stash pocket

We’ve seen ads by Republic of Everyone before and if those didn’t strike you, nothing will. It was just a matter of time before an artist made an installation to raise the awareness of a growing problem. ”The Catch” was made by a British artist Julia Lohmann during her stay in Sapporo, Japan. Problem: 80% of the bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean is sold in Japan. Lohmann made a wooden structure to carry 500 fishing crates with the help of fishing wire that holds everything in place.

“The Mediterranean is at the point that if bluefin stocks are not actually collapsing, they are approaching collapse,”

/carry on reading sushi lovers

Continue reading ‘There’s Plenty More Fish in The Sea. Right?’

Dakhla (photo: Primoz)

Joining Melbourne, San Francisco, Hong Kong and many others, China banned the plastic bag. They are now no longer free of charge at the stores and the thin little plastic bags have been banned completely. China has a serious pollution problem and this is the government’s way of encouraging the usage of cloth bags or other reusable bags. Let’s hope this action will be effective, however I am worried that charging a hardly noticeable amount won’t bring anything to the table. Hopefully I’m wrong.

China is not the only country fighting the plastic bag war. Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Rwanda are making their efforts in eliminating the plastic bag as well. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are ‘’spearheading a fast-growing campaign to remedy the crisis.” (Inhabitat) They are said to be successful and for that I’m glad.

Continue reading ‘Plastic Bags | We Have a Problem’

True story, honest. OK, so the scientists in Australia are on a mission to save the planet. Apparently cow farts are a source of greenhouse gases. Yes. Yes they are. What they’re trying to do now is newtralize the cow-produced methane. Kangaroos fart is I guess awesome due to a particular bacteria in their stomachs which makes their gases methane-free.

”Not only would they not produce the methane, they would actually get something like 10 to 15 % more energy out of the feed they are eating,” because ”the bacteria also makes the digestive process much more efficient.”

Almost 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Australia come from cow farts, according to the government of Queensland. Whoa Aussies.

Freiburg am Breisgau is an eco-city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and it carries a reputation every city longs to have. It’s also believed to be the warmest city in Germany and it takes full advantage of the solar power it receives. Their public transport is amazing and they’re known for haveing a big pedestrian zone in the city centre where no cars are allowed. Because of that, the city has a cool vibe to it and what is more - the trams are really quiet - very important. Many quarters of Freiburg were built by the standards of sustainability and for that we salute them.

Continue reading ‘Solarsiedlung Freiburg | Rolf Disch’

About 400,000 apartments need help in Sweden due to bad energy efficiancy. About a gazillion other homes around the world do too, but not all coutries act upon such matters. Their aim is to upgrade appartment buildings from the 70’s so that they would meet the standards of a passive house. To do that they will thickly insulate them, install better and more energy-efficient windows and doors, equip them with more efficient appliances and lighting and install heat exchangers. All of the rooftops facing south will also receive solar panels to provide districts with warm water. Their aim is to cut the use of energy from 216 kWh/m2 to about 92 kWh/m2.

I bow to you, queen Sweden.

(via: TreeHugger)

This is by no means an attack on Apple, but the picture of the little girl is just so heartbreaking because sadly it represents what we’re leaving over for our kids. We’re all contributing to the big problem of electronical waste and should be aware of what happens with the out-of-date appliances.

Electronic waste, “e-waste” or “Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” (”WEEE“) is a waste type consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance. It is a point of concern considering that many components of such equipment are considered toxic and are not biodegradable. (from Wikipedia)

Continue reading ‘E-waste | We made our bed, now we’ll sleep in it.’

Good news for the environment - this car runs on air, it’ll cost you 1,5€ to fill the tank (weird car lungs?), you’ll be able to drive for 200km without refueling and go up to 110km/h. I don’t even care if it doesn’t look cool; now stop laughing you heartless person.

(via: TreeHugger)

Meet the extra insulated, prefabricated, said to be affordable eco house. The construction is made entirely of raw wood and other renewable resources and the front facade (above) will change with seasons. Sold to me.

/you also might like this one @ www.rbarchitecture.com

(via: David Report)

Awesome. The city of Berlin made a smart move on January 1st by introducing a new law and traffic sign to its downtown area. Berlin’s Senate Department for Health, Environment and Consumer Protection aims to reduce the number of people affected by excessive concentrations of noxious substances by one quarter. I have learned trough TreeHugger that 2 years ago the Senate also decided that bikes should represent 15% of the city traffic by the year of 2010. They are said to be doing great at achieving that goal and may be able to pull the plan off earlier than that. Good luck.

/click here to read/download the Berlin Umweltzone brochure (pdf, 265kb)

This is important. Please take a minute to watch this video. In that very minute 4 football pitches of rainforest will disappear from the face of the earth. As architects it is crucial for us to bare in mind the fact that our ecological footprint is huge and messy. Think of what you print, how you print it, what you build and how you build it.

/for more information please visit Rainforest Concern