, Rhode Island fire which claimed 100 lives. Ghost ship was a warehouse which was not suitable for a multi-use development or at least not zoned for it. There was no ‘change of occupancy’ request provided to the city nor was any permit taken for organizing a special event on the premises. The fire department also stated that the database of the buildings they hold was compiled 15 years earlier and that no updates have been made. The city officials during the mass grave hunt in the site called it a “labyrinth of artist studios”. It was stacked with antiques, music equipment and furnishings mostly wood. The building had been constantly reported for space overrun by rats or faulty electrical system caused by circuit boxes. The fire department did not find any records of inspections done at the Ghost ship. So was the ghost ship completely invisible before this incident? Photo courtesy : SF Gate The manager of Ghost ship Derick Almena when asked by NBC news said that he was just trying to build an artist collective and did not want to harm anybody. He did confess that he didn’t have enough money to make the changes that were required and so had to do good with whatever was existing. While questioned if he is accountable for this, Mr. Almena broke into wild emotion and talked about the plight of artists and how “an Artist's Dream is bigger than pocket book “. So, who should be held accountable for such a tragedy? Who can help so that we don’t have any more Ghost ships? As a designer, I question myself if design could solve and save lives? I would like to believe that the answer is a Yes! Here is some design strategies I looked into for this particular design problem. Would you call this a design problem? Absolutely! Design problems are unique and complex and often require innovative solutions. Design problem solving involves creativity, not just dealing with the aesthetics but a way of life. A question addressed in the current research is how design can build on the stated idea of “artists collective” and also solve the issue of housing problems. Can there be buildings with more than one use? Yes. But, with the right knowledge and coordination in all aspects of design, some of the factors that should be considered for a new development are illustrated below: The present work was limited to the study of one such problem. Further research can be done and innovative solutions can be explored by creativity and informed decisions. If you do believe that design could help solve problems in the society and it can enhance the way of live, share this article with your peer folks and comment what other issues design thinking would be able to solve.
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I dreaded those Saturday mornings when I had to attend the community clean up with my coworkers as a part of the corporate social responsibility for the company I work for. But by the afternoon it would turn into a great staff bonding for the team, thanks to the service man who guide us throughout the day. I enjoyed every single of those community clean up’s and the value it was bringing to the community. It’s simple tasks like this that remind us that without the community helpers, we would be living a city filled with cigarette butts and trash everywhere. From snowflakes sparkling on Market street to cleaning roads, planting trees, constructing design facilities and educating communities, SF public works has done it ALL. Established in the year 1900 known as Board of public works and now as San Francisco Public works has an annual operating budget of 256$ million. It operates directly under the city administrator and the mayor of the city. Whether it is weathering El Nino or organizing spectacular annual parades and celebrations, their dedicated staff works strategically and around the clock to ensure that our city is always presentable. Here is a glimpse of the projects they have worked on the last year. Above: Snowflakes adorn the market street Above: Street resurfacing Above: Public works week Above: Creating street parks Above: Starbucks clean up program Above: Urban cleaning program Above: Arbor day planting Above: Urban forestry
So, next time u see a group of people in orange safety coats working in your neighborhood, you should definitely go down and thank them for their service. If you would like to enroll yourself in their volunteer community cleanup opportunities, or to inquire about specific events, please send an email to [email protected]. If you did like this post and would want to know more about what’s happening in and around San Francisco, bookmark my blog and come back for more such articles. redit: Courtesy of Kathmandu post On the recent Fox News Sunday interview, President-elect Donald trump promised he would quickly take a stand on the Dakota pipeline access and the keystone pipelines as soon as he takes office in January and he also stated that he is “ studying the Paris climate deal and wants to know if the United States has any competitive disadvantage over other countries”. So what is the Paris climate deal and why is it so important in the coming year of 2017. According to the UNFCC – United Nations Framework convention on climate change, the Paris climate agreement for the first time brings all the nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and to reduce their individual carbon footprint. The main goal of the agreement was to mitigate greenhouse gases, adapt to new technology and finance technology that supports the effort. The Paris agreement requires all agreed countries to work towards nationally determined contributions also called NDC’s. The agreement went into effect on the 4th of November, 2016 and the countries will report the NDC’s to all the parties in the year 2018. According to the UNFCC, the aim of the convention is described in Article 2, "enhancing the implementation" of the UNFCCC through: "(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. (b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production. (c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development." This agreement works on a ‘name and shame’ system where no parties are held responsible by a committee. As the agreement provides no consequences if countries do not meet their commitments, consensus of this kind is fragile. A trickle of nations exiting the agreement may trigger the withdrawal of more governments, bringing about a total collapse of the agreement. So far, 193 out of 195 countries have signed the agreement. Credit: Guardian Graphic
Source: World resources institute Above is a graphic showing the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions by the country. It’s no new news that United States comes second with 17.89% of greenhouse gas emissions after china. China also the world’s largest coal producer has reached its peak in coal usage in the year 2013. Now after the US election result, the Paris agreement is in uncertainty. President-elect Trump promises to expand gas and oil drilling and to scrap Obama’s signature clean power plan which was set to fight the US emissions. So would President-elect Trump withdraw from the deal? What we do have to understand from the fine print of the pact is that NO single country can cancel the deal without the other countries agreement to abandon it. Also adding to it is a clause which states that the action of withdrawal cannot happen within the first 3 year period and thereafter a yearlong notice of withdrawal period. Ironical how it equals the presidential term period of time. So let’s say, there is no taking a back step for all the countries that signed the deal, there is only going forward and it’s time for the United States to keep up with the other innovative and economically competitive countries who have already moved onto low carbon system and sustainable living solutions. If you believe and share the same sentiments as me, bookmark this blog and stay tuned in to know whats happening in the climate change movement. Credit : damcretu.tumblr.com Do you all remember the famous Willy Wonka 3 course meal chewing gum which turned out not so fortunate for Violet Beauregarde? There was also speculation that this gum stick would eradicate malnourishment and food deficiency from the face of the planet. Though we still haven’t reached that day, we continue to struggle to feed the poor and ironically throw out an average of 133 billion pounds of food into landfills every year. Here it is of how it looks like when we finally run out of resources to grow food and turn to synthetic food to feed ourselves. Would you eat protein induced bio-plastic? Or dust vitamin and mineral powder into your mouth? Johanna Schmeer in collaboration with Christian Schmeer imagines the future of food with her conceptual artistic project – Bioplastic fantastic, where she believes that that instead of growing more food, we need to rethink food in its entirety. Bioplastic Fantastic from Christian Schmeer on Vimeo. Credits: Director of photography: Christian Schmeer Creator and Director: Johanna Schmeer If you did enjoy this story, bookmark this blog and come back for more such intriguing stuff. Image credit : Courtesy of Voanew.com They set out an encampment on a large open field on the banks of Cannon Ball River. The cooking fire started to burn on the hearth. . It was a long day for everyone and they were just settling in. It was a time for them to comfort the near and dear. They themselves were in a lot of pain, they noticed that a few of their own hadn’t returned to the camp for the night. They had been taken away by the police officers and possibly held in correctional centers. There was nothing that could have been done but pray for the well-being of their people. Signs reading “Water is our first medicine” and “defend the sacred” were resting on the camps. In the faint light of the campfires, one could see concrete barricades on the ground. A few hours earlier, military armor vehicles were stationed there. Ear piercing rounds of rubber bullets were shot, injuring men and horses. They were gassed, pepper sprayed, held to the ground, handcuffed and taken away. They were being prosecuted in a correctional center and held in separate cells. They were being strip searched, stripping them of the little respect they had left. They were charged with conspiracies and of public nuisance and for engaging in a riot. This fight was more than their own. It was for the respect of their ancestors, for cleaner water, and for a safer country for the generations to come. Two tents away somebody started playing the flute. It