55
plus: Easy Green: 10 More Sexy Green Gadgets Views on the News: Putting the ‘so what?’ into the news Issue 7 recycling - really, what’s the point?
plus:
Easy Green: 10 More Sexy Green Gadgets Views on the News: Putting the ‘so what?’ into the news
Issue 7
recycling -really, what’s
the point?
2
Easygreen:more sexy, green gadgets (page 6)
inside
Recyclinga modern perspective
waste not, want not(page 16)
page 6 - In The NewsA selection of the more intersting
renewable energy stories from the last few weeks
page 17 - CrowdfundingAs traditional sources of
INVESTMENTàäNANCEàCONTINUEàTOàREMAINàSCARCE�àWILLàTHEàMOVEMENTàTOWARDSàCROWD FUNDINGàPROVEàTOàBEàTHEàPERFECTàSOLUTIONàFORàCLEANàTECHNOLOGYàPROJECTS�Plus: Views on the News:
New York Orders New ‘Fatboy’ Climate Change Trousers (page 35)
Half-naked people in mid-winter pool party shocker (page 33)
Cordless Power Vehicle Charging System for Electric Cars (page 37)
a-MPRGÖ/@BHÚBÖ3P@QGÖ5MPRDVÖ-MUÖ_ RÖ+D@QR`ÖRGDÖ2HXDÖMEÖ3DV@Q�bÖQ@WQÖ&PDDLND@BDÖ�N@FDÖ���
4
welcome
-.!.#8Ö2 82Ö(3Ö!$33$1�UK comedian Sean Lock talks about the environment:
When it comes to global warming and climate change, I’m interested why some people care and some people don’t seem to give a sh#t.
0LJB¿MBLMIB¿TLRIA¿NRFQB¿E>MMFIV¿×V¿QL¿QEB¿shops. If Easy Jet did a “We’ll Fly You To The Shops” deal, they’d think, “Brilliant! I’m in. I can bring back more patio heaters. So the cat’s nice and warm in the garden. While their neighbours could be shivering, drinking
puddle water, chucking a sausage backwards and forwards trying to heat it up.
On the other hand, some people really care don’t they. Every single piece of BKSFOLKJBKQ>I¿KBTP¿JLOQFçBP¿QEBJ�¿`1EB¿F@B¿@>MP¿>OB¿JBIQFKD¿�DOL>K��¿0B>¿IBSBIP¿>OB¿OFPFKD¿�DOL>K��¿1EB¿P>J?>¿?RQQLK¿LK¿>¿6>J>E>¿LOD>K¿RPBP¿QBK¿QFJBP¿JLOB¿BKBODV¿QE>K¿>KV¿LQEBO¿OEVQEJ¿�BSBK¿?FDDBO¿DOL>K��¿
I care. I do care. Not as much as I used to though. Not since I went to America and I came back and thought, “what’s the F#*king point? Why do I bother?” You do, you go there and you think, “This is a waste of bloody time. I mean we have big cars over here, but cars in America are enormous. The average car is like a bungalow with a windscreen.
On every level their consumption is so much more extreme than ours. I came home and I just felt stupid. I’m at home right, I’m recycling. Washing out marmite pots. “Ooh, I must get all the marmite out. So that they don’t have to make another one.” And meanwhile they’re drilling for oil in Alaska. Mopping it up with a seal pup. I just feel stupid. I feel like I’ve turned up at an earthquake with a dustpan and brush!”
Thanks Sean for letting us use this, and good luck with your upcoming ‘Purple Van Man’ tour.
�EQQM� TTT�VLRQR?B�@LJ T>Q@E�S�4S�3S5%?$&��
ABOUT US:����à-AGAZINEàISàALLàABOUTàRENEWABLEàENERGYàANDàOURàJOURNEYàTOWARDSàTHEàDAYàWHENàTHEàWHOLEàWORLDàWILLàHAVEàACCESSàTOàCHEAP�àCLEAN�àSUSTAINABLEàSOURCESàOFàENERGY�à3OMETHINGàWHICHàWEàTHINKàWILLàHAPPENàBYà�����à!SàLONGàASàWEàALLàPULLàTOGETHERàANDàDOàOURàBIT�à4HISàISàOURàBIT�à
EDITORIAL:7EàAREàVERYàFORTUNATEàTOàHAVEàCONSTANTàACCESSàTOàANàINCREDIBLYàTALENTEDàPOOLàOFàPEOPLE�àSOMEàOFàTHEMàWITHàDECADESàOFàEXPERIENCEàINàTHEàäELDàOFàSUSTAINABILITY�à4HEYàTELLàUSàTHINGSàANDàWEàWRITEàITàDOWNàANDàADDàPRETTYàPICTURES�à4HENàWEàSENDàIT�àALLàWRAPPEDàUPàINàTINSEL�àTOàTHEàWORLDàATàLARGE�à4HATbSàITàINàAàNUTSHELLàREALLY�
DISTRIBUTION:����àISàAàFREEàPUBLICATIONàWHICHàISàDISTRIBUTEDàAROUNDàTHEàWORLDàTHROUGHàAàVARIETYàOFàaFRIENDbàNETWORKS�à7EàAREàCURRENTLYàCONNECTEDàTOàMOREàTHANà�àMILLIONàSUPPORTERS�à!àNUMBERàWHICHàISàGROWINGàONàAàDAILYàBASIS�à0LEASEàFEELàFREEàTOàPASSàUSàONàTOàYOURàOWNàNETWORKSàIFàYOUàTHINKàTHEYàMIGHTàBEàINTERESTEDàINàKEEPINGàINàTOUCHàWITHàWHATbSàGOINGàONàINàTHEàWORLDàOFàSUSTAINABLEàENERGY�
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CONTACT:%DITORIAL�àINFO PLANETBVENTURES�COM!DVERTISING�àADS PLANETBVENTURES�COM
6
easy-green
sexy green gadgets:3GDÖ/@NDPÖ/SJNÖ"JMBI
Clocks can be made of anything really. Like this one, styled from sun-dried recylced paper pulp. Pop on a couple of chrome hands and the normal internal gubbins and you’ve not only got a smart looking clock but an immediate talking point too. Price around £15
Available from www.amazon.co.uk
2MJ@PÖ/MUDPDCÖ/J@LRÖ/MRQ
Funky glowing plant pots that soak up the rays du-ring the day and then glow coquettishly throughout the night. Price £21
�S>FI>?IB¿COLJ¿TTT�çOB?LU�com
The Eton Scorpion
A digital AM/FM radio tuner, an LED torch, a USB phone charger, and a bottle opener. Talk about a split personality. Recharges either via its solar panels or the fold out winding handle. Now that’s what we call a gadget. Price £52.99
Available from www.etoncorp.com
The Presso #NÞEEÛ-AJEQ
!ÞâEMDIRHKXÞRILOKEÞKISSKEÞfellow that requires nothing but your pressing power to deliver an environmenta-lly expresso. Just load it up with your favourite ground CNáEE�ÞONTQÞIMÞBNIKIMGÞVASEQ�ÞKIæÞTOÞSHEÞHAMDKERÞand then press them down again. Price £79.95
Available from www.ecout-let.co.uk
8
easy-green
2MJ@PÖ+HFGRÖ"@NQ
For not much more than you’d pay for a good quality cap, why not have one which comes complete with a couple of built-in solar panels and a dual bulb, rechargeable torch. Sunshine during the day powering LEDs at night. Perfect synergy. Price £19.99
Available from www.solarlightcap.com
Eco Cans
0J>OQ¿KBT¿@>KP¿J>AB¿COLJ¿-)�¿�>¿QVMB¿LC¿@LOK¿PQ>O@E�¿@LJMIBQB¿TFQE¿AR>I¿insulation. Also BPA-free and completely non-toxic, with a carbon footprint its J>KRC>@QROBOP¿OB@HLK¿FP¿���¿ILTBO¿QE>K¿QE>Q¿LC¿QO>AFQFLK>I¿@>KP�
�S>FI>?IB¿COLJ¿TTT�FT>KQLKBLÚELPB�@LJ
3GDÖ$BMÖ!SRRML
A quick and easy way to switch your computer to its most energy-BØ@BKQ¿PQ>KA?V¿JLAB¿BSBOV¿QFJB¿you leave your desk for a trip to the @LÖBB¿J>@EFKB¿>KA¿VBQ¿>KLQEBO¿banal conversation with Bob from accounts about the futility of your existence and that snarl up on the motorway this morning. If that’s your bag?
