#ecofriendly

Makoko, Nigeria

Makoko is a fishing village located in the Lagos Lagoon. Due to the weakness of the nearby soil and its proximity to water, much of Makoko rests on structures constructed on stilts above Lagos Lagoon. Traditionally this area has been self governing so schools are funded and provided by the village. 

The ingenious adaptation of building a structure that floats came from growing concerns with climate change and rising water levels. This adds to its versatility not just from an environmental standpoint but from a political and practical standpoint as well. The area of Makoko is consider a poor area and one of the slums of the city. The necessity to create a school that is not only low cost and sustainable but that also mobilizes as needed to serve the children of the village is significant. Additionally recent land reclamation efforts and commercial developments in the area have reclaimed much of the lagoon from the residents of Makoko. Their homes on stilts must be deconstructed and reassembled elsewhere, while the school’s maneuverability eliminates this process.  

Built in 2013 with locally sourced wood and electrically powered with solar panels, the floating construct is designed to house about 100 students and even has a playground and green space. It is entirely sustainable due to the application of solar cells to the roof and incorporating a rainwater catchment system. The structure is also naturally ventilated and aerated. The barrels used to help the structure float are also used as water reservoirs from the catchment system. The floating schools are an ingenious design that serves the needs of the community in a cost effective and eco-friendly way.

If you are wanting to reduce your waste, perhaps the best place to start is with plastics. Working on reducing single use plastics (such as straws, bags, cups, cutlery etc.) is a great first step, however, you may find that you still need/use things with plastic packaging. Now it comes down to what you do with the plastic after it has been used. Its time to look at what type of plastic you are dealing with to see if it is recyclable. In general, if you still need to buy plastic, you should take this into consideration as some plastic can skip the landfill altogether. 

You may be aware that each plastic product has a little triangle on the bottom with a number in it that ranges from 1 to 7. These numbers are called “Resin Numbers” and indicate what kind of plastic the product is made out of. Consider checking this number before buying any plastic item so you know how to dispose of it properly.

Here is a quick rundown on Resin Numbers:

1 = PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)

• Recyclable:Yes easily recyclable, curbside
• Examples: Plastic water bottles
• Cancer Causing: Yes
  

2 = HDPE (high-density polyethylene plastics) 

• Recyclable:Yes easily recyclable, curbside or outside programs
• Examples: Milk jugs, detergent containers, plastic bags
• Cancer Causing: No
  

3 = PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)

• Recyclable: difficult to recycle
• Examples: Berry containers, PVC pipes
• Cancer Causing: Yes
  

4 = LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) 

• Recyclable:Recyclable through outside programs
• Examples: newspaper bags, shrink wrap 
• Cancer Causing: No
  

5 = PP (Polypropylene) 

• Recyclable:Yes easily recyclable, curbside
• Examples: Bottlecaps
• Cancer Causing: No
  

6 = PS (Polystyrene) 

• Recyclable: difficult to recycle
• Examples: Plastic cutlery, plastic foam takeout boxes
• Cancer Causing: Yes
  

7 = OTHER 

• Recyclable: difficult to recycle
• Examples: bioplastics (these are plastics that are easily biodegradable, however, they are very new so there are few ways to easily recycle them right now), nylon, fiberglass
• Cancer Causing: No
  

Thanks for reading, and as always hmu with questions!

In 2019 I decided that I wanted to really work on my environmental impact. I hope to complete at least 8! 

My Goals for This Year:

1.) Shorten all showers to 5 min or less (trying to eventually get down to 2 min) (✔️ I’ve made this into a habit!)

2.)Pick up trash/litter anytime I go for a walk (and go on walks daily) (✔️ I have made this into a habit!)

3.) Support small/ethical businesses and thrift shops (✔️)

4.) Use my money to buy plants/seeds to both build a garden and expand the number of plants in my room (✔️)

5.) Continue the process of cutting out meat from my diet (I’ve already cut all red meat [update: just cut chicken, pork and ham!]) (✔️)

6.) Participate in 3 beach clean ups

7.)Use no single use plastic! (straws, plastic water bottles, plastic bags, etc.)

8.)Stop using teabags, use loose leaf tea instead (teabag packaging uses plastic)

9.) Buy only secondhand books unless impossible

10.) Read 5+ books on sustainability to be better informed (2/5)

11.)Vote for climate change bills, locally and nationally

12.)Walk instead of drive to places near my house 100% of the time (✔️)

You are welcome to snag any of these! Anything will help, no matter how small. Make sure to stay within your budget and means, and not be too hard on yourself if the changes don’t come all at once. Many times, just becoming more aware is what will help the most. What are your goals for this year in terms of sustainability? 