bought a mindless cheer to the members of the camp. There was a crackling of the fire and the meat was being prepared in the main kitchen area of the camp. They could see light despite all the darkness around them. To them that was hope. Image credit : Courtesy of bbc.com The Dakota access pipeline is a 110 mile pipeline across the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois intended to carry around 400,000 barrels of oil. The pipeline will be operated by Dakota Access LLC and Energy Transfer. The pipeline crosses under the Missouri river at Lake Oahe which is about half a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation which is inhabited by around 2000 Native Americans. The Sioux Indian tribe have been protesting against this pipeline for the past 2 years and last September, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers granted permissions to the builders allowing the pipeline to cross under the Missouri river. This not only put the Missouri river water at risk, but also disturbs the Protected archaeological and burial sites which are considered sacred to the native Indian tribes. Previously Laws have been passed considering that the native Americans have relocated quite a bit due to westward expansion of the united states and that the tribes have to be consulted for any sort of changes to their birth land. The Sioux tribes state that the Army corps haven’t consulted them and that a detailed Environmental Impact statement hasn’t been furnished. The Obama administration did step in and halt the process of construction in the Lake Oahe region, but other parts of the pipeline in other regions are in construction. More than half of all the Native American tribes have pledged their unanimity to the Sioux tribe. And we have seen a rather large number of protests across the country. Today, we had people protesting in the state of New York in front of the City hall holding out signs ‘people over pipelines ‘and singing about the miseries of the Indian tribes. Where we go from here is a question posed to the U.S Army Corps and the U.S government. If you do share the same sentiments, please share this article and come back for much such information. If you would like to do something to help the Sioux tribe and would want to voice against the DAPL, visit http://standingrock.org/ and support them. Also, Documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg, producer of HOW TO LET OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN’T CHANGE was arrested while filming a protest action in North Dakota. She was charged with 3 Class A and C felony charges that carry 45 years maximum sentences combines. She has been charged with 2 Class A Felony Charges and 1 Class C Felony Charge; Conspiracy to theft of property, Conspiracy to theft of services, Conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service. Deia Schlosberg was exercising her First Amendment right as a journalist. The freedom of the press is a fundamental right in our free society. If you would like to sign the petition for Deia’s release, visit http://www.solutionsgrassroots.com/deia-petition Tesla is changing the way you power your houses and automobiles and working on the right path towards renewable energy. Elon Musk and Lyndon Rive - the CEO of solar city unveiled the power wall 2, power pack 2 and solar roofs on Friday night. They claim it to be equipped with greater design improvements such as long lasting power generation, better insulation, lower cost of installation and lower cost for generation of electricity. Tesla’s long-term vision - as Elon says “is to bring about sustainable Energy“ and wants to bring about change just as Tesla brought to the electric car revolution. They believe that the simple solution would be to look at the aesthetics of the sustainable solutions, the efficiency and how transportation can adapt themselves to these innovations. Tesla also seeks to merge with the utility power generation farms and pump up the renewable local power generation in the coming years. Tesla in collaboration with Solar City would like to introduce a Net-zero Energy homes which can power themselves and also power the cars with a renewable, and free solar energy. Tesla unveiled 3 products during the Announcement:
Image Credit: www.tesla.com
Image Credit: www.tesla.com
These designs are easily integrated and efficient at the same time and the solar cells are invisible from a street side view. While these are great steps towards renewable energy sources, and would definitely want to adapt them, I believe that a few more legislation laws passed on the usage of renewable energy and tax rebates for Net Zero Energy homes and industries could really push renewable solar power generation to the next level. For more information on Tesla’s new products check out their website here. If you did like this news, share this article and come back again for more.
A very new take on human hair as a new alternative renewable resource. Hair and resin composite substituted for exotic finished bone and hardwood materials. Definitely gives me goose bumps thinking about my furniture or coffee table having human hair embedded in it as a design element, but it could be a great alternative resource for a planet like ours with diminishing natural resources.