Available from www.eco-button.com
3GDÖ6@RRQMLÖ2MJ@P
A device for monitoring personal energy usage and generation at home LO¿FK¿QEB¿LØ@B�¿&Q¿>IPL¿provides you with detailed readings and historical data. Prices start around \���
Available from www.diykyoto.com
10
easy-green
!JSDBGHNÖ2MJ@PÖ/MUDPDCÖ,M-AHJDÖ/GMLD
At last, a simple mobile phone that doesn’t require a charger. On account of having built-in solar panels. Also, being dust proof, waterproof and encased in durable rubber, it argues a fairly solid case for outdoor types who like to stay connected. “That’s right Ethel, a bear. A great, big hungry bear. Now if you could just patch me through to that emergency rescue number on the fridge door...” Price around £125
Available from www.amazon.co.uk
'�.Ö/MUDPDCÖ2GMUDPÖ1@CHM
A bit like a mini hydro-electric power station, this ingenious in-shower radio needs nothing but a jet of water through its innards to charge up its batteries. Price \�����
Available from www.gizoo.co.uk
3GDÖ2MJ@PÖ!HIDÖ+HFGR
A solar torch that doubles up as a bike light.&Q¿@LJBP¿LÖ¿>P¿B>PFIV¿>P¿FQ¿DLBP¿LK¿>KA¿FQ�P¿CLRO�ELRO¿O>KDB¿@LJ?FKBA¿TFQE¿>¿çÚV¿foot beam, make it ideal not only for night-time cyclists, but also for impromptu street theatre. Maybe. Price around £9
Available from www.thesolarcentre.co.uk
12
6hen I was about 18, I was lucky enough to spend a year in France as a vagrant. Or a backpacker as it was known in those days. A lifestyle choice which eventually saw me heading, IFHB¿>¿PT>IILT¿LK¿QEB¿çOPQ¿?OBBWB¿LC¿summer, to the crowded beaches of the Cote D’Azur. There I plied my trade as an ice cream salesman, toiling under the hot Mediterranean sun in return for just enough francs to buy food for the evening and a bottle of cheap but extremely palatable local wine.
Needless to say, money was tight. Far too tight for luxuries like refreshing bottles of Coca Cola, which, like a
gaggle of coquettish sirens would wave to me from the front of the fridge every time I made my early evening food sortie to the supermarché. For the çOPQ¿CBT¿TBBHP¿&¿PFJMIV¿IF@HBA¿JV¿IFMP¿and moved on, ignoring the sleek, curvy
waves of their glass bodies. But then, like other new members of the fraternity of sellers to which I had become attached, I was taught one of the fundamental rules of beach life.
My mentor, an out-of-work panel beater from Manchester
called Cookie, took me gently by the arm one day as I was about to wander reluctantly past my tormentors once again.
“Do you not fancy a nice refreshing bottle of coke?” he asked, a glint in his eye.
waste not, want notA personal journey into the murky world LC¿OB@V@IFKD¿?V¿����¿BAFQLO¿'LB¿0T>FK
recycling
I replied by simply showing him my small handful of cash and shrugging my shoulders.
“Bloody lovely though aren’t they?” he continued, plucking a bottle from the AFPMI>V¿>KA¿ORKKFKD¿>¿çKDBOQFM¿COLJ¿its neck to its base, pushing a small stream of condensation round the swirls of glass that made up its body. `%BOB¿E>SB¿LKBf¿EB¿P>FA¿DO>??FKD¿>¿second bottle from the display and thrusting it into my hands.
&¿>PPRJBA¿EB¿T>P¿LÖBOFKD¿QL¿?RV¿FQ¿CLO¿JB¿EB¿T>P¿>ÚBO¿>II¿LKB¿LC¿QEB¿JLPQ¿MOLIFç@¿F@B¿@OB>J¿PBIIBOP¿LK¿LRO¿?B>@E¿and I mumbled my thanks.
“Don’t thank me,” he replied, twisting the top from his bottle and raising it to his lips with a smirk. I followed suit, gradually realizing that rather than a random act of generosity, what I was about to witness was actually more >HFK¿QL¿>¿IBPPLK¿FK¿PELMIFÚFKD�¿
They say that stolen fruit tastes by far the sweetest, and it was a truism which certainly ran to form that day. I can honestly say that I still remember, PLJB¿��¿VB>OP¿I>QBO¿ELT¿PTBBQ¿QE>Q¿stolen bottle of coke tasted as I greedily glugged it down in one.
�ÚBO¿TFMFKD¿JV¿JLRQE¿TFQE¿QEB¿?>@H¿of my hand, I went to put the heavy glass bottle back into the fridge, QEB¿çK>IB¿&¿TOLKDIV¿>PPRJBA¿QL¿LRO¿sneaky little caper.
“Noo, noo, noo,” Cookie whispered, as
his body arched the arch of a man about to deliver an enormous coke burb into the world.
“Do as I do son, do as I do,” he said, QEB¿çK>I¿=AL�¿LC¿EFP¿PBKQBK@B¿O>@FKD¿from his mouth like a surfer catching >¿���CLLQ¿T>SB¿>P¿QEB¿?BI@E¿EB¿E>A¿?BBK¿TLOHFKD¿LK¿çK>IIV¿?ROPQ¿COLJ¿EFP¿oesophagus.
I meekly obeyed as he picked up a bag of pasta, a tin of peeled tomatoes, a can of sardines and a litre of red wine - the standard ice cream seller’s plat du jour – and headed nonchalantly to the @EB@HLRQ¿ABPH�¿%B¿DOBBQBA¿QEB¿@>PEFBO¿with a jocular, “bonjour” as he paid for his groceries, and then placed his empty coke bottle on the conveyer belt in front of her.
Time stood still for a moment, in my eyes at least, as she registered the PQ>QRBPNRB¿DI>PP¿çDROB¿?BCLOB¿EBO�¿�KA¿then, without a second thought, she dropped the bottle into a red crate by
“I followed suit, gradually realizing that rather than a random act of generosity, what I was about to witness was actually more akin to a lesson in PELMIFÚFKD�f¿
14
her feet, ejected the till, reached for a shiny one-franc coin and handed it to Cookie. “Merci monsieur.”
I followed suit exactly, not daring to waver even a jot from the routine, should it accidentally beckon reality back into the scene. One minute later, with the last breath I had taken not daring to join in the fun until the shop T>P¿ABçKFQBIV¿LRQ¿LC¿B>OPELQ¿&¿ILLHBA¿triumphantly at the coin in my hand.
`+LT¿QE>Q¿T>PK�Q¿QLL¿AFØ@RIQ¿T>P¿FQ�f¿Cookie patted me on the shoulder. “Not only do you get a free bottle of coke, but they pay you for the privilege and thank you for your time. Welcome to the wonderful world of recycling.”
It turned out that the supermarché scam was a standard ploy in the beach sellers community and that the more adventurous of its members would sometimes steal whole crates of empty bottles from the back yards of supermarches during the night and then innocently ‘return’ them the very next morning.
�KA¿QE>Q¿QL¿çK>IIV¿DBQ¿QL¿QEB¿MLFKQ¿FP¿my earliest memory of the concept of recycling. Not a particularly honourable one I’ll grant you, but a start all the same.
The glory days before the advent of cheap, ugly plastic bottles, when you had to pay a deposit on one of those beautifully designed, sturdy glass bottles that Coca Cola used to be famous for. A deposit which was refunded without the bat of an eyelid when you returned the bottle on your next trip to the shops.
&Q¿T>P¿>¿PFJMIB¿BÖB@QFSB¿PVPQBJ¿and one which unfortunately only exists now in a few forward thinking countries such as Sweden where it has quite rightly become mandatory. Indeed environmental researchers in that country have concluded that thanks to that system, a single bottle TFII¿?B¿OBRPBA¿>K¿>SBO>DB¿LC¿��¿QFJBP¿before it eventually falls victim to a pair of slippery hands. And even then it probably ends up being added to their normal recycle streams for later remoulding. They’re like that, the Swedes.
recycling
`&Q¿T>P¿>¿PFJMIB¿BÖB@QFSB¿PVPQBJ¿>KA¿LKB¿which unfortunately only exists now in a few forward thinking countries such as Sweden, where it has quite rightly become mandatory.”
I was reminded of my teenage bottle incident recently when I was researching a rather distressing modern phenomenon known as the =+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿1O>PE¿3LOQBU�¿�PBB¿CRII¿>OQF@IB¿LK¿M>DB¿��¿LC¿QEFP¿FPPRB�¿TEF@E¿is essentially an enormous area of waste plastic bottles, bags and the IFHB¿�KLT¿QEB¿PFWB¿LC¿1BU>P¿>@@LOAFKD¿QL¿OBPB>O@E¿?V¿$OBBKMB>@B�¿?L??FKD¿around in the sea and gradually breaking down into a highly noxious soup of plastic pellets.
/BPB>O@E¿TEF@E¿&¿E>SB¿QL¿>AJFQ¿IBÚ¿me feeling more than a little ashamed to be a member of the human PMB@FBP�¿¿%>SB¿TB¿OB>IIV¿?B@LJB¿PR@E¿a disposable consumer society that we are prepared to poison ourselves in the name of convenience?
Redusycling But fortunately it’s not all gloom and doom.
If you forget for a moment all those weirdly aligned people who for reasons best known to themselves think that recycling is all part of a communist plot to take over the world and force everyone to wear shoes made out of bananas and mushrooms for hats, there is actually hope on the horizon.
%LMB¿IFHB¿QEB¿çK>I¿BP@>MBB¿COLJ¿Pandora’s box, in the form of youth. Most kids today are taught in schools about the environment and the importance of recycling and given the chance would probably correct me on my technically incorrect use of the word ‘recycling’. Pointing out that
16
recycling
=OB@V@IFKD�¿�TEBK¿>¿?LQQIB¿FP¿QEOLTK¿into a bin of broken bottles for BU>JMIB�¿FP¿GRPQ¿LKB¿LC¿QEB¿�¿J>FK¿prongs of attack, alongside ‘reducing’ �@RQQFKD¿ALTK¿LK¿VLRO¿TBBHIV¿TFKB¿FKQ>HB¿DLA¿CLO?FA�¿>KA¿OBRPFKD¿�JV¿=JLKBV¿?>@H¿LK¿QEB¿?LQQIB�¿BUMBOFBK@B��
Or, to put it into school-speak, recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” waste hierarchy.
Personally I’d be tempted to reduce, reuse and recycle those three words into just one. Redusycle perhaps?
The same young people will probably also point out that redusyclable J>QBOF>IP¿�DFSB¿FQ¿QFJB�¿FK@IRAB¿DI>PP¿paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. But not organic waste apparently, which, while being just >P¿S>IR>?IB¿DLBP¿RKABO¿>¿AFÖBOBKQ¿heading in the textbook I stole from one of my next door neighbour’s teenage kids.
Reading a little deeper, I also discovered that there are opposing schools of thought when it comes to the thorny issue as to how exactly waste should be collected. All lumped together in one bin and then
“Reading a little deeper, I also discovered that there are opposing schools of thought when it comes to the thorny issue as to how exactly waste should be collected”
PLOQBA¿FKQL¿AFÖBOBKQ¿J>QBOF>I¿QVMBP¿by experts and fancy machines at QEB¿OB@V@IFKD¿ABMLQP¿�PFKDIB¿PQOB>J¿OB@V@IFKD�¿LO¿MOBSFLRPIV¿PBM>O>QBA¿FKQL¿AFÖBOBKQ¿@LKQ>FKBOP¿?V¿ELRPBELIABOP¿and businesses before being taken >T>V¿�JRIQF�PQOB>J¿OB@V@IFKD��¿
�MM>OBKQIV¿QEB¿çOPQ¿LC¿QELPB¿QTL¿options results in larger yields overall, but the second option leads to less @LKQ>JFK>QFLK¿�>¿@>OA?L>OA¿?LU¿drenched in curry sauce is apparently SBOV¿AFØ@RIQ¿QL¿OB@V@IB��¿
ÖEDUÖMRGDPÖHLRDPDQRHLFÖE@BRQÖ(ÖFJD@LDC�1. ���¿LC¿QEB¿PM>@B¿>Q¿I>KAçII¿PFQBP¿in industrially developed countries is taken up by polystyrene foam, QE>Q¿RDIV¿TEFQB¿PQRÖ¿TEF@E¿Q>HBP¿hundreds of years to biodegrade and is resistant to photolysis �ABDO>A>QFLK¿?V¿PRKIFDEQ��¿&Q�P¿>IPL¿>¿major component of plastic debris in the ocean, and poses a serious threat QL¿J>OFKB¿@OB>QROBP¿TEF@E¿LÚBK¿mistake it for food.
� ¿&K¿*>O@E¿LC¿����¿1EB¿/BMR?IF@¿LC¿&OBI>KA¿?B@>JB¿QEB¿çOPQ¿@LRKQOV¿in the world to introduce a plastic bag fee, or ‘PlasTax’ as they call it there. Designed to rein in their rampant consumption of 1.2 billion plastic shopping bags per year, the tax resulted in a near-immediate ���¿AOLM¿FK¿@LKPRJMQFLK¿>KA¿approximately 1 billion fewer bags were consumed annually.
To complete the win-win scenario, approximately 7 million euros was O>FPBA¿COLJ¿QEB¿Q>U¿FK¿QEB¿çOPQ¿VB>O¿which, along with revenue from subsequent years, has been diverted QL¿>¿DOBBK¿CRKA¿BPQ>?IFPEBA¿QL¿?BKBçQ¿the environment. Several other countries and cities around the world are now considering implementing a similar tax, including the UK, Australia and New York City. Quite why they haven’t yet, still remains a mystery.
3. When you make recycling compulsory, people tend to do it. In the London Borough of Waltham Forest for example, they use the ����¿"KSFOLKJBKQ>I¿-OLQB@QFLK¿�@Q¿
18
recycling
“The world of waste is transforming from a `IBQ�P¿@IB>K¿RM¿QEB¿JBPP¿�>KA¿QOV¿QL¿OB@V@IB�f¿type approach, to a “look at that enormous pile of materials that we could be mining for J>HFKD¿PQRÖ¿FKPQB>A¿LC¿QEOLTFKD¿JLPQ¿LC¿FQ¿away” sort of viewpoint.”
QL¿GRPQFCV¿>¿=�¿PQOFHBP¿>KA¿VLR�OB¿çKBA�¿recycling policy. Which, despite initial grumblings, has helped increased LSBO>II¿OB@V@IFKD¿O>QBP¿?V¿���¿>KA¿KLT¿E>P¿>¿���¿>MMOLS>I¿O>QFKD¿COLJ¿local residents.
4. The country with the world’s highest rate of recycling and reusing is Cuba. Unfortunately because for QEB¿I>PQ¿��¿VB>OP¿QEB¿@LRKQOV¿E>P¿been subjected to a whole array of trade embargoes. Still, it just goes to show what you can do when needs must doesn’t it?
� ÖDuring the Second World War, citizens of many European countries were forced to take the whole concept of redusycling seriously and frankly became rather good at it. Everyone was encouraged to “do their bit” to make precious resources stretch, particularly when it came to recycling metals to be used to build airplanes. A practice which even spawned its own patriotic little song in the UK:
“My saucepans have all been surrendered,The teapot is gone from the hob,The colander’s leaving the cabbage,#LO¿>¿SBOV¿JR@E¿AFÖBOBKQ¿GL?�
“So now, when I hear on the wirelessOf Hurricanes showing their mettle,I see, in a vision before me,�¿!LOKFBO¿@E>PBA¿?V¿JV¿HBQQIB�f¿
Just when I thought I’d got my head round the whole concept of redusycling and had armed myself TFQE¿BKLRDE¿E>KAV¿C>@QP¿çDROBP¿>KA¿anecdotes to get up on my soap box and start guilting people into ‘doing their bit’, I had a conversation with >¿COFBKA¿LC¿JFKB¿FK¿%LII>KA¿TEL¿gleefully introduced me to an even newer concept, the concept of ‘cradle to cradle’ designs.
"P@CJDÖRMÖ"P@CJDAccording to him, there’s a whole new school of thought now which believes that redusycling, as honourable a practice as it is, unfortunately doesn’t go nearly far enough to make a OB>I¿ILKD�QBOJ¿AFÖBOBK@B¿QL¿LRO¿@LKPRJMQFLK¿M>QQBOKP¿�>KA¿QEBOBCLOB¿LRO¿T>PQB¿QO>FIP��
In his own words, “If you’re going to talk about waste, you’re really going to have to talk about how the world of waste is transforming from a `IBQ�P¿@IB>K¿RM¿QEB¿JBPP¿�>KA¿QOV¿QL¿OB@V@IB�f¿QVMB¿>MMOL>@E¿QL¿>¿`ILLH¿>Q¿that enormous pile of materials that TB¿@LRIA¿?B¿JFKFKD¿CLO¿J>HFKD¿PQRÖ¿instead of throwing most of it away” sort of viewpoint.”
“The challenge then,” he went on to QBII¿JB¿`@LKPFPQP¿LC¿>�¿LIA�C>PEFLKBA¿OB@V@IFKD¿?�¿ABSBILMFKD¿BÖB@QFSB¿‘mining’ methods to harvest old OR??FPE¿@�¿ABPFDKFKD¿KBT¿MOLAR@QP¿in a way we can easily re-use the J>QBOF>IP¿>KA¿A�¿ABSBILMFKD¿ILDFPQF@P¿and manufacturing methods that are suitable for such cradle to cradle approaches.”
With it so far? Of course you are. It might sound like a last-minute curve ball to start with, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense.
Redusycling is of course incredibly important, but, if you really follow it through, you begin to see how it could well be argued that on its own it’s actually just a way of making our current unsustainable system last a
20
recycling
bit longer.
Our current system being about as far away from a ‘circular’ approach as it’s possible to get and one which should really be described as linear. Albeit it a linear approach TFQE¿QEB¿?BKBçQ¿LC¿>¿�RPR>IIV�¿small percentage of the discarded materials being earnestly gathered up by those who care, cleaned up, and then fed back into the beginning of the system.
In short, the vast majority of what we consume is derived from materials we dig from the ground – many of which we all know are going to run out one day – which are then transformed into a vast plethora of things we don’t really need, none of which are designed to last much more than one go, and then when we’re done with them, are simply thrown away.
4EF@E¿TLRIA¿>II¿?B¿çKB¿FC�
>�¿4B¿E>A¿>K¿BKAIBPP¿PRMMIV¿LC¿materials in the ground to dig up in QEB¿çOPQ¿MI>@B�
?�¿1EB¿MOL@BPP¿LC¿AFDDFKD¿QELPB¿materials out of the ground didn’t require a vast amount of energy to do. Energy which – again thanks to our linear approach to life, the universe and everything – has the RKCLOQRK>QB¿PFAB¿BÖB@Q¿LC¿>AAFKD¿QL¿our overall carbon emissions, global warming and climate chaos.
@�¿ E>KDFKD¿QELPB¿J>QBOF>IP¿FKQL¿QEB¿QEFKDP¿TB¿>II¿>?PLIRQBIV¿ABçKFQBIV¿need to be able to enjoy our lives to QEB¿CRII¿�MI>PQF@¿?>DP¿QLLQE?ORPEBP¿televisions, cars, garden gnomes, and QEB¿IFHB�¿AFAK�Q¿OBNRFOB¿>¿S>PQ¿>JLRKQ¿of energy too.
A�¿�II¿QEB¿T>PQB¿TB¿ALK�Q¿J>K>DB¿QL¿OBARPV@IB¿AFAK�Q¿BKA¿RM¿FK¿I>KAçIIP¿
“Mate, if you’re gonna travel round the country, you’ll need a Kingswood,” the regulars at the Sydney pub I was working in chorused when I announced my plan to see a little more of their @LRKQOV¿QE>K¿QEB¿HFQ@EBK¿LC¿>¿%RKDOV¿'>@H�P¿C>PQ¿food restaurant during the day, and their ugly faces of an evening.
gradually releasing methane into the >QJLPMEBOB¿���¿QFJBP¿TLOPB¿QE>K¿carbon dioxide on the global warming ?>A¿?LV¿IFPQ�¿>KA¿MLFPLKP¿FKQL¿LRO¿underground water supplies.
As Lewis Carroll’s bowler-hatted O>??FQ¿TLRIA¿E>SB¿P>FA¿`%LT¿J>A¿>OB¿we?”
RGDÖIHLFHDÖDÙDBRIf you’ll excuse me digressing once more, it reminds me of another incident from my youth when I was travelling around Australia in an old estate car and, at any one time, at least 7 passengers.
“Mate, if you’re gonna travel round the country, you’ll need a Kingswood,” the regulars at the Sydney pub I was working in chorused when I announced my plan to see a little more of their country than the
HFQ@EBK¿LC¿>¿%RKDOV¿'>@H�P¿C>PQ¿CLLA¿restaurant during the day, and their ugly faces of an evening.
“You’ll never be short of parts if you buy a Kingie,” they assured me. “Every mechanic in the country’s got parts for a Kingie, so you won’t go wrong there mate.”
I of course later discovered that the reason there are so many spare parts for Kingie’s scattered around the country, is that so many of them make a habit of needing them. As JFKB¿AFA¿�¿QFJBP¿FK¿QEB¿çOPQ¿�¿TBBHP¿>Q¿OBDRI>O¿FKQBOS>IP¿LC¿>?LRQ¿���¿HJ�
Always the same problem too, oil leaking out all over the place.
1EBV¿QOFBA¿BSBOVQEFKD�¿%B>A¿D>PHBQP¿in Byron Bay and Brisbane; new big ends in Townsville and Cairns; and whole new engines in Darwin and (>QEBOFKB¿$LODB�¿�RQ¿KLQEFKD¿QEBV¿
22
recycling
did seemed to be able to stop the oil pressure slowly dwindling the further from the garage I optimistically drove.
Until that is, I found myself stranded in a tiny little opal mining town in the dead centre of the country called Coober Pedy. Where men were men, women were absent and the sheep were decidedly nervous. There I met what the Australians call a ‘bush’ mechanic. A man whose job it is, on account of the general scarcity of QEFKDP¿FK¿QEB¿?RPE¿QL¿çU¿QEBJ¿O>QEBO¿than just throw them away.
“It’s bloody obvious mate,” he >KKLRK@BA¿>ÚBO¿>¿CRII¿���PB@LKA¿FKPMB@QFLK�¿1E>Q�P¿>¿��¿(FKDFB¿BPQ>QB¿you’ve got there see. They built about ����¿LC¿QEBJ¿QE>Q¿VB>O¿>II¿TFQE¿QEB¿same fault. The wrong dipstick. See here,” he pointed to the underside of the bonnet which was dripping oil like J>MIB¿PVORM¿COLJ¿>¿C>Q¿J>K�P¿T>ÙB¿. “That’s just oil pissing out past the dipstick. The further you drive, the more you lose.”
%B¿TFQEAOBT¿QEB¿AFMPQF@H¿FK¿LKB¿long movement, like Arthur pulling Excalibur from the stone of Calesvol, and tossed it onto a bench top.
`1EBV�OB¿>@QR>IIV¿>¿MBOCB@Q¿çQ¿CLO¿a Valiant AP6,” he explained. “But about as useful for this old girl as an ashtray on a motorbike.”
%B¿QEBK¿MOL@BBABA¿QL¿>QQ>@E¿>¿IBKDQE¿of salvaged rubber pipe with jubilee clips from the dipstick outlet directly down to the oil sump at the bottom of the engine.
“There you go. All the oil that pisses out the top goes straight back into the system at the bottom. That should last you until you get back to the smog. They’ve probably got whole shops just for dispsticks there. ‘Dipsticks r us’ or something.”
%B¿I>RDEBA¿PL¿E>OA¿>Q¿EFP¿LTK¿GLHB¿he almost dropped the crate of Foster’s from the Kingie’s boot that he’d insisted on as payment. But the truth is I didn’t see another speck of oil from that day on, and I even sold it FK¿0VAKBV¿TFQE¿QEB¿J>HBPEFÚ¿MFMB¿PQFII¿in place.
“I see you’ve dispensed with the infamous faulty dipstick and gone for a fully-sealed circular lubrication system instead,” said the car’s new owner with an approving nod. I could E>SB¿QLIA¿EFJ¿>?LRQ¿QEB¿çOPQ¿�¿TBBHP¿
“See here,” he pointed to the underside of the bonnet which was dripping oil like maple syrup COLJ¿>¿C>Q¿J>K�P¿T>ÙB�f
of ignorance when I spent more on mechanics than I would have done if I’d made the entire journey by taxi, but I didn’t. I simply nodded in an equally knowing fashion and said, “Who wouldn’t mate? Who wouldn’t?”
My point being, that when it comes to conserving our planet’s dwindling resources, and at the same time cutting down on the amount of fossil fuels we burn digging them out of the ground and turning them into useful QEFKDP¿�IFHB¿QE>Q¿MLIVPQVOBKB¿QO>V¿TB¿put a bunch of bananas on before we TO>M¿QEBJ¿RM¿FK¿@IFKDçIJ¿>KA¿QEBK¿put them into another plastic bag CLO¿DLLA¿JB>PROB�¿TB¿JFDEQ¿T>KQ¿
to think about inventing our own version of the bush mechanic’s pipe. A way of feeding all those valuable resources back into the beginning of the production line.
One way of doing this might be to put the onus of recycling onto the manufacturer rather than the consumer. Let’s face it, when your TV stops working and, in the absence of quaintly old-fashioned concepts like TV repairmen, you decide to buy a new one, what do you do with your old set?
>�¿Q>HB¿FQ¿QL¿VLRO¿IL@>I¿ARJM¿FK¿QEB¿hope that its recycled parts might
24
somehow make their way back to the TV factory;
?�¿IB>SB¿FQ¿LK¿QEB¿M>SBJBKQ¿LRQPFAB¿your house in the hope that a passing retired TV repairmen might rescue FQ¿çU¿FQ¿>KA¿QEBK¿M>PP¿FQ¿LK¿QL¿>¿deserving old people’s home;
@�¿Q>HB¿FQ¿?>@H¿QL¿QEB¿PELM¿VLR¿?LRDEQ¿it from, or the factory that built it, spend half an hour trying to persuade them that ‘surely’ there must be some parts inside it they can make use of, and then, when they go away to discuss your unusual request with management, just run away and leave it with them anyway.
A�¿PJ>PE¿FQ¿FKQL¿QFKV¿?FQP¿TFQE¿>¿PIBADBE>JJBO¿>KA¿×RPE¿FQ¿ALTK¿QEB¿toilet;
B�¿QROK¿FQ¿FKQL¿>¿=T>OQFJB�¿@LÖBB¿Q>?IB¿>KA¿QOV¿>KA¿×LD¿FQ¿QL¿>¿EFMMV�
According to proponents of cradle-to-cradle waste management, the correct course of action would be a S>OF>KQ¿LC¿LMQFLK¿@��¿4EF@E¿J>HBP¿perfect sense when you think about it and isn’t that far away from my ‘money back on the coke bottle’ BUMBOFBK@B¿COLJ¿VBPQBOVB>O�¿�ÚBO¿>II¿who should be best placed to reuse the sort of materials that go into making a TV set? Or for that matter a sofa? Or a chest of drawers? A fridge? Or a car? Or a ship?
There will come a time of course, some time in the future when buying the raw materials from which to manufacture new parts will become so prohibitively expensive as to make recycling more attractive to
recycling
manufacturers anyway.
But why wait that long, when it so clearly makes sense now?
The progressive logic being that if manufacturers have to take responsibility for reusing materials and parts from their previous products they might actually start designing and building them with that in mind.
Fortunately, far better minds than mine are already working on this concept.
Minds belonging to people like Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart and William *@!LKLRDE¿TEL¿>P¿ILKD¿>DL¿>P¿����¿co-authored a book entitled ‘Cradle To Cradle: Remaking The Way We Make Things’.
