beachpolution

Ocean of Plastic

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“Plastics, like diamonds, are forever.” The above quote is from Captain Charles Moore, oceanographer and racing boat captain known for articles that recently brought attention to the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ . A recent study of remote beaches in Hawaii found that the beach sand contained over 50% plastic.   The plastic is washed upon the shore after being…

bottle house

Homes made of plastic bottles

In Bolivia and other Latin nations a group are helping people build their own homes our of plastic bottles.  The Casas de Botellas, which translates to Bottle House, are giving people new hope and dignity. The bottles are filled with  honey, sand, rubbish, linseed oil and milk.    The bottles are added to  dirt, livestock blood, cement, lime,…

recycled_plastic_bracelets

Beautiful African jewelry from recycled trash

Across Africa local artisans are making beautiful bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry from plastic, paper and glass saved from local land fills.  These recycled treasures are sold thru a variety of web sites. In the Northern African country of Burkina Faso artists are making bracelets from old plastic mats that are used for rugs and prayer mats.…

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Solar Bottle Lights

In many of the worlds slums, people are packed into every available space. Home are built next to each other with no windows to let in light. People live in darkness 24 hours a day.  Electricity for lights is either unavailable, sporadic, or too expensive leaving millions in darkness at high noon.  Simple recycled plastic…

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KickStarter funds recycling center in Costa Rica

New York Institute of Technology architecture students funded a plant to build a recycling center in Costa Rica, and fund a documentary film about it.  Using KickStarter the students funded their projected.  Costa Rica known for biodiversity, national parks, and a thriving eco-tourism sector, has a severe trash problem; lacking appropriate infrastructure and policies, over sixty…

India Ragpickers' Dilemma

SWaCH India’s waste pickers

Waste pickers in Pune, India formed SWaCH (Solid Waste Collection and Handling) a cooperative of self-employed waste pickers. For over 10 years, SWaCH has worked in partnership with city authorities, providing door-to-door collection for a small fee and unlike other contractors that favor landfills and incineration units SWaTCH recycles and composts the city’s rubbish. Each week…

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Amazing documentary on waste pickers

Academy Awards nominated Waste Pickers is a  wonderful documentary focusing on the plight of waste pickers from Brazil and an artist that changes their lives.  The Brazilian artist Vik Muniz based in New York decides to make the difference and travels to the largest landfill of the world outside of Rio de Janeiro, with the intention to…

DSC00850

Home made filament extruder

I’m re-posting a forum post from http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,205005,205005 It extrudes ABS plastic re-purposed from refrigerators doors. The author says he has last then $100 in costs and it produces a working filament. Xabbax wrote: “Low cost filament extruder made from 10 mm ID stainless steel tube, silver soldered inside an ordinary plumber 15 mm copper tube…

FDA approved T-Glase filament

FDA approved plastic filament for food

Taulman3D offers a 3D printing filament called t-glase.  This amazing plastic works with 3D printers designed to use PLA.  One for those users that print mostly with PLA or lower temperature 3D Printers.  The name t-glase is short for tough glass and is pronounced as Tee-Glass. The main features of t-glase Strength – similar to…

Bio Plastic

Bio Plastics

A popular biodegradable plastic is polylactide, or PLA. PLA is a synthetic polyester that biodegrades within a year, decaying much faster than conventional petroleum-based plastics. The creation of PLA, a bio plastic, involves bacterial fermentation, similar to the fermentation in the synthesis of PHAs. This fermentation creates lactic acid, which is then polymerized.   Furthermore,…

3D printer

Favorate products from CES 2014

Below is a list of links to exciting companies I saw at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas Afinia – 3D printers Stratasys – 3D printers Makerbot – 3D printer Leti – Maker of sensors and other components for advance devices Rii – makers of cool keyboards Robo 3D – 3D printers ZY LIghts – maker of…

3D printing and the law

Forbes Magazine talks about 3D printing & the law

Forbes published great article by Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) on the emerging 3D printing business and established industries attempts to fight it. Shapiro wrote “3D printing is facing legal challenges. Established players in manufacturing are going after user-generated 3D file sharing sites, arguing that their intellectual property is ripped…

pop can solar heater

Soda can solar heater

I found several videos of people making solar heaters out of aluminum and tin cans.  A unit only a few feet in size can output air well over 100 °f.   They can be made with soup or pop cans.  The enclosure can be made out of most materials.  The cover can be any clear…

Maker Bot

3D printing disrupts the world order

Today your iphone case has traveled the world before it is ever was in your hand.  Currently, oil from the Middle East is shipped to China where it is turned into plastic with cheap labor.  That plastic is molded into a iphone case and shipped on to the US.  Then from a port on the…

mfc

microbial fuel cell

A exciting and promising technology is microbial fuel cell.  These use microbes to product electricity and can convert human waste such as urine into electricity.  This technology is a long way off but is exciting. Read more: http://www.microbialfuelcell.org  

NotImpossible

3D printed prosthetic arms in Sudan

Daniel Omar was only 14 the South Sudanese government dropped a bomb on rebel forces nearby, and the he lost both his arms.  With the help of philanthropist Mick Ebeling , co-founder and CEO of research firm Not Impossible Labs, Daniel  was able to feed himself for the first time in two years.  The printed arm and hand will give him…