Check out this story from Swine Studios on Hair Trade along Hair Highway as they explore human hair to be the next alternative renewable resource. Credits: Concept & Design : Studio Swine- Alexander Groves & Azusa Murakami Director / Camera : Juriaan Booij Edit : Sally Cooper Music : Titus Twelve Production support : Danful Yang & Lily Xu If you did enjoy this, share the story, bookmark this blog and come back for more. Halloween is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate than pack some layers, find some friends and get lost in a corn maze. There are so many corn mazes popping up in the bay area and it’s so easy to find yourself in the wrong pumpkin patch. So here’s your guide to the five top Best corn maze spots in the bay area and all the information you need to know.
Dixon, CA- 95620 (530)746-8725 Timings: Open everyday - 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Image Credit: Notjustalabel.com Cool patch pumpkin is a two-hour drive from San Francisco in Dixon, CA. It is a 63-acre pumpkin patch and a World record corn maze for their uniqueness. Many other fun activities such as fun zone, hay rides and pumpkin cannon available. Food can be purchased in the fields. Last day of the season is Oct 31st. Price for adults is $15 and free for five and under. Other activities are charged additionally. For more information: http://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/
Halfmoon Bay, CA- 94109 Timings: Sunday- Thursday - 9 am - 7pm Friday- Saturday - 9 am - 10 pm Image Credit: Aratapumpkinfarm Arata Pumpkin farm is a one hour 15 minutes’ drive from San Francisco via US-101 S. It is a 6-acre corn field and pumpkin river and a 2-acre world famous Minotaur’s labyrinth Hay maze. Family friendly with an amusement park and a miniature maze for the kids. A petting zoo is a bonus with friendly goats, miniature horses, bunny rabbits, white doves and the crowd favorite Daisy- the dairy cow. Admission fee for adult starting at 15$. Additional charges for other amusements. For more Information: http://www.aratapumpkinfarm.com/
Livermore, CA 94550 Between Terminal Cir and Rutan Dr (925) 447-3276 Timings: Monday - Thursday 4-8 pm Friday 4-10pm Saturday 10-10pm Sunday 10-8pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com G&M Farms is a 55-minute drive from San Francisco via I-580 East. Voted the best Seasonal attraction by Diablo magazine and featured twice on the David letterman show. G&M Farms is 6 acres of cornfield maze and pumpkin field. Other attractions include a cow train, pony rides bbq, and pedal carts during the weekend. Admission price is $8 for adult and $7 for children aged 6 - 11 between Monday and Thursday. The price is $10 for adult and $9 for children aged 6 - 11 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Also you can avail a coupon here: COUPON For more information : http://www.gmfarms.com/
San Martin, CA 95037 (408)778-7225 Timings: Monday - Sunday - 9 am to 8 pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com Uesugu farms is a 1-hour 15-minute drive from San Francisco. The park has a 2-acre corn maze in the awe-inspiring farms. Other attractions include streamliner train rides, pumpkin Pete’s enchanted hayride, pony ride, pumpkin pyramid, hay jump, a carousel and many more fun activities to do. General Admission is free. Private parking lot available for $5 during the weekends. For more information: Morganhillpumpkins.com
San Francisco, CA 94122 (415)753-2689 Timings: All days - 9 am to 9pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com
This is for those living in the city and don’t own a car and have to rely on public transport. Clancy’s located in the sunset district of San Francisco and takes around 45 minutes bus ride. A cute little pumpkin patch in the residential area of San Francisco, Clancy’s has pumpkins for sale and a small hay maze. Clancy’s is voted the best by CBS for Local’s Best pumpkin patches. Only street parking available. For more Information: www.clancystrees.com So get out there have fun in the maze, pet some animals and pick out some pumpkins to carve. And remember to make good use of the money by re-purposing those pumpkins after Halloween. You can check out some ways to put them to use HERE. Share this article with your friends and get started on planning for the weekend. Image credit: Werner Design Works How many of you have had to put on gloves or a mask while doing your dishes due to the harsh chlorine smell from the detergents? Believe it or not, I always do. So to save myself from inhaling some of those chemicals, I decided to take a tour in the home cleaning section of the supermarket to find a product that does not read harsh chemicals and makes cleaning enjoyable to me. And I came across this product Called Mrs.Myers Clean day Dish soap which we will be reviewing today. Image credit: www.mrs.myers.com