One of their main points being that not only should manufacturers be salvaging materials from their own ‘defunct’ products and reintroducing them into their production lines, but that they should also be carefully
BU>JFKFKD¿�>KA¿GRPQFCVFKD�¿BSBOV¿single material that goes into the end product. To whittle out anything which might one day turn nasty.
For example they’ve developed a brand new, fabric for a company called Designtex who manufacture commercial seating upholstery, wall-@LSBOFKDP¿LØ@B¿M>KBI¿PVPQBJP¿>KA¿window treatments. Their brief being to come up with an attractive and functional fabric that could safely return to the environment at the end of its useful life. This involved >K>IVPFKD¿����¿MOLPMB@QFSB¿AVBP¿and chemicals, from which they AFPNR>IFçBA¿>II¿?RQ¿��¿CLO¿RPB�¿
Working with a small Swiss fabric mill, they also analysed and reinvented the entire production process and devised a toxin-free blend of wool and organically grown O>JFB¿>¿IFKBK�IFHB¿ç?BO¿FK¿>¿MOL@BPP¿so clean that it generates potable waste water. The mill also turns scrap trimmings into felt which Swiss farmers use for mulch in strawberry çBIAP�
“The progressive logic being that if manufacturers have to take responsibility for reusing materials and parts from their previous products they might actually start designing and building them with that in mind.”
26
Another point Braungart and McDonough make in their book is that one of the downsides of existing recycling methods, or ‘downcycling’ as they call it, is that because of degradation or contamination by other materials products tend to have to be reused at a lower level.
,Ø@B¿M>MBO¿?B@LJBP¿QLFIBQ¿M>MBO¿CLO¿instance. While melting together all the alloys of a simple aluminum can produces an inferior metal because JLPQ¿@>KP¿>OB¿J>AB¿RM¿LC¿AFÖBOBKQ¿alloys for their tops, bottoms and PFABP�¿�!BO¸�
Plus, more worryingly perhaps, the recycling process itself sometimes produces additional toxic waste. For example, recycling plastic ?LQQIBP¿FKQL¿>¿×BB@B¿G>@HBQ¿JB>KP¿bringing toxic antimony into contact with your skin.
As legislation gradually moves towards making corporations as well as individuals responsible for recouping their own materials and developing their designs to make this more practical, specialist waste companies are stepping into the breach to help out.
Companies like Coolrec in the +BQEBOI>KAP¿TEF@E¿PQ>OQBA¿LÖ¿FK¿QEB¿B>OIV¿��P¿OB@V@IFKD¿COFADBP¿and selling the materials back into the supply chain, and have since expanded to deal with all types of =T>PQB��¿�¿OBçKBJBKQ¿MBOE>MP¿LC¿
the ‘chuck it all in one bag and let the experts deal with it’ single-stream approach I mentioned earlier.
They go so far as to describe waste as a ‘nutrient’. “The Cradle-to-Cradle concept dictates that products should be manufactured in such a way that they can be reused at the end of their lifecycle or broken down into raw materials to make new, comparable or better products. 1EFP¿IB>AP¿QL¿FKçKFQB¿MOLAR@Q¿@V@IBP¿without creating waste in the form of =RKRP>?IB¿?V�MOLAR@QP��¿4>PQB¿FP¿>ÚBO¿all a valuable raw material for new processes: ‘waste is a nutrient’.
recycling
And then of course there are the companies who just happen to be run by people with brains enough to realize that a cradle-to-cradle approach to recycling is just a sensible thing for any company. )FHB¿!BPPL¿>¿×LLOFKD¿J>KRC>@QROBO¿PRMMIVFKD¿BSBOVQEFKD¿COLJ¿>FO@O>Ú¿@>OMBQP¿QL¿>OQFç@F>I¿MI>VFKD¿PROC>@BP¿TEF@E¿FK¿����¿PBQ¿FQPBIC¿QEB¿Q>ODBQ¿of manufacturing all its products according to Cradle to Cradle MOFK@FMIBP¿?V¿�����
“Inspired by nature’s continuous cycle, this concept requires companies to use materials and design products in such a way that they will be positive to the environment and human health,” says current CEO Alexander Collot d’Escury.
“In broad terms, this means using MLPFQFSBIV¿ABçKBA¿J>QBOF>IP¿PL¿QE>Q¿the goods can be returned and the materials recycled into new high quality products through two streams: technical or biological. In the former, the materials are fed back into the manufacturing process to make new goods; in the latter, they can go back as a nutrient into the soil.”
6GDPDÖRGDPD`QÖKSBI�ÖRGDPD`QÖAP@QQ�KA¿çK>IIV¿QEB¿B@LKLJF@¿@>PB¿CLO¿adopting a Cradle to Cradle approach to way we make things. A new report, ‘Towards the Circular Economy: Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition’ launched FK¿'>KR>OV¿����¿?V¿!>JB¿"IIBK¿MacArthur, makes the case for moving towards circular economies on economic grounds. “Businesses in the EU could reap annual savings LC¿¶���¿?FIIFLK¿�>IJLPQ¿��¿LC¿>KKR>I¿"2¿$!-�¿?V¿JLSFKD¿QL¿QEB¿@FO@RI>O¿economy.”
Another report ‘Towards the Circular Economy Volume 21’ produced by the "IIBK¿*>@�OQERO¿#LRKA>QFLK¿FK¿����¿focused on the impact of circular models in the consumer goods industry. It found that there was a global economic opportunity worth €516 billion in that sector alone.
That should do it then.
You’d think.
“Businesses in the EU could reap annual P>SFKDP¿LC¿¶���¿?FIIFLK¿�>IJLPQ¿��¿LC¿>KKR>I¿"2¿$!-�¿?V¿JLSFKD¿QL¿QEB¿@FO@RI>O¿B@LKLJV�f
28
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waste management
A lot of people are vaguely aware LC¿QEB¿+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿1O>PE¿SLOQBU¿the enormous marine resting place for all mankind’s discarded plastic ?>DP�¿$OBBKMB>@B¿ABP@OF?B¿FQ¿QERP�
“The trash vortex is an area the PFWB¿LC¿1BU>P¿FK¿QEB¿+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿in which an estimated six kilos
of plastic for every kilo of natural plankton, along with other slow degrading garbage, swirls slowly around like a clock, choked with AB>A¿çPE¿J>OFKB¿J>JJ>IP¿and birds who get snared. Some plastics in the gyre will not break down in the lifetimes of the grandchildren of the people who threw them away.”
`+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿1O>PE¿3LOQBU¿+LT¿‘At Least’ the Size of Texas,” says $OBBKMB>@B
our plastic sea
The vortex comprises not just plastic bags but also bottles and containers, plastic drums, expanded polystyrene packing, polyurethane foam pieces, MFB@BP¿LC¿MLIVMOLMVIBKB¿çPEFKD¿KBQ¿AFP@>OABA¿IBKDQEP¿LC¿OLMB¿QO>Ø@¿cones, disposable lighters, vehicle tyres and toothbrushes. Everything that we humans seem to think okay to casually toss into the sea.
`�OLRKA¿���¿JFIIFLK¿QLKKBP¿LC¿MI>PQF@¿are produced each year of which >?LRQ¿��¿MBO@BKQ¿BKAP¿RM¿FK¿QEB¿PB>�¿�?LRQ¿��¿MBO@BKQ¿LC¿QEFP¿FP¿COLJ¿PEFMP¿and platforms, the rest from land,” P>FA¿>¿$OBBKMB>@B¿PMLHBPJ>K�
“These big items do not degrade like natural materials. At sea and on PELOB¿RKABO¿QEB¿FK×RBK@B¿LC¿PRKIFDEQ¿wave action and mechanical abrasion they simply break down slowly into
ever smaller particles.
“A single one-litre bottle could break down into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the entire world. These smaller particles are joined by the small pellets of plastic which are the form in which many new plastics are marketed and which can be lost at sea by the drum load or even a whole container load. These modern day “marine tumbleweeds” have been thrown into sharp focus, not only by the huge quantities removed from beaches by dedicated volunteers, but by the fact that they have been found to accumulate in sea areas where winds and currents are weak.”
1EB¿+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿SLOQBU¿FP¿@OB>QBA¿by a sub-tropical gyre in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow
��
spiral. The winds in the gyre are light and the current tends to swirl things around the outside, scooping them up into its inward spiral, forcing them ever closer to the centre to join their brothers, sisters and many assorted relatives in plastic world’s version of a giant elephant’s graveyard.
With very few islands on which to wash up, the lumpy plastic soup – estimated to comprise six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton – just stays there, ominously lurking in the middle of the ocean.
The gyre has also been described over the years as ‘the Asian Trash Trail’, ‘the Trash Vortex’ and the =">PQBOK¿$>O?>DB¿->Q@E��¿
Not being particularly visible from >?LSB¿QEB¿SLOQBU¿FP¿AFØ@RIQ¿QL¿measure but current estimates have it at somewhere between the size of Texas and the whole of Midwest America.
“This perhaps wouldn’t be too much of a problem if the plastic had no ill BÖB@QPf¿P>V¿$OBBKMB>@B�¿`1EB¿I>ODBO¿items, however, are consumed by seabirds and other animals which mistake them for prey. Many seabirds and their chicks have been found AB>A¿QEBFO¿PQLJ>@EP¿çIIBA¿TFQE¿medium sized plastic items such as bottle tops, lighters and balloons. �¿QROQIB¿CLRKA¿AB>A¿FK¿%>T>FF¿E>A¿over a thousand pieces of plastic in its stomach and intestines. It has been estimated that over a million sea birds and one hundred thousand
LRO¿MI>PQF@¿PB>¿�@LKQ�
marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.”
Unfortunately it doesn’t end there either. The plastics tend to act as a chemical sponge, creating a concentration of the most damaging MBOPFPQBKQ¿LOD>KF@¿MLIIRQ>KQP¿�-,-P�¿meaning that any animal that accidentally eats any of the plastic debris will also be ingesting highly toxic pollutants.
1EB¿+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿DVOB¿FP¿LKIV¿LKB¿LC¿çSB¿J>GLO¿L@B>K¿DVOBP¿TEF@E¿@LRIA¿>II¿?B¿PRÖBOFKD¿QEB¿P>JB¿MOL?IBJ�¿The Sargasso Sea for example has a very slow circulation rate and recent research has suggested that FQ¿QLL¿FP¿PRÖBOFKD¿COLJ¿LSBOIV¿EFDE¿concentrations of plastic particles.
A Grim DiscoveryCharles J. Moore, returning home SHQNTGHÞSHEÞ.NQSHÞ0ACIâCÞ'XQEÞAæEQÞCNLOESIMGÞIMÞSHEÞ4QAMROACÞsailing race in 1997, came upon an EMNQLNTRÞRSQESCHÞNFÞãNASIMGÞDEBQIR�ÞMoore alerted the oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who subsequently dubbed the region SHEÞb%ARSEQMÞ'AQBAGEÞ0ASCHcÞ�%'0�
The area is frequently featured in media reports as an exceptional example of marine pollution.
The patch is not easily visible because it consists of very small pieces, almost invisible to the naked eye, most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean, and the relatively low density of the plastic debris at, in NMEÞRCIEMSIâCÞRSTDX�Þ���ÞJIKNGQALRÞof plastic per square kilometer of ocean area.
!ÞRILIKAQÞOASCHÞNFÞãNASIMGÞOKARSICÞdebris exists in the Atlantic Ocean.
`1EB¿+LOQE¿->@Fç@¿vortex is created by a sub-tropical gyre in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral.”
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/MQQHAJDÖQMJSRHMLQ�
Fortunately there are people working out there who believe the problem @>K¿?B¿OB@QFçBA�¿
One of whom is a young man called Boyan Slat from the Netherlands who believes that while preventing further plastic waste being added to the gyres is important, we still need to clear up what has already accumulated.
To which end he has devised a possible solution involving specially designed marine vessels and boom nets with which he believes it could be possible to clean up each of the DVOBP¿FK¿>P¿IFQQIB¿>P¿çSB¿VB>OP¿B>@E�
The particularly interesting part of his idea being to place the vessels and booms in such a way as to allow the gyres to bring the plastic to them, rather than the other way round.
Problem: The plastic is not static, it moves around.Solution: Why move through the oceans, if the oceans can move through you?
“Fix the sea water processors to the sea bed, and save vast amounts of funds, manpower and emissions.
“The ultimate solution to plastic pollution is clear; we need to close the tap, by ending our reliance on AFPMLP>?IB¿MI>PQF@¿FQBJP M>@H>DFKD¿we need proper waste management globally, and we need to become aware of the problems our garbage is creating. It will require drastic changes on legislative, industrial and individual levels of society.
`%LTBSBO¿BSBK¿FC¿TB¿@ILPB¿QEB¿Q>M¿we need to get out what’s already in the oceans.
“We’ll need a combination of both worlds, and we’ll need them soon.”
To read more about his project, entitled ‘The Ocean Clean Up’, and watch the presentation he recently made to TED, his website is: www.boyanslat.com.
�&Q¿PELRIA¿?B¿KLQBA¿QE>Q¿EB¿FP¿@ROOBKQIV¿at pains to point at that his feasibility study is not yet complete:
`0BSBO>I¿�PMLKQ>KBLRP�¿>OQF@IBP¿E>SB¿been published, claiming The Ocean Cleanup Array is a ‘feasible method’ of extracting plastic from the gyres.This is an incorrect statement; we >OB¿@ROOBKQIV¿LKIV¿>Q¿>?LRQ¿� �QE¿of completing our feasibility study.
LRO¿MI>PQF@¿PB>¿�@LKQ�
��
,KIV¿>ÚBO¿çKFPEFKD¿QE>Q¿PQRAV¿TB¿believe such statements should be made. Although the preliminary results look promising, and our team LC¿>?LRQ¿��¿BKDFKBBOP¿JLABIIBOP¿external experts and students is making good progress, we had and have no intention of presenting a concept as a feasible solution while
PQFII¿?BFKD¿FK¿FKSBPQFD>QFSB¿ME>PB�f�
LMRGDPÖNMQQHAJDÖQMJSRHML�
��P¿OBMLOQBA¿?V¿PMB@QOBSFPFLK�KBQ�
“It’s not your average science fair when the 16-year-old winner manages to solve a global waste crisis. But such was the case at last May’s Canadian Science Fair in Waterloo, Ontario, where Daniel Burd, a high school student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, presented his research on microorganisms that can rapidly biodegrade plastic.
�+,1"�¿1EBOB¿>OB¿14,¿EFDE¿P@ELLI¿students who discovered plastic-@LKPRJFKD¿JF@OLLOD>KFPJP�¿1EB¿çOPQ¿was Daniel Burd. The second was Tseng I-Ching, a high school student FK¿1>FT>K��
Daniel had a thought it seems even the most esteemed PhDs hadn’t considered.
Plastic, one of the most indestructible of manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose. It
Q>HBP¿����¿VB>OP¿?RQ¿AB@LJMLPB¿it does, which means there must be microorganisms out there to do the decomposing. Could those microorganisms be bred to do the job faster?
That was Daniel’s question, and he put it to the test with a very simple and clever process of immersing ground plastic in a yeast solution that encourages microbial growth, and then isolating the most productive organisms.
The preliminary results were encouraging, so he kept at it, PBIB@QFKD¿LRQ¿QEB¿JLPQ¿BÖB@QFSB¿strains and interbreeding them.
�ÚBO¿PBSBO>I¿TBBHP¿LC¿QTB>HFKD¿and optimizing temperatures Burd >@EFBSBA¿>¿��¿MBO@BKQ¿ABDO>A>QFLK¿of plastic in six weeks, an almost inconceivable accomplishment.
4FQE¿���¿?FIIFLK¿MI>PQF@¿?>DP¿manufactured each year and a ->@Fç@¿,@B>K¿$>O?>DB¿->Q@E¿QE>Q¿grows more expansive by the day, a low-cost and nontoxic method CLO¿ABDO>AFKD¿MI>PQF@¿FP¿QEB¿PQRÖ¿LC¿environmentalists’ dreams and, I would hazard a guess, a pretty good start-up company as well.
It goes without saying that these discoveries need to be tested to ensure, for instance, that the byproducts of organic decomposition
LRO¿MI>PQF@¿PB>¿�@LKQ�
>OB¿KLQ¿@>O@FKLDBKF@¿�>P¿FK¿QEB¿@>PB¿with mammalian metabolism of PQVOBKB¿>KA¿?BKWBKB��¿
The processing of plastics by these methods would also have to be contained in highly controlled environments. So, no, we’re not
talking about a magic panacea or a plastic-free paradise, but the innovative application of microorganisms to break down our most troublesome waste products FP¿KBSBOQEBIBPP¿>¿J>GLO¿P@FBKQFç@¿breakthrough.
��
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wind us up why don’t you?
5+Þ'NUEQMLEMSÞ#NLLIRRINMRÞReport To Discover Some Patently Obvious Facts About Wind Turbines
The UK government is apparently about to get its hands on a report it commissioned to discover why so many local residents object to wind turbines being built in their back yards.
A report which, wait for it, will suggest that there would be fewer such objections if people living near wind turbines were given suitably large discounts on their electricity bills every month.
When a bunch of highly paid, brilliant minds get together there’s very little can stop them. Pure genius.
The Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, is apparently also convinced that “direct reductions in electricity bills represents the LNRSÞEáECSIUEÞLEAMRÞof improving support FNQÞVIMDÞFAQLRc�
However, as is customary when an expensive committee comes up with an idea of the ‘patently bloomin’ obvious’ variety and are perhaps worried that they might have come up with their solution AÞSADÞSNNÞRVIæKX�Þthereby limiting their opportunities for further highly lucrative,
top level ‘behind closed doors’ think tank meetings, they have also pointed out that DIäCTKSÞHTQDKERÞRSIKKÞremain.
Like working out exactly how far from the turbine you can live and still get your discount.
For pity’s sake, will somebody order another box of chocolate HobNobs and close those doors. With thorny issues like that still to resolve, this could take us right through to the summer recess and a well-deserved holiday in Tuscany.
“When a bunch of highly paid, brilliant minds get together, there’s very little that can stop them. Pure genius.”
40
Half-naked people in mid-winter pool party shocker
“last one in’s a scardey cat!”
