RE: Think, The Future

Brilliant: Inventive use of toilet paper rolls

That's certainly one way to recycle! An artist uses cardboard toilet paper rolls to make expressive artwork. You have to wonder how this idea came about...

Follow the link for more:
http://www.geekologie.com/2009/08/paper_art_toilet_paper_roll_fa.php

Who Woulda Thunk: Surprising materials you can compost

Phillip Danze, istockphoto

If you compost, you are probably already aware of the basic rules of what you can and cannot compost (fruit and veggie peels: good, meat and most animal products: bad). But here is a list of 75 things that you might be surprised to find out that can be composted. Did you know that wine corks can be composted? Also on the list, cereal boxes (torn into pieces), dryer lint, and latex balloons. You can find the complete list at:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/surprising-compost-items.html

I just discovered the Planet Green site from Discovery, it has tons of great info and interesting articles. Check it out at:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/

Recycled Homes

Dan Phillips of Huntsville, Texas has been constructing homes out of scrap and salvage materials for the past 12 years. With his company Phoenix Connection, he uses everything from wine corks, to broken tiles and scrap wood to make low-income housing, while helping to reduce waste from other construction sites. Check out the link for a slideshow of photos and more info (I love the recycled shingle roof!):

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/09/02/garden/20090903-recycled-slideshow_index.html

I don't mean to scare you but...

The earth's resources are running out at an alarming rate. Four key resources in particular (oil, food, water, and fish) are due to become incredibly strained within our lifetime. If you don't believe me, check out the following article from gizmag, which breaks it down for you: http://www.gizmag.com/four-crucial-resources-running-out/12630/

An oversimplified summary of the article:

Depending on who you talk to, we have already reached or are nearing Peak Oil (the point at which it begins to take more energy to retrieve oil than to actually use it). As we know, the developed world, as it is today, is structured to be completely dependent on the use of fossil fuels. Combine that with rapidly growing populations and increasing standards of living in countries such as China and India, and we have an energy crisis on our hands.

Along with the issue of population growth, comes the matter of producing enough food to sustain everyone. We have already seen evidence of strains on world grain supplies in recent years. As demand for the limited food supplies has increased, the price of wheat and corn has tripled and the cost of rice has gone up 500% since 2005.

The need for more agricultural production brings with it demand for fresh water, not to mention the greater domestic needs as populations grow and climate change causes more and more weather extremes such as drought and floods.

On top of all that, the ocean's fisheries are not in such great shape. Since 1950, 30% of all fish species have seen a 90% decrease in their populations. Many countries remain lax on thier regulation of the fishing industry, allowing for undersize fish to be sold on the market, and preventing the ocean stocks from naturally replenishing themselves. In other words, when it is permitted for fish to be caught before reaching maturity and reproducing, the following generations become increasingly smaller, until they eventually cease to exist. This is the direction we are heading in.

However, all is not lost yet...The decisions you make in your daily life can have an impact and help to turn things around. Remember that you speak with your dollar, the things you choose to spend your money on (or not spend your money on) helps to shape the economy. Purchasing sustainably produced products and converting to renewable energy sources are a start. When you consolidate trips (i.e. instead of picking up the kids from school and then going grocery shopping later, plan it so that you do both things at the same time), you help reduce fossil fuel usage. Opting for a vegetarian option over meat (and especially fish!) reduces agricultural and fresh water demands. These may seem like small things, but they can really add up and make a difference.

Getting It Right: A Model for the Suburbs

The 100 year-old Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, NY is an exemplary model of the direction in which suburbs today should be headed. Built as a planned community with the idea of integrating transit, open spaces, and housing, this charming neighborhood is also incredibly community-minded and eco-friendly. The town square is surrounded by shops and restaurants and connects directly to a train station, making the commute into NYC a short 20 minute train ride away. And since the layout is very walkable and/or bikeable, you may not even need to own a car!

Additionally, there are a variety of housing styles (free-standing homes, townhomes, and apartments) to suit various family sizes and income levels. And although the construction is partially pre-fab (making it cheaper and faster to build), it retains a sense of architectural style and doesn't have the dreaded Truman Show look, where all the houses look eerily the same.

This neighborhood has a number of key elements for environmental sustainability. The incorporation of green spaces with residential areas not only make the area more pleasant, but also help with the reabsorbtion of rainwater (helping to recharge groundwater supplies) and provide shade to naturally keep homes cooler in summer months. Having shops, restaurants, and public spaces located in the neighborhood help to reduce the need for travelling long distances to run errands, provide local jobs, and create a sense of community. Integrating the train station into the town square makes it easier for residents to opt for public transportation over travelling by car. And by keeping housing units closer together (via the townhomes, smaller yards, and apartment buildings), transport miles are reduced for public services such as garbage pick-up and mail delivery, thereby reducing energy usage.

Check out the link for a great slideshow and more details:

http://www.slate.com/id/2225748/

Micro-pollution: The lastest concern in plastic waste

New research shows that there is yet another down-side to the excessive use of plastics and the accumulation of said plastics in the environment: micro-pollution. Much of our plastic bottles, plastic bags, and other plastic waste eventually finds its way into the oceans, and as these plastics break down from exposure to sun, rain, and other environmental elements, it has been discovered that they begin to leach toxic chemicals into the water. Previously, the primary concerns over plastics in our waterways was the choking hazard that they pose to fish and other wildlife mistaking the plastic for food, and the potential for animals to get caught up in floating bits of plastic. It is now known that degrading plastics can release a range of chemicals into the marine environment with untold detrimental effects on marine life (hence the term micro-pollution, a contamination occurring on a molecular level). These chemicals have the potential for a much more widespread effect on the environment than floating bits of plastic. One of the chemicals discovered, bisphenol-A, has been shown to disrupt the hormonal systems of animals. Additionally, degrading Styrofoam releases large amounts of a styrene monomer known for causing cancer.

While this type of pollution is largely occurring out of sight, in the oceans, it is a very real concern. In the Pacific alone, there is an area estimated to be twice the size of Texas permanently covered with floating debris. Much of the plastics have been broken-down to microscopic levels and as of yet, no viable solution has been found to successfully collect this debris. Due to the persistent nature of plastics, the amount of chemicals being released into the oceans will increase exponentially in coming years as more plastics end up in the oceans and the plastic currently in the ocean further breaks down.

Things you can do (the old standards):

• Reduce, opt for products with less packaging or buy in bulk, bring your own shopping bags, assess whether what you really need is actually something you REALLY need.
• Reuse, whenever possible use things again or find new uses for them, try to borrow/lend things you don't use very often.
• Recycle, the more things get re-made into something else, the less that ends up in landfills or our oceans.

For more information and the full article, go to:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-uncover-new-ocean-threat-from-plastics-1774337.html