cradle to cradle III

After this week, I can certainly say that this is one of the most interesting and informative books I have read in quite a while. There were a few parts of this reading that were of particular interest to me. The idea of biological and technical material flows bought up a good point. I used to think that if every product could be made out of biodegradable materials, it would solve the problems associated with many products. The idea of technical nutrients, however, points out that it's not really about what products are made of, but rather how many times they can be reused that determines their environmental impact. As a side note, I recently found out some interesting eco facts while doing research for another class, which relate to the idea of technical nutrients. First, I found out that asphalt is actually a pretty great material ecologically, as it can be recycled countless times without using value, and it can be recycled on site or off of site. I also found out that Ohio is actually one of the best states when it comes to recycling asphalt; 90% of our new roads and road repairs are made of recycled asphalt. The concept of products of service was also very interesting to me. I think it might be difficult to implement, however, as it would force a lot of people to change their ideas about what products fundamentally are. I was surprised that LEED certification was not mentioned in chapter 5. I know that a lot of forward thinking architects and landscape architects take issue with LEED. I, for one, am not a big fan of the LEED program, as it has historically been exploited by construction managers as a way to earn tax breaks. The results may or may not actually be more eco-friendly and, more often than not, have little or nothing to do with aesthetic sensibilities. I was also pleased to learn in chapter 6 that Nike is pursuing more eco-minded production methods, as I just bought my first pair of Nike's ever a few months ago. Chapter 6 also brought up the issue of genetically modified produce. I just saw a documentary called The Future of Food which brought up similarly disturbing information about GM plants (i.e. the fact that they are probably not 100% safe for human consumption, but they are very good at competing with non-GM plants). Overall, I really liked this book and found it both inspiring, and a little bit scary.

outdoor/indoor

(5) outdoor products
backcountry 
slumberjack 
coleman 
REI 
campmor 

(3) outdoor tradeshows

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5044307.jpg

Columbia trade show

http://www.chums.com/images/chums/homepage/Slide_OR.jpg

(5) indoor products

hpii 

rubbermaid 

robinson 

homegoods 

realgoods 

(3) indoor tradeshows

http://pgsgrow.com/2009-trade-show/images/tradeshow19.jpg

http://www.trendedit.com/resources/images/blog/dsc01187.jpg

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/img_dir/2010/09/09/2010090901070_0.jpg

(3) specific indoor products

Air Purifier: http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/airpodinnursery.jpg

Blender: http://www.2blowhards.com/archives/kitchen_aid_blender.jpg

Alarm Clock: http://contemporaryclocks.org/wp-content/uploads/modern-alarm-clock.jpg

so what exactly is a home good?

I was unable to find an exact definition of the term, so I'll keep it simple: a home good is any product designed to make life easier, specifically intended for use inside of the home.

letters

 A

 C

 E

G

H

 i

O

 P

S

T

 U

X

Y

don't mind the fine print

I'm not gonna lie, legal issues bore me. Nonetheless, it is crucial to understand them. I've always been interested in freelance work, but before this week, I felt like I didn't have enough of an understanding of how not to get ripped off. I'd still like to know more, but Monday's lecture was definitely helpful. My dad used to be a lawyer, so through him I've learned a lot about the law, but not so much about contracts and copyrights as they apply to intellectual property. The movie we watched was also pretty interesting. As one of my classmates pointed out, it was kind of one-sided, but it made some valid points nonetheless. I have mixed feelings about Girl Talk as an artist. On one hand, I don't think his music has as much value as original (or so-called original) compositions, but I don't really think that what he's doing is wrong. His songs are definitely different than the samples (I don't like AC/DC as much when it's not in one of his songs) and what he's doing is certainly creative, but I can see why people might be pissed at him. Either way, it's pretty ridiculous to see the lengths to which corporations will go to protect creative work, as well as scientific work. I think it would be nice if copyrights didn't exist, but at the same time, I'm sure that there are people out there who would blatantly abuse the system and just rip other people off for profit. Overall, it's a slippery slope, but I think it's pretty easy to judge the difference between an original work and an outright rip-off.