Imagine what you’d think if you overheard a conversation like this in a luxury car salesroom:
“That’s right sir, it’s a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Ten liters, fuel-injected, 3 million brake horse power. Costs a king’s ransom, but on the plus side, it’s good for very nearly 2 months DQIUIMGÞEUEQXÞXEAQ�c
“And the other 10 LNMSHR�c
“Are for parking it in front of your house to make your garden look prettier. And impressing the neighbours of CNTQRE�c
“And I can’t actually drive it the rest of the time because…?
“Oh it’d be far too cold to drive the rest of the year sir, it’s unheated you REE�c
“So even though a car is EáECSIUEKXÞAÞGIAMSÞHEASEQÞon wheels, it doesn’t actually have any HEASIMGÞIMRIDEÞIS�c
“That’s right sir. Awfully costly you see. Having heaters added to the inside can add nearly 5% to the cost of the car. Most people prefer to save on that and then get as much driving in as they can during those 2 balmy months in RTLLEQ�c
Which is, as far as I can tell, the sort of conversations that must actually be going on around the world in swimming pool sales
rooms.
It’s always puzzled me, VHEMÞ)ÞâMDÞLXREKFÞpeering into the gardens of the rich and famous, why so many of them have swimming pools, when you consider how much a pool costs to have built and how little they seem to use them.
“So how come you don’t heat your pool so you can use it the rest of SHEÞXEAQÞSNN�cÞ)ÞQECEMSKXÞasked an unsuspecting pool owner.
“Far too costly, heating. #NRSRÞAÞFNQSTMEÞSNÞQTM�c
“So for the rest of the year it just sits in front of your house making your garden look OQESSIEQ�c
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“And impressing the MEIGHBNTQR�c
“Of course, how silly of LE�c
Have these people never considered solar heating their pools? I can’t actually think of a better way to use RNKAQÞONVEQ�Þ!æEQÞAKK�ÞISÞdoesn’t cost any more than a conventional GARÞNQÞNIKÞâQEDÞONNKÞheating system to have installed, it works whenever it’s sunny
�VHICHÞIRÞMNQLAKKXÞwhen people feel the primal ‘urge’ to QESTQMÞSNÞSHEÞVASEQÞAMDÞSHEQEAæEQÞNMKXÞcosts buttons to run. No matter how many months of the year you choose to crank it up.
Indeed, if I was a pool NVMIMGÞSXOEÞ�)ÞHAUEMaSÞGIUEMÞTOÞHNOEÞAMDÞ)Þwanted to impress my neighbours, I think I’d want to do it by throwing lavish pool parties in the middle of
winter. All that steam rising and giggling and laughing and splashing around in the dark. Bloody infuriating for them I’d imagine.
.EWSÞLNMSH�Þ)MãASABKEÞprize marrows and how to make your neighbors think you own a pony when you don’t.
42
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg this week unveiled a $20 billion plan to prepare the city for rising sea levels and summer heatwaves expected as a consequence of climate change in the next few decades.
The 400-page plan – which could become the norm for many other cities – includes a proposal to bolster Lower Manhattan’s waterfront, and ADDÞAÞb3EAONQSÞ#ISXcÞSNÞSHEÞ%ARSÞ3IDE�ÞIn total it cited 250 such ‘adaptation’ LEARTQERÞIMCKTDIMGÞMEVÞãNNDVAKKR�Þstorm barriers and upgrades to power and telecommunications infrastructures.
The announcement comes in the wake of a growing realization that climate change related storms such as Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc across the state earlier this year, will become increasingly regular.
A related report concluded that heatwaves over the next 40 years will become two to three times more frequent in the summer months as the city state’s weather gradually becomes more akin to that of traditional ‘hothouses’ such as Birmingham, Alabama.
The sea level around New York City is expected to rise by at least 2 feet in the next 30 years. New York City is particularly vulnerable to sea level rises and has 520 miles of coastline to worry about. More than Miami, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco combined.
“New York City could do nothing and expose ourselves to an increasing frequency of Sandy-like storms SHASÞDNÞLNQEÞAMDÞLNQEÞDALAGE�cÞBloomberg told reporters at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
New York Orders New ‘Fatboy’ Climate Change Trousers
.EWàYORKàSETSàASIDEà���àBILLIONàTOàDEALàWITHàEãECTSàOFàCLIMATEàCHANGE
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“Or we can make the investments necessary to build a stronger, more resilient New York – investments that will pay for themselves many SILERÞNUEQÞIMÞSHEÞXEAQRÞGNÞSNÞCNLEcÞhe said.
Superstorm Sandy killed more than 100 people and ended up costing the city an estimated $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity.
SO WHAT?
In many ways Bloomberg’s plan is admirable. It faces up to reality and proposes methods for dealing with the inevitable consequences of climate change.
But if every major city in America
were to allocate a proportionally similar amount of money to such adaptation plans, it’ll end up costing the country far more than it would to deal with the causes of climate change instead.
A bit like a fat man with an addiction to doughnuts and soda thinking about abandoning any inclination he might previously have had to go on a diet and instead ordering an entire new wardrobe of ‘large man’ clothes. “Pass the maple syrup would you Mable, these new elasticated- waistband trousers have GNSÞKNADRÞNFÞQNNLÞKEæÞIMÞSHELÞXES�c
�)LAGEÞCNTQSERXÞNFÞ-ARSEQÞ3GS�Þ-AQJÞ#�Þ/KREM�
44
cables not included
#ORDLESSà0OWERà6EHICLEà#HARGINGà3YSTEMàFORà%LECTRICà#ARS
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Nobody likes an unsightly mass of electric power cables. Particularly the sort of cables that like to wrestle each other into an unholy mass of knots the moment your back is turned, and then sit there laughing at you as you wonder once more how it is they manage to do that.
And electric car drivers it would seem AQEÞMNÞDIáEQEMS�ÞWhich explains why companies like Evatran Inc in America are beavering away on a ‘revolutionary’
new device to allow electric car drivers to recharge their batteries without the need for cables and plugs.
)MÞERREMCEÞAÞãNNQÞmounted pad which uses electromagnetic induction to jump the gap between itself and your car, AMDÞâKKÞISÞTOÞVISHÞtasty new electricity VHIKEÞXNTÞVAMDEQÞNáÞto the shops or go to SHEÞNäCE�
While it sounds fairly high tech and magical, the concept of the wireless transfer of electricity
isn’t actually new. As anyone who has watched Back To The Future will know. But it is becoming gradually more available.
SO WHAT?
Apparently these charging pads will cost about $3k âSSEDÞVHEMÞSHEXÞRSAQSÞQNKKIMGÞNáÞSHEÞproduction line this year, which means they are highly unlikely to present an immediate cost saving. “Sure Bob, three thousand dollars is a heck of a lot of money, but
have you considered how much time I save not having to untangle all those wires? Time is money Bob, time is LNMEX�c
Like many such ‘time saving’ devices however, it will sell not because it makes sound ECNMNLICÞREMREÞ�ȱTRSÞ
XESÞBTSÞBECATREÞISaRÞsexy. It’s a sexy gadget that says to the world, “I like sexy gadgets, particularly green sexy gadgets. Do you want to RSQNJEÞLE�c
'NNGKE�ÞFNQÞEWALOKE�Þhave installed a few of them at their HQ in California, because
that’s the sort of people they are. Strokable.
Are you?
For more information, try visiting pluglesspower.com. This is just the beginning.
46
total recallThe Restart Project in London Looks to Fix Damaged Electronics Instead of Just Throwing Them Away
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UGNÞ6AKKATQIÞAMDÞ*AMESÞ'TMSEQÞare the co-founders of The Restart Project, an intuitive movement with the simple aim of encouraging people to SQXÞAMDÞâWÞ�NQÞGESÞâWEDÞSHEIQÞdefunct electronic items instead NFÞGIUIMGÞIMÞASÞSHEÞâQRSÞHTQDKE�Þslinging them in the nearest skip and forking out yet another small fortune on a replacement.
4NÞRHNVÞOENOKEÞâQRSÞHAMDÞHNVÞEARXÞSHIRÞCAMÞNæEMÞBE�ÞAMDÞSNÞput their money where their mouths are, the pair organize Restart parties, typically in community centres or other easily accessible venues.
At these parties, advertised through social networking platforms such as Facebook and
Twitter, members of the public pitch up with various ‘resting’ gadgets and gizmos that they have invariably been advised by their retailers are ‘beyond economic repair’. Volunteer âWEQRÞBQNTGHSÞSNGESHEQÞBXÞSHEÞproject than set about assessing the damage to each item and in LNQEÞCARERÞSHAMÞMNS�ÞâWIMGÞSHEÞproblem right there on the spot.
The idea for the project came to Mr Vallauri when he was working for the charity Computer Aid, that refurbishes old computers before shipping them out to developing countries.
b4HEXÞâWÞAKLNRSÞEUEQXSHIMGÞIMÞSHNREÞOKACER�cÞHEÞRAID�ÞbSHEXÞjust don’t have the money to buy them new. By contrast,
48
in developed nations people have lost the VIKKÞSNÞâWÞBQNJEMÞgadgets. A combination of convenience and cultural pressure leads people to buy new rather than repair.
“Also people have lost trust in commercial repairs. They do not know who to go to and who they can trust, especially when it comes to electronics AMDÞEKECSQICAKÞGNNDR�c
“We don’t like it when we see things that end up in a skip, or even recycled by our councils, when they could have a second or third life if only we use RNLEÞBARICÞQEOAIQÞRJIKKRc
“Just as when people take their car to a mechanic, people NæEMÞFEAQÞSHASÞVHEMÞthey take their broken gadgets to a repair shop they will be overcharged or bamboozled by jargon. The idea with Restart is to overcome that fear by getting people
involved with the repair process themselves.
“Opening up a kettle, CNáEEÞGQIMDEQÞNQÞlaptop and helping to take it to pieces is a powerful way to get NUEQÞSHASÞFEAQ�cÞRAIDÞBen Skidmore, one of Restart’s team of QEGTKAQÞUNKTMSEEQÞâWEQR�
“That fear tends to evaporate completely if the item in question GESRÞâWED�c
An average of about 20-25 people bring something along to the parties that MEEDRÞâWIMG�ÞSHEÞLNRSÞcommons items being LCD TVs, music players, laptops, digital cameras and the like.
Not everything can BEÞâWEDÞBTSÞUIRISNQRÞASÞKEARSÞGESÞSNÞâMDÞout exactly what the problem is and whether a repair might actually be economically viable AæEQÞAKK�
b-NQEÞNæEMÞSHAMÞMNSÞmanufacturers go
cheap and produce goods that have NBRNKERCEMCEÞBTIKSÞIM�cÞsaid Mr Vallauri who added that according to recent research, about 23% of the waste electrical equipment in recycling centres could be refurbished and repaired easily.
“Unlocking the value in that could prove a huge boost to local ECNMNLIERÞIMÞâMAMCIAKÞAMDÞRNCIAKÞSEQLR�cÞHEÞsaid.
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50
GNIMGÛNÞÛSAQGES
“Cheap Coal A Threat To 5+Þ0NKKTSINMÞ4AQGESR�cÞSays Chairman of Environment Agency
Lord Smith has never been one to mince his words. The Americans HAUEÞLADEÞAÞRIGMIâCAMSÞswitch to shale gas, and are buying less coal. Hence the price of coal on global markets has fallen sharply, tempting power generation companies to increase coal’s place in their overall mixes. Instead of reducing it in accordance with those pesky de-carbonisation targets we’re all meant to be adhering to.
Coal now plays a 40% part in power generation in the UK, its highest
ranking since 1996. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency, the UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide rose by 3.9% from 2011 to 2012. Sulphur emissions have also risen instead of falling.
Lord Smith has urged the government to commit to a long-term strategy to remove all carbon pollution from electricity generation by 2030.
He also said that the UK must only develop its own reserves of shale gas if it can guarantee
carbon capture technology, which isn’t as yet available.
“If we lock ourselves into gas generation for the next 40 years without capturing the CO2 emissions, we will never meet our targets on climate change. At the current rate of progress we will miss our future carbon BTDGESR�c
SO WHAT?
Time for a carbon tax surely?
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52
reigning in the wasters!Should Recycling Be Compulsory For EU Businesses?
European companies might soon be compelled by law to separate their ‘rubbish’ into the normal recycling categories �GKARR�ÞLESAKR�ÞOKARSICR�ÞOAOEQ�ÞAMDÞNQGAMICRÞARÞa result of a review of current EU laws that will seek to eliminate KAMDâKKÞDTLOIMGÞARÞRNNMÞas 2020.
The European Commission got the ball rolling on June 9th by launching a consultation process to look into improving three current EU directives dealing VISHÞVARSE�ÞKAMDâKKÞAMDÞpackaging.
The EU is reportedly very keen to improve on existing recycling and reuse targets for 2020,
which currently stand at 50% for household waste and 70% for construction waste.
With many EU member states already meeting or exceeding these targets, the Commission is understandably keen to raise the bar a little.
It is understood that the new targets will encourage businesses to totally manage their own waste streams while also adding a compulsory requirement to sort waste materials for composting, recycling and anaerobic digestion.
The Commission is also looking at the possibility NFÞILONRIMGÞDIáEQEMSÞSAQGESRÞFNQÞDIáEQEMSÞ
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countries dependent on SHEIQÞ'$0�
“Action to curb waste levels is urgently required given that looming resource crunches threaten to seriously undermine member state’s CNLOESISIUEMERR�cÞEnvironment Commissioner Janez 0NSNŁMIJÞSNKDÞQEONQSEQR�
“We are importing six times more resources that we are exporting, and per person we are the most resource-DEOEMDEMSÞCNMSIMEMS�cÞhe said.
“So one doesn’t need a PHD to draw the economy that for us, producing products using less water, energy and raw materials, reusing them and recycling is a matter of survival and competitiveness, not only of the EMUIQNMLEMS�c
SO WHAT?
When it comes to recycling there are
a few truisms worth trotting out.
1. Once you start doing your recycling properly, be it at home or in the workplace, you will BEÞALAYEDÞBX�ÞAÞHNVÞEARXÞISÞIR�ÞBÞHNVÞLTCHÞrecyclable material we GEMEQASE�ÞAMDÞCÞHNV�Þonce you’ve taken out the recyclables, there is RNÞKISSKEÞKEæÞSHASÞMEEDRÞto be ploughed into a KAMDâKKÞRISE�
2. If you make recycling compulsory �VISHÞSHEÞHEKOÞNFÞâMERÞNQÞâMAMCIAKÞIMCEMSIUERÞpeople will start doing it.
3. If you study the process properly, it doesn’t take long to work out that it makes sense not only from an environmental point of view, but also from an economic perspective.
The bottom line is, it’s actually fairly shocking that the EU even has to go through a consultation process before doing the completely patently
obvious thing and making recycling compulsory.
!æEQÞAKK�ÞISaRÞMNSÞARÞIFÞanyone is trying to claim the fundamental right of all citizens to be allowed to scatter their rubbish to the four winds any time they feel like it. The constitutional right to bare palms.
Not sorting your ‘rubbish’ properly is, quite simply, anti-social. Ten times worse than farting in AÞCQNVDEDÞKIæ�ÞOICJIMGÞyour nose in your car when you’re stopped ASÞAÞSQAäCÞKIGHS�ÞNQÞeven putting your used chewing gum under someone else’s dining table.
Let’s do it now. Make recycling compulsory and watch how quickly it simply becomes the norm.
�)LAGEÞCNTQSERXÞNFÞ&EQQAMÞ2EKEA
54
Canadian artist Franke James has fairly mainstream views when it comes to climate change and the dangers of an energy policy reliant on fossil fuels. Unfortunately for her however, the democratically elected government of her country don’t hold the same views. Most ROECIâCAKKXÞVHEMÞISÞcomes to the country’s huge untapped ‘Tar Sand’ oil reserves, said to be the largest oil reservoir in the world bar Saudi Arabia’s.
James believes that bringing that oil into use, a process which releases up to 4 times as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
as the processing of conventional oil, will cause long term damage to the planet. And is therefore a bad thing for everyone.
The Canadian government on the other hand, has decided that the economic BEMEâSRÞSNÞSHEÞCNTMSQXÞfar outweigh the potential environmental consequences.
SO WHAT?
The long-term views of the environment lobby clashing with the short-term economic policy of a democratically elected government. It’s hardly a unique situation.
What is surprising however, even to the
artist herself, is the lengths to which the #AMADIAMÞ'NUEQMLEMSÞhas gone to discourage her from expressing her views to the general public.
It all started in the Summer of 2011 when #AMADIAMÞNäCIAKRÞSQIEDÞto shut down a show of James’s work in Croatia hosted by a local environmental group. The attempt failed but it did herald the beginning of a quite extraordinary witch hunt at the highest level against James. For the crime of HNKDIMGÞDIáEQEMSÞUIEVRÞto her government about global warming.
3HNQSKXÞAæEQÞSHASÞHEQÞAQSÞgrant was cancelled by the government in an
Artist Muzzled By Canadian 'NUEQMLEMSÞ&NQÞ#KILASEÞ6IEVR
mum’s the word
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attempt, it would seem, to shut her down/up.
“I was just going along IMÞLXÞBKIRRFTKÞVAX�cÞshe said. “I really didn’t think that I was at risk of getting shut down in AMXÞVAX�c
James then decided to show her work – mainly humorous
posters – on bus shelters around the city.
A counter-censorship tactic which sparked a right royal exchange of memos within the government; 2,176 of which James had the tenacity to obtain copies of through a laborious process of open records
requests involving seven government departments.
James tells the whole story in a book published this week entitled, ‘Banned On The Hill: A True Story About Dirty /IKÞAMDÞ'NUEQMLEMSÞCensorship.
Barring a major policy RHIæ�ÞSHEÞGNUEQMLEMSÞis unlikely to have seen the last of James just yet. Along with the book she is planning to take her campaign against the Tar Sands energy policy on the road – quite literally – by putting up posters on street corners and bus shelters.
She also hopes the book will serve as a how-to guide to other activists hoping to take on the Harper administration, especially with humour. “It’s kind of like a judo ãIO�ÞLEAMIMGÞSHASÞXNTÞCAMÞACSTAKKXÞãIOÞsomeone who is much BIGGEQÞSHAMÞXNT�c