Reusing is the easiest, cheapest, fastest way to combat climate change! Our society might lead us to believe that we need this, or we need that, but in reality that is not actually the case. Having lots of currently popular stuff is bad for the environment, bad for your wallet, promotes horrible industries like fast fashion, and takes up a lot of your time. By reusing what you already have, you’ll find that you’ll be more creative,save your cash for what is really important (such as experiences!) and will really make a wonderful impact on our earth :) Here are just a few simple household items that you can easily reuse!

1.NEWSPAPERS can be used as wrapping paper, fire starters, packing material (instead of packing peanuts or bubble wrap), paper towels, scratch paper and much, much more!

2.OLD CLOTHING can be sold on DEPOP, donated to a charity shop/thrift store, made into quilts, used as dishtowels, made into sewable patches, turned into bandanas, turned into bags, or swapped with a friend or sibling

3.WATER USED FOR COOKING (if there is no salt) can be used to water plants, clean dishes or as water for your pets (or yourself)

4.PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES can be used as pots for plants, as cups, as pen holders, as jewelry holders, and can even be made into a makeshift sprinkler (if you poke holes on the bottom and fasten to hose with duct tape!) 

https://www.boredpanda.com/plastic-bottle-recycling-ideas/?utm_source=ecosia&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic 

5. OLD MOUSE PADS can be used as gardening knee pads, sponges, toe pads for high heels, and/or drink coasters

6.OLD BOOKS can be sold, turned into a cover for a kindle or tablet, turned into art (paint works really well), given to used book stores, or given to a friend or family member (great gift idea!)

7.BOTTLECAPS can be turned into candles, magnets, pins, buttons, art, windchimes, hair clips, turned into bracelets, earrings or necklaces, or turned into fishing lures

8.PENS AND PENCILS can be donated to local schools, re-sharpened, or turned into art!

9.OLD CELLPHONES can be sold back to many companies, given to a friend or relative, or used for electronic parts (the same is true for computers and tablets!)

10.STRAWScan be used to prevent jewelry from getting tangled during travel, to store bobby pins, to hold seasonings (like salt and pepper) if you are camping or travelling (if you tape the ends), and lastly, can be used as great cat toys :)

https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/23-practical-ways-reuse-disposable-straws/

As always, hmu with any questions!

For all who are interested in keeping the planet safe and healthy, I recommend reading nonfiction (and a lot of it!). As a young person (who may not be immediately taken seriously) it will help you educate people on important topics in a way that is factual and sophisticated!

Here are some of my all time favorite nonfiction booksabout our planet, where the future is heading, and what we as a collective can do to take action!

• The Ends of The World by Peter Brannen (10/10!!)
• This is a FANTASTIC, funny, and highly informative book that came out this year about the historic effects of global warming, and where we might be heading as a result. It reads like a narrative, and gives a really interesting perspective on global warming from a historical, geological and biological perspective! In the words of Michael Pye “This is a book about rocks: a vivid, fascinating, sometimes horrifying book about rocks and the story they tell about all the past and future lives of our planet”. 
• Things you’ll learn about: climate change, global warming, geology, the past 5 mass extinctions, paleontology, gigantic boney fishes, climate change, dinosaurs, and coral bleaching!
• Spineless by Juli Berwald (8/10)
• Spineless is an informative, beautifully written book about jellyfish and their effects on the oceans and ourselves. Berwald tells her personal journey studying jellyfish from start to finish in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes infuriating, and always incredibly interesting!
• Things you’ll learn about: jellyfish (literally everything about them, how to catch them, how to eat them, how to raise them, the big, the small, how they broke a nuclear reactor, eating habits, mating, EVERYTHING), global warming, the scientific community, japan, etc. etc. 
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (10/10)
• A classic. Just a classic cornerstone environmentalism book. Everyone should read it sometime in their lives. Rachel Carson is a badass environmentalist who paved the way for female scientists and wrote a startling, unflinchingly honest book about the effects of DDT on wildlife (in the 1960s no less!). I love this book to pieces, please read!
• Things you’ll learn about: effects of pesticides on the environment, history, and the effects of widespread human ignorance
• the LOST species by Christopher Kemp (7/10)
• This book is incredibly unique! It focuses on the importance of natural history museums and collections, and how many species are discovered in the musty boxes and crates of huge natural history collections. The book is broken into small sections, each talking about a different species found in this way. Its full of surprises and narratives!
• Things you’ll learn about: endangered species, how natural history collections are built, how said collections are incredibly important and are falling into disrepair because no one cares about them, mass frog extinctions, and 30 ft. parasites that live in the stomachs of sperm whales!