Dovod RSS spletnega dnevnika sesalnika

Ohranjanje oceanov

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:01:57 GMT

Surfrider Foundation Europe je nevladna organizacija, ki se posveča varovanju in izboljšanju obalnih območij. Njen cilj je “varovanje, ohranjanje, izboljšanje in trajnostni menedžment morij, plaž, valov in ljudi, ki v tem uživajo”.

Zahvaljujoč najetim koordinatorjem po celi Evropi, več kot 1000 prostovoljcem, ki so organizirani v približno 50 postojankah, je organizacija Surfrider uspela uveljaviti številne iniciative za varstvo okolja.

Med temi je tudi “Ocean Initiatives”, iniciativa za varstvo oceanov, svetovna kampanja za povečanje zavedanja o makro odpadkih (odpadki, ki jih proizvaja človek in se na koncu znajdejo v okolju), ki jo spremlja tudi vsakoletno čiščenje plaž in obal. K sodelovanju so vabljeni tudi prebivalci, klubi in druga združenja; zaželeno je njihovo sodelovanje pri čiščenju in večanju zavedanja o pomembnosti tega problema, pri čemer jim organizacija Surfrider pomaga s strojno in programsko opremo. Leta 2010 je istočasno potekalo več kot 800 dogodkov “Ocean Initiatives”, pri tem pa je bilo s plaž odstranjenih več sto kubičnih metrov makro-odpadkov, kar je pripomoglo tudi k ozaveščanju družbe o tem problemu.

Kampanje ozaveščanja pod vodstvom organizacije Surfrider pa potekajo tudi na lokalnih ravneh, njihov namen pa je ozaveščanje o pomembnosti čistega okolja. Ena takih je na primer potekala med zaposlenimi v družbi Electrolux: čistilna akcija v kombinaciji s projektom “Vac from the Sea” je trajala približno dve uri, med tem časom pa smo zbrali skoraj kubični meter makro-odpadkov! Sedemdeset odstotkov zbranih odpadkov je bilo plastike.

Benjamin van Hoorebeke, ki je pri organizaciji Surfrider Foundation Europe odgovoren za izobraževanje, pojasnjuje cilj tovrstnih akcij:

“Ključno je, da se zaposleni v takih družbah, kot je Electrolux, na terenu seznanijo s situacijo, saj le na ta način dejansko zaznajo problem, ki ga predstavljajo makro-odpadki. Tako na lastne oči vidijo obseg onesnaženja, kar jih spodbudi k spreminjanju lastnega obnašanja v vsakodnevnem življenju, tako v službi kot tudi doma. Ne gre le za čiščenje okolja, najpomembnejše je, da se vsi naučimo ekološko odgovornega ravnanja in s tem preprečimo onesnaženje, še preden do njega pride. To je veliko bolje kot kasnejše odpravljanje posledic.”

Roboti z laserji sortirajo plastik

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:10:27 GMT

V začetku letošnjega leta je Univerza v Osaki predstavila robota za recikliranje , ki s pomočjo laserjev sortirajo različne vrste plastike. Večino plastike je mogoče reciklirati, toda samo 6 % takih odpadkov dejansko konča v namenskih smetnjakih. PET in PS sta primerna za recikliranje, toda na ta način pridobljenih surovin je le 5 oziroma 7,6 %. S prostim očesom namreč ni mogoče razlikovati PE od PP, a je recikliranje teh surovin največji, to je 23 oziroma 22 %. Robot za recikliranje je opremljen z laserskimi “očmi” in senzorji, ki zmorejo razlikovati šest različnih vrst plastike za lažje recikliranje.

Možnost recikliranja številnih vrst plastike bo po pričakovanjih občutno znižala emisije CO2. Robot za recikliranje sicer še ne bo tako kmalu prisoten v vseh domovih (njegova cena je namreč kar visoka, $55,000), toda raziskovalci z Univerze v Osaki želijo izdelati manjšo verzijo, ki bi bila primerna za povsem običajne kuhinje, nahajali pa naj bi se tudi ob smetnjakih in kompostnikih. Robot sta projektirala center IDEC, Photonics Advanced Research Center in Mitsubishi Electric Engineering, projekt pa podpira japonsko Ministrstvo za gospodarstvo, trgovino in industrijo.
Vir: Univerza v Osaki, Japonska

Plastična vrečka Majestic

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:49:56 GMT

Oskarjevec Jeremy Irons v svojem ironičnem dokumentarcu poudarja kalifornijski problem onesnaženja s plastičnimi vrečkami. Video je nastal kot promocijsko gradivo organizacije Heal the Bay iz kraja Santa Monica v Kaliforniji, in kot podpora kalifornijskemu zakonu AB 1998. Pomagal naj bi končno zajeziti onesnaženje s plastiko. Prizadevanja Heal the Bay so osredotočena na zaliv Santa Monica in okoliške obale južne Kalifornije, a njihovi uspehi niso omejeni samo na to področje, ampak vplivajo tudi na kakovost vode v celi Kaliforniji in celih Združenih državah Amerike.

Izdelajmo sesalnik!

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:49:22 GMT

Plastični odpadki, ki se znajdejo v oceanu, prizadenejo vse nas. Do zdaj smo sodelovali z različnimi organizacijami, odstranjevali plastiko iz Pacifika, Atlantskega in Indijskega oceana in Severnega morja. Zakaj ne bi pri čiščenju Baltskega morja vključili tudi prebivalce, ki živijo na obalah? Oziroma bolje, tiste, ki plujejo po tem morju …

V soboto, 27. avgusta, smo se odpravili na Sandhamn, majhen polotok v Stockholmskem arhipelagu. Želeli smo spodbuditi ljudi, ki živijo na v bližini obale in pogosto plujejo čez morje k pobiranju koščkov plastike, ki jih zagledajo med potