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| Image from e3-nc.com |
Showing posts with label Sustainability at Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sustainability at Home. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Sustainability at home: Audit your energy
Each day, energy and money silently leaks from your home via the walls, windows and sockets. Auditing energy is a useful way to understand where such losses are occurring. This can be undertaken by a professional or carried out as a DIY job. DIY is a cost-effective approach, using the last 12 months’ utility bills and a Home Yard Energy Stick by ENERGY STAR (or other auditing companies). In five minutes you can obtain comparative energy efficiencies of your house and similar houses across the country. Many companies will provide recommendations to follow through with to ensure those utility bills and energy losses drop.
A professional auditor can provide information on specific recommendations for efficiency in your home. To get started, visit energystar.gov.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Sustainability at Home
Cleaner water, flawless home
The use of toxic cleaners is causing UK water quality to plummet as the nitrogen-rich mixtures flow into water bodies, proving problematic for aquatic life and water itself. To lessen further reduction in water quality, use items in your cupboard: white vinegar kills bacteria on mirrors and windows; deodorise fridges and freezers with baking soda; use lemon juice to eliminate bacteria lurking on walls and floors. What’s in it for you? You can reduce your expenditure on cleaning agents whilst sustaining a clean home!
(US Environmental Protection Agency 2010)
By Action 21 volunteer Ellen Kane
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| Image from www.homedesignfind.com |
The use of toxic cleaners is causing UK water quality to plummet as the nitrogen-rich mixtures flow into water bodies, proving problematic for aquatic life and water itself. To lessen further reduction in water quality, use items in your cupboard: white vinegar kills bacteria on mirrors and windows; deodorise fridges and freezers with baking soda; use lemon juice to eliminate bacteria lurking on walls and floors. What’s in it for you? You can reduce your expenditure on cleaning agents whilst sustaining a clean home!
(US Environmental Protection Agency 2010)
By Action 21 volunteer Ellen Kane
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Re-thinking mechanised time
There are many sustainable design theories focusing on the use of ‘happy’ individuals and societies to create a sustainable world.
I agree it is an element we need to consider. Once a person is content with their own space they have the opportunity to look elsewhere and consider the consequences of their actions on others.
The ‘Re-think Time’ project was split into three separate sections: rethinking work time, rethinking leisure time and rethinking the mechanised time.
To understand why we live by the clock so strictly I looked into the history of the clock and calendar…
During the French Revolution a new calendar and clock system was implemented from 1793 to 1805. Days consisted of 10 hours, each hour of 100 decimal minutes, each minute of 100 decimal seconds. Read more about it here.
Other calendars include:
The Mayan calendar
The Chinese calendar
The Gregorian calendar - the calendar we commonly use
The French reverted back to the Western standardised Gregorian calendar and time after twelve years, but does it make you think- why do we need to run our lives by blocks of 24 hours, or 7 days or 12 months? Nature has defined and separated night and day for us, when we wake and when we sleep.
Below are some extracts from an interesting book on this subject ‘Pip Pip: a sideways look at time’ by Jay Griffiths (Flamingo Harper Collins Publishers, London, 1999)
“Roughly every year, a leap second is added to realign the time with that of the Earth- it is added to ‘accommodate’ the Earth’s unreliable time, for there is no natural gearing between it and the atomic clock’s pip pip pip. The Earth is too inaccurate for modernity’s time measurement.”
“In Rajasthan, the moment when the herds return at evening is called cattle-dust time. Cow time is local, social and embedded in nature’s processes, whereas clock time is global, applicable and anywhere.”
“The ancient Greeks had different Gods for time’s different aspects (including the god of the moment for weeding…) One of the most important was Chronos, who gave his name to absolute time, linear, chronological and quantifiable. But the Greeks had another, far more slippery and colourful god of time, Kairos. Kairos was the god of timing, of opportunity, of chance and mischance, of different aspects of time… if you sleep because the clock tells you it is past your bed time, that is chronological time: whereas if you sleep because you’re tired, that is kairological time… Children live kairologically, until winkled out of it.”
This part of the project was simply to challenge the mechanised clock and our way of living with it. It was an attempt to share the belief that we do have more time than perhaps perceived when the working day is finished, and what can we achieve in those hours?
This clock face is intentionally not functional. It keeps the 24 hour clock but replaces the traditional numbers with the words ‘WORK/ SLEEP/ WHATEVER YOU WILL.’ Other designs included a clock face with only ten numbers and another with no numbers at all.
By Action 21 volunteer Lenya Paikkou
I agree it is an element we need to consider. Once a person is content with their own space they have the opportunity to look elsewhere and consider the consequences of their actions on others.
The ‘Re-think Time’ project was split into three separate sections: rethinking work time, rethinking leisure time and rethinking the mechanised time.
To understand why we live by the clock so strictly I looked into the history of the clock and calendar…
During the French Revolution a new calendar and clock system was implemented from 1793 to 1805. Days consisted of 10 hours, each hour of 100 decimal minutes, each minute of 100 decimal seconds. Read more about it here.
Other calendars include:
The Mayan calendar
The Chinese calendar
The Gregorian calendar - the calendar we commonly use
The French reverted back to the Western standardised Gregorian calendar and time after twelve years, but does it make you think- why do we need to run our lives by blocks of 24 hours, or 7 days or 12 months? Nature has defined and separated night and day for us, when we wake and when we sleep.
Below are some extracts from an interesting book on this subject ‘Pip Pip: a sideways look at time’ by Jay Griffiths (Flamingo Harper Collins Publishers, London, 1999)
“Roughly every year, a leap second is added to realign the time with that of the Earth- it is added to ‘accommodate’ the Earth’s unreliable time, for there is no natural gearing between it and the atomic clock’s pip pip pip. The Earth is too inaccurate for modernity’s time measurement.”
“In Rajasthan, the moment when the herds return at evening is called cattle-dust time. Cow time is local, social and embedded in nature’s processes, whereas clock time is global, applicable and anywhere.”
“The ancient Greeks had different Gods for time’s different aspects (including the god of the moment for weeding…) One of the most important was Chronos, who gave his name to absolute time, linear, chronological and quantifiable. But the Greeks had another, far more slippery and colourful god of time, Kairos. Kairos was the god of timing, of opportunity, of chance and mischance, of different aspects of time… if you sleep because the clock tells you it is past your bed time, that is chronological time: whereas if you sleep because you’re tired, that is kairological time… Children live kairologically, until winkled out of it.”
This part of the project was simply to challenge the mechanised clock and our way of living with it. It was an attempt to share the belief that we do have more time than perhaps perceived when the working day is finished, and what can we achieve in those hours? This clock face is intentionally not functional. It keeps the 24 hour clock but replaces the traditional numbers with the words ‘WORK/ SLEEP/ WHATEVER YOU WILL.’ Other designs included a clock face with only ten numbers and another with no numbers at all.
By Action 21 volunteer Lenya Paikkou
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
The ‘Bolt Chair’ Project - if you can’t throw it away you won’t
Over
the coming weeks, 3D Design and Sustainable Design graduate Lenya
Paikkou will be sharing her past university projects with us.
The ‘Bolt Chair’ project was the true beginning of physically showing my confusion and my sustainable thinking in design.
As you probably know, some manufacturers deliberately design products with a limited working life. This act, known as ‘planned obsolescence’, depletes the world’s resources and the consumer’s wallet, but comes with a guarantee of repeat business for those pumping out these short-lived products. Product obsolescence was revolutionary seventy years ago, however it has spun out of control and now rules the way we consume in today's society.
Why, as designers do we want we our masterpieces to break, become unused, unloved and thrown away? Why do we feel the need to consume so much material?
Emotional Durable Design was the idea cultivating the brief- learn about the Emotional Durable Design theory
When exploring the subject I asked the general public what would prevent them throwing something away. Just one answer was enough for this project to begin- 'weld it down so you can't throw it away'.
The final product was a two-legged sheet steal chair, MIG welded together. It is bolted to the wall, thereby providing a full seat with arm rests appearing to protrude from the wall also. The use of sheet steal may not be the most ecological, but the idea being communicated was what I then wanted to focus on... if you can’t throw it away you won’t.
The ‘Bolt Chair’ project was the true beginning of physically showing my confusion and my sustainable thinking in design. As you probably know, some manufacturers deliberately design products with a limited working life. This act, known as ‘planned obsolescence’, depletes the world’s resources and the consumer’s wallet, but comes with a guarantee of repeat business for those pumping out these short-lived products. Product obsolescence was revolutionary seventy years ago, however it has spun out of control and now rules the way we consume in today's society.
Why, as designers do we want we our masterpieces to break, become unused, unloved and thrown away? Why do we feel the need to consume so much material?
Emotional Durable Design was the idea cultivating the brief- learn about the Emotional Durable Design theory
When exploring the subject I asked the general public what would prevent them throwing something away. Just one answer was enough for this project to begin- 'weld it down so you can't throw it away'.
The final product was a two-legged sheet steal chair, MIG welded together. It is bolted to the wall, thereby providing a full seat with arm rests appearing to protrude from the wall also. The use of sheet steal may not be the most ecological, but the idea being communicated was what I then wanted to focus on... if you can’t throw it away you won’t.
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
'Kitchen Cosmetics' project
Over the coming weeks, 3D Design and Sustainable Design graduate Lenya Paikkou will be sharing her past University projects with us.
My 'Kitchen Cosmetics' project will enable you to enjoy the small luxury of putting make-up on whilst keeping you, your skin, planet and society healthy & happy. The project has two messages to deliver:
1. To make people think about the chemicals they put on their faces, skin and back into the environment;
2. To show that one does not have to sacrifice everything society classes as a ‘luxury’ in order to live a 'sustainable life'... the only change is in how one attains that luxury and what that luxury signifies.
Researching into the ingredients of the make-up products in common usage today seriously scared me. Some companies still use Mercury – but don't we shake our heads in wonder at ancient peoples for using something so foolishly dangerous?
Lead acetate, formaldehyde, petroleum distillates/ byproducts, coal tar, nano particles such as zinc oxide (particles so ‘nano’ they penetrate into your body and blood stream) ‘fragrance’ (i.e. camouflage) – a whole mixture of bad stuff. However, due to a loop hole somewhere, companies do not have to state what they include in this 'fragrance'- and this is just a small list that continued to scare me.
I found a database of the bad stuff –http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/cosmetic-toxins.html - and the fear increased. I looked into natural cosmetics and found there were too many instances where these materials were being used. In fairness, many of them are natural ingredients – however, the fact remains that prolonged exposure to them could start to cause health problems.
So, after a few nightmares about my skin and eyes disintegrating (and I do not wear much make-up at all) I started experimenting with flour, oils, egg shells, fruit and vegetables, varying temperatures, refrigeration, infusions...
I finally came to the conclusion that pulped up vegetable peelings, with a drop of grapefruit seed extract whilst stored in the fridge, gave exceptional results. The oil kept the pulp as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Turkey and surrounding European countries appear to be the closest provider of this oil.
The containers are turned wooden pots, from reclaimed wood, and hemp muslin bags are presented in an egg box. As the make-up needs to be kept in the fridge, putting it in an egg box gave it a sense of natural belonging tucked between cold meats and fruit corners. Putting vegetables on your cheeks is a new enough concept – let’s make the transition as easy as possible!
Beetroot, carrots, strawberries, spinach, blueberries and raspberries gave the best results for colours on the lips, eyelids and cheeks, acting as blusher, lipstick and eye shadow. Used tea bags provided good results for a foundation – the user must match the colour needed to the strength of the tea.
To find out how safe the products you use are, visit http://www.ewg.org/skindeep. This database lists the ingredients and safety level of over 79,000 cosmetic products.
By Action 21 volunteer Lenya Paikkou
 |
| Everyday we put toxins on our face... surely that's crazy?! |
My 'Kitchen Cosmetics' project will enable you to enjoy the small luxury of putting make-up on whilst keeping you, your skin, planet and society healthy & happy. The project has two messages to deliver:
1. To make people think about the chemicals they put on their faces, skin and back into the environment;
2. To show that one does not have to sacrifice everything society classes as a ‘luxury’ in order to live a 'sustainable life'... the only change is in how one attains that luxury and what that luxury signifies.
Researching into the ingredients of the make-up products in common usage today seriously scared me. Some companies still use Mercury – but don't we shake our heads in wonder at ancient peoples for using something so foolishly dangerous?
I found a database of the bad stuff –http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/cosmetic-toxins.html - and the fear increased. I looked into natural cosmetics and found there were too many instances where these materials were being used. In fairness, many of them are natural ingredients – however, the fact remains that prolonged exposure to them could start to cause health problems.
So, after a few nightmares about my skin and eyes disintegrating (and I do not wear much make-up at all) I started experimenting with flour, oils, egg shells, fruit and vegetables, varying temperatures, refrigeration, infusions...
I finally came to the conclusion that pulped up vegetable peelings, with a drop of grapefruit seed extract whilst stored in the fridge, gave exceptional results. The oil kept the pulp as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Turkey and surrounding European countries appear to be the closest provider of this oil.
 |
| My finished project |
The containers are turned wooden pots, from reclaimed wood, and hemp muslin bags are presented in an egg box. As the make-up needs to be kept in the fridge, putting it in an egg box gave it a sense of natural belonging tucked between cold meats and fruit corners. Putting vegetables on your cheeks is a new enough concept – let’s make the transition as easy as possible!
Beetroot, carrots, strawberries, spinach, blueberries and raspberries gave the best results for colours on the lips, eyelids and cheeks, acting as blusher, lipstick and eye shadow. Used tea bags provided good results for a foundation – the user must match the colour needed to the strength of the tea.
To find out how safe the products you use are, visit http://www.ewg.org/skindeep. This database lists the ingredients and safety level of over 79,000 cosmetic products.
By Action 21 volunteer Lenya Paikkou
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
The 'Living-Room Allotment'
Over
the coming weeks, 3D Design and Sustainable Design graduate Lenya
Paikkou will be sharing her past University projects with us.
The aptly named ‘Living-Room Allotment’ started out with an image of a garden hanging from the living room ceiling- how more local can you get than your own living room?
The project resulted in an adjustable shelving unit, with boxes deep enough for carrots and turnips, the ability to grow tomatoes upside down, a potato barrel and a step for easy watering, without requesting much of the room's space.
The Living-Room Allotment is an ideal gardening solution for those with no or limited gardening space. As long as the unit is close to sunlight, you essentially provide your crops with a green house.
This project was not only providing a solution for unfortunate garden enthusiasts who lacked outside space, it took on some of the issues related to the way we grow, buy and dispose of our food in contemporary society.
We have all kinds of food readily available throughout the year, but many of our crops can't be grown and harvested all year round, in fact carrots are the only UK grown food stock grown and harvested 10 months of the year.
This food is generally imported, which increases the carbon miles considerably. The idea of them not being on the shop shelves is not even considered by many of us.
Food waste is another hot topic; this has been covered by organisations such as www.wrap.org.uk with their 'LOVE FOOD HATE WASTE' campaign for many years now. This includes food disposed of due to 'best before dates', the food we buy, leave in the fridge, don't use and then throw because it has gone off. You won't throw away the carrot you've been caring for three months.
Check out our Facebook page- every other Friday we will post suggestions for seasonal meals and what to grow this month.
By Lenya Paikkou, Action 21 volunteer
The aptly named ‘Living-Room Allotment’ started out with an image of a garden hanging from the living room ceiling- how more local can you get than your own living room?
The Living-Room Allotment is an ideal gardening solution for those with no or limited gardening space. As long as the unit is close to sunlight, you essentially provide your crops with a green house.
This project was not only providing a solution for unfortunate garden enthusiasts who lacked outside space, it took on some of the issues related to the way we grow, buy and dispose of our food in contemporary society.
We have all kinds of food readily available throughout the year, but many of our crops can't be grown and harvested all year round, in fact carrots are the only UK grown food stock grown and harvested 10 months of the year.
This food is generally imported, which increases the carbon miles considerably. The idea of them not being on the shop shelves is not even considered by many of us.
Food waste is another hot topic; this has been covered by organisations such as www.wrap.org.uk with their 'LOVE FOOD HATE WASTE' campaign for many years now. This includes food disposed of due to 'best before dates', the food we buy, leave in the fridge, don't use and then throw because it has gone off. You won't throw away the carrot you've been caring for three months.
Check out our Facebook page- every other Friday we will post suggestions for seasonal meals and what to grow this month.
By Lenya Paikkou, Action 21 volunteer
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Make your own sustainable plastic!
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| My 'Real Plastic' project |
I attended a 'Plastics' conference almost half a decade ago, and ever since, I have wanted to make a real difference in the world. Somewhat naively, I believed that the point behind the conference would be to develop ideas of how to get a sincerely good material into the plastics market. However, the words cost, price, costings and price per unit seemed to play a big part in the talks, leaving me walking away from the conference frustrated but with a feeling of purpose.
Using my time at university, which was a security net that allowed me to experiment and attend workshops, I attempted to make a truly good plastic and solve the sustainability problems of the world...
Milk, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda is an old recipe known as Casein glue, used at the beginning of the 20th century before Bakelite entered the market. My project – called the ‘Real Plastic’ – saw me adding waste vegetable peelings to the mixture, affecting the surface finishes, properties and colours. The end products were tea coasters made out of real tea leaves.
The idea of this project was to look at providing a plastic to the market and address issues related to food waste, such as the methane emissions released when food waste is sent to landfill and our attitudes towards this wasteful practice. Unfortunately, there are still problems with the smell and final predictability of this material. But this aside – problem solved?
The recipe:
1. Heat milk in a pan (do not let it boil)
2. Add 3 teaspoons of vinegar (an acid) to the milk and stir slowly until the milk
separates into curds and whey
3. Pour the curds and whey through a tea strainer or sieve to collect the curds
4. In a container, add a little bit of bicarbonate of soda or milk of magnesia (alkali)
5. You should now have a sticky white substance called casein (milk protein) and leave to dry and set.
Feel free to watch my video showing how to make the plastic: watch video
Post by Lenya Paikkou, Action 21 volunteer
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