#sustainability

Webcam Model(Danahorny_liberada) is live
LIVE
Personal care products are likely to come in a wide array of plastics, and many can only be recycled

Personal care products are likely to come in a wide array of plastics, and many can only be recycled once before ending up in a product destined for the landfill. Eliminating these from your medicine chest will help stop the demand for these products and save you money!


Post link
Golden Globes 2016- Red Carpet Ethical Fashion Winner of Best Actress in a TV Drama series, Taraji PGolden Globes 2016- Red Carpet Ethical Fashion Winner of Best Actress in a TV Drama series, Taraji PGolden Globes 2016- Red Carpet Ethical Fashion Winner of Best Actress in a TV Drama series, Taraji PGolden Globes 2016- Red Carpet Ethical Fashion Winner of Best Actress in a TV Drama series, Taraji P

Golden Globes 2016- Red Carpet Ethical Fashion

Winner of Best Actress in a TV Drama series, Taraji P. Henson is stunning in a white Stella McCartney dress. Mr Robot star, Carly Chaikin is gorgeous in a hand embroidered sequin dress by designer Juan Carlos Obando who works with communities in Colombia to preserve traditional artisanal techniques. Amy Schumer chose a monochrome Prabal Gurung gown and Taylor Schilling is chic and stylish in Thakoon, accessorized with Monique Pean jewelry.
Post link
Submarine shower Life on a nuclear submarine is life under some pretty intense constraints. For one,

Submarine shower

Life on a nuclear submarine is life under some pretty intense constraints. For one, there’s not naturally any fresh water and any time you use it the waste water builds up in the tanks and then has to be expelled, and when you expel it that makes noise, and because nuclear subs don’t want to give away their location they do their best to minimise the number of times they have to do that. That means taking care of all fresh water.

The other reason to take care of fresh water usage is that they have to make it the whole time — any fresh water for cooking, cleaning or drinking has to be made from sea water. If you drink a glass of water on a nuclear submarine you’re probably drinking the most expensive glass of water you’ll ever drink because it’s been desalinated by a nuclear submarine.

Hence the submarine shower with a total of 20 seconds of water: 10s with the water on, turn it off while you soap and scrub and finish with 10s of rinsing. That’s it. For me it’s a nice reframe in how much you actually need when you take a shower, and it still works. So if you fancy saving water and energy you could give it a try.


Post link
 St Jerome’s Center   - Nakura, KenyaBuilt by Orkidstudio to serve as a communal solution to fragmen St Jerome’s Center   - Nakura, KenyaBuilt by Orkidstudio to serve as a communal solution to fragmen St Jerome’s Center   - Nakura, KenyaBuilt by Orkidstudio to serve as a communal solution to fragmen

St Jerome’s Center   - Nakura, Kenya

Built by Orkidstudio to serve as a communal solution to fragmented families living in the outskirts of Nakura, this multi-family unit was constructed from earth-bags and timber pillar cores. These materials are inexpensive and are the byproducts of manufacturing more expensive materials such as wood veneers. The home is equipped with a rainwater harvesting system and integrated community tap to provide a source of clean running water, which is limited in this Kikuyu village.


Post link
THREAD Center - Sinthian, SenegalThe New Artist Residency is the local center for the THREAD programTHREAD Center - Sinthian, SenegalThe New Artist Residency is the local center for the THREAD program

THREAD Center - Sinthian, Senegal

The New Artist Residency is the local center for the THREAD program, designed to aid local Senegalese artists in mastering their crafts.  

The building is constructed using local materials and local builders have shared their sophisticated knowledge of working with bamboo, brick, and thatch. These traditional techniques are combined with design innovations by the New York based architect Toshiko Mori. Like many Senegalese structures the building is eco-friendly and sustainable. The traditional pitched roof is inverted allowing for the collection of approximately 40% of the villagers’ domestic water usage in fresh rainfall.

Read more about THREAD here


Post link
Pavilion Estate - Windhoek, NamibiaNewly constructed modern estate in the suburb of Windhoek, NamibiPavilion Estate - Windhoek, NamibiaNewly constructed modern estate in the suburb of Windhoek, NamibiPavilion Estate - Windhoek, NamibiaNewly constructed modern estate in the suburb of Windhoek, Namibi

Pavilion Estate - Windhoek, Namibia

Newly constructed modern estate in the suburb of Windhoek, Namibia.


Post link
Khamsa Modern estate in Petit Côte, Senegal. The outdoor oasis serves as both attractive landscapingKhamsa Modern estate in Petit Côte, Senegal. The outdoor oasis serves as both attractive landscapingKhamsa Modern estate in Petit Côte, Senegal. The outdoor oasis serves as both attractive landscaping

Khamsa Modern estate in Petit Côte, Senegal. The outdoor oasis serves as both attractive landscaping and a sustainable water treatment facility.


Post link

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.


A great way to support local bee populations is to plant a bee friendly garden in your yard or local community garden. If you decide to undertake this project it is very important that you do your research. You want to cater to the right kinds of bees. 

1.) To begin do a very simple internet search: “Native Bees in the _________ Area” to find out what bees you need to plant plants for. Keep in mind that you likely will Not be catering to honeybees. Many native bees are a lot smaller than honeybees. 

2.) Now do some research into what kinds of plants these bees like. Try and cater to a few kinds of native bees. 

3.) Go obtain suitable plants. I recommend perennials so you do not have to continue buying the plants every year

4.) Transfer plants into chosen location and water them well. If you are trying to cater to mason bees, make sure that there is mud or dirt nearby.

5.) Water and weed on a regular basis

OPTIONAL: you can also add extras to your garden to further attract bees. I for example have bee baths (frisbees filled with rocks and water), a half buried teapot for bumblebees and a mason bee hive 

Hey guys! A great way to protect native bee populations is to build and nurture the environments that they need to live. In Washington, my state, Mason Bees are a prevalent native bee species, and this will be a tutorial on how to build hives for these types of bees. Before building a Mason Bee hive make sure that these bees are native to you area.If they are not, please build a hive more suited to the native species of your area or planting plants that attract those kinds of bees. Mason Bees will come to your hive if done correctly, but buying Mason Bees is also an option and will more quickly populate your hive. 

Supplies

Block Hive (I’ve built 5 of these, its’ a super simple afternoon project)

  • A drill
  • A 4″ by 4″ by 8″ block of wood 
  • Masking tape
  • OPTIONAL: wood finish
  • OPTIONAL: sanding paper

Bamboo Straw Hive

  • Bamboo straws
  • Rubber Band/ Alternative binding materials

Tutorials

https://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Young/Build-a-Bee-House.aspx

General Tips

https://www.parentmap.com/article/keeping-mason-bees-10-expert-tips-for-families

https://beebuilt.com/blogs/backyard-beekeeping-blog/everything-you-need-to-know-before-keeping-mason-bees

Where to Put Mason Bee Hives

According to Parent Map: “South-facing garage, house, or garden shed walls are ideal areas for establishing your nesting boxes”

Some Mason Bee Hive Designs

image
image
image

Overview

A fantastic way to learn about plants is to start with houseplants. Houseplants are usually small, easy to care for, mostly decorative plants for your home or space. They can familiarize you with watering schedules,soil and pH types,sunlight to darkness ratios, and (if you wish) Latin plant names. 

image

Obtaining Plants

Houseplants are sold at a variety of price points and can be found anywhere from a forest nearby, to community gardens, to supermarkets, to farmers markets, to nurseries, and even to online stores like amazon. Please note that if you are transplanting plants from a local community garden, you should get permission to do so beforehand. {EDIT: It was brought to my attention that you also need permission to take plants from forests/parks and that even though you can, it can have a profound impact on the surrounding environment and should be avoided}

FREE: forest/local environment, community gardens

CHEAP: supermarkets, some farmers markets

MORE EXPENSIVE: some farmers markets, nurseries, online stores


Materials/Supplies

In general, you dont need any fancy pots or fertilizers, but rather an idea about how much sunlightandwater your plant needs (a quick google image search should do the trick), and the right sized containerwithgood drainage (more on that later).


Light 101

Check to see if your plant requires “low”, “medium” or “bright” light and if it needs “direct sunlight” or “indirect sunlight”

Low: really needs no light at all, you can grow these in dark spaces with little to no light, if these plants are exposed to a lot of light, they will likely wilt and die

Medium: needs some sunlight but likely doesnt need a window space, put these plants in shady areas of rooms, or in places where the sun hits during only certain times of the day. these are real goldilocks plants, if they have too much light or too little light they will wilt and die, if one area does not seem to work for the plant move it elsewhere

Bright: need full light, probably need to devote window or patio space to these, observe where shadows fall around your space and avoid putting these plants there

Direct Sunlight: basically treat like a “bright” plant

Indirect Sunlight: basically treat like a “medium” plant


Water 101

Like light, plants have specific needs for water as well. Some plants (like cacti or succulents) really dont need any water at all, while others (like lucky bamboo) need their roots to be fully submerged. 

Do your research, but a good rule of thumb is:

Needs little to no water: add maybe a tablespoon of water to the plant once a month

Needs medium water: water every 2-3 days, or whenever the top of the soil is dry (only water until the soil is moist, not soaked through)

Needs lots of water: water daily, but make sure that water drainage is still good

Air plants: submerge in water once every week for about 10-60 sec

Aquatic plants: keep fully submerged


Containers and Drainage

Plants can be grown in anything, from cans to jars to boots to ceramic pots to planters to wood boxes, etc. The only rule is that there must be a hole in the bottom. This hole is to maintain good water drainage, and without it, excess water will remain in the pot and cause the roots of the plant to rot…this will kill the plant. In terms of the size of the container, this depends on the plant. Its ok if the container is too big but a too-small container can prevent root growth and damage the plant. 


Good Beginner Plants

Some plants that I’ve have had good luck with are: lucky bamboo, cacti, snake plants, air plants, and ferns


Thanks for reading, and as always, hmu with any questions!

I’ve chatted about how the best way to combat the fast fashion industry is to wear what you have…however with more wear comes more tears, and instead of throwing out the garment and getting a new one, its very simple to mend and alter your own clothes (regardless of your ability) 

In this way you can very easily increase the longevity of your clothes 

Some General Fixes/Alterations that You Can Do

Sewing on a button, fixing a rip or tear, shortening pants, shortening shirt sleeves, cropping shirts, lengthen pants, expand the shoulders of tops, re-size bras, painting or drawing on clothes

General Supplies

  • Thread
  • Needle
  • Buttons
  • Extra Fabric (you dont necessarily need to buy new fabric, use scraps from old projects, or cloth from old clothing items)
  • Scissors
  • Fabric Paint 
  • Paint brush

Some How-To Tutorials

Buttons

https://www.wikihow.life/Sew-a-Buttonhttps://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/sewing-on-a-button/

Fixing a Rip or Tear

https://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Clothes

Shortening Pants

1. Use a pen or colored pencil to draw a straight line across the pant length at the desired length

2. cut along line

3. either fray edges further or hem, its up to you

Hemming 

https://www.wikihow.com/Hem-Shirts

Shortening Shirt Sleeves

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/How-to-Shorten-Sleeves

Cropping Shirts

1. Use a pen or colored pencil to draw a straight line across the t-shirt at the desired length

2. cut along line

3. pull the newly cut shirt out at the hem until the hem curls over a bit

Lengthen Pants

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/How-to-Lengthen-Kids-Jeans

Expand Shoulders of Tops

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Refashioning-and-Upcycling/How-to-Expand-a-Top

Resizing a Bra

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/How-to-Resize-a-Bra

Painting on Clothes

https://www.wikihow.com/Category%3ADecorating-T-Shirts

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!

Picture I took at unknown location in WA

Picture I took at unknown location in WA


Post link
loading