cradle to cradle II

As I said last week, I'm very excited about this book, and it has yet to disappoint. I'm still amazed at how deep the authors' understanding of environmental issues is. So far, this book is both uplifting and depressing. The fact that the Exxon Valdez spill boosted Alaska's GDP was very surprising and pretty scary. It reminded me of an article we read for studio last quarter about H.T. Odum's concept of "emergy" and "emdollars." The idea is that when a consumer buys something, they see not only the amount of currency it costs, they also see the associated costs of energy and environmental affects that went into its production, quantified as a value of currency. In this system, Alaska's GDP would certainly not have gone up. It's an interesting concept, but it seems like it would be too easy for people to just ignore it. I think this concept fits in with much of the book's content, in that it wouldn't make people do less bad, but rather more good. If, for example, someone buys a product or pays for a service that benefits the environment, they will see a positive value of emdollars, despite the fact that they are in fact losing money at the moment in exchange for the product. At any rate, I thinks it's an interesting idea. The ideas of "less bad is no good" and "eco-effectiveness" are also very interesting to me. In the past, I have tried to do less bad and I have put a high value on efficiency, but these chapters made a strong argument against that mentality. I really think that more people should be aware of the ideas in this book, as well as their implications for the future.

design + environment

In recent years, environmental issues have become much more prevalent in design fields than they were in the past. It is the role of contemporary designers to develop products, places, and services that serve not only the individual, but the environment as well. Form and function are no longer enough and ecological concerns are of much higher importance now than they have ever been. Below are 5 examples of environment oriented design.

Square Coke Bottles
Andrew Kim's new design for coke bottles has the potential to make a significant impact on the beverage industry. Utilizing a square shape, rather than the traditional round bottle, allows for more bottles to fit into each shipping container (meaning less need for fossil-fueled shipping) and the ease with which the empty bottles crumple up makes them take up less space in a recycling container.


square coke bottle


Scioto Mile
Right in our own back yard (downtown that is), the new Scioto Mile park sets a great precedent for eco-friendly landscape design. Replacing the old floodwall with a massive bioswale allows for 10 city blocks worth of stormwater runoff to be filtered before entering the river. Stormwater causes a great deal of pollution to enter the river, but slowing it and filtering it through plants significantly cuts down on the damage done.

scioto mile

Clever Little Bag
Like the coke bottle, this design illustrates how making a rather small change to a design can have a big impact. Replacing the typical cardboard box with a part cardboard and part bag package means less cardboard is used, as well as less plastic. Also, like the coke bottles, these take up less space when shipping.

clever little bag 

Wind Power
Wind power is nothing new. Atelier DNA's design, however, puts a spin on the traditional windmill. The "windstalks" are less noisy and (perhaps) more aesthetically pleasing. They work as efficiently per square foot as windmills and provide an interesting addition to the landscape.

wind power


Rain Filtering Umbrella
Argentine design firm Synopsis's new umbrella design is one of the strangest examples of green design I've seen. It's an umbrella that collects and filters rainwater, making it potable. I am not sure how many people would actually use it, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless.

umbrella

 

week 5

While Monday's lecture was pretty much a review for me (I took Color Theory last quarter), I really liked the environment lecture on Wednesday. As I mentioned in my response to the weekend's reading, I was raised in a family of environmentalists, so environmental issues have always been deeply important to me. Of the videos we watched, I found the one about biomimicry the most interesting. Benyus made some very good points about how nature solves problems compared to how people do. I also liked William McDonough's lecture. He seems more level-headed and realistic than a lot of environmentalists who just expect people to completely change their lives. It seems like he understands not only what the problems are and how to solve them, but also why it is that some solutions wouldn't work.