This company was first operated by Caldrea Company and then later integrated with SC Johnson’s Home cleaning products based in Racine, Wisconsin. This company was a brainchild of Mrs. Thelma’s Daughter Monica Nassif and was inspired by Mrs.Thelma A. Meyer, an Iowa homemaker. Mrs.Nassif believed that her mom has always had a real passion for keeping things neat and tidy and that is what inspired them to start this company. Looking into the ingredients I was very happy that it did not contain ammonia, chlorine, glycol solvents, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial colorants, phosphates or petroleum distillates like other house cleaning products. The ingredients read as follows:
And now to go ahead with the testing of the product, Here’s how it goes. The packaging was neat and simple. The information on the packaging was simple and easy to follow. The fragrance was great almost aroma-therapeutic. I had a few dishes that were soaked and ready to be washed, and some had dried food remains. The product did great on the dishes that were already soaked. The soap was easy to get off the dishes with not much rinsing required, unlike some detergents which adhere to the surface and take a lot of rinsing time and waste of water. The dish soap did not do so great with dried food remains on the dishes. Eventually, after putting a little more time and effort into scrubbing, it was clean. My hands were smooth and moisturized after the wash and the beautiful lavender fragrance lingered quite some time after the wash. All their products are biodegradable and the packaging is recyclable and the bottles are made up of 25% post-consumer plastic. Their manufacturing processes are based on personal care standards in a cosmetic-grade cGMP facility. cGMP is an abbreviation for the term “current Good Manufacturing Practice”, which refers to FDA regulations regarding the manufacturing, testing, and quality control of pharmaceutical and food products. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day also supports sustainable practices of Eco-sensitive areas throughout Asia, Africa and South America like the Brazilian rain forests. On my scorecard, the product would be rated a 4.5/5 Having tried this dish soap, I would say I am satisfied with the results and would definitely go ahead and try the other products in Mrs. Myer’s brand. So, you know that this product has a big thumbs up from me. So go ahead and sample these products and let me know how it works for you. You can buy the products from here: Buy Mrs.Myer’s products Also, rate this review and come back for more such reviews on some great ecologically sustainable products.
Leading a sustainable life isn’t overly priced nor is it difficult.Getting starting on the path to a more sustainable way of life may seem like a challenge at first, especially if you don’t know where to get started. It can take a bit of getting used to and you have to always be conscious of what you are doing. Creating a sustainable lifestyle takes a lifelong commitment – to learning, experimenting, exploring, committing to increasingly sustainable practices and, above all, loving. Here are some sustainability products that are making a change in the right direction.
Grounds For Change from little films on Vimeo.
Credit: Courtesy of Vimeo.com
Filmmaker: Littlefilms.net
Courtesy of Vimeo : SkeeterNYC Credit: Storyteller: Liza de Guia If you would like to subscribe for Milkmade icecreams, you can reach out to them at www.milkmadeicecream.com It all starts with a simple principle – it requires a complete shift in how we live our lives. Every choice we make impacts others – through its creation, its distribution, its use and its disposal. And most likely we’ll never know who we are impacting. If you did like this post, go ahead and share these videos and come back again for more such content. |
AuthorHarini Meda is a Interior designer based in San Francisco, California. Interested in Environmental Change advocacy and believes in leading a happy and a sustainable life . Archives
December 2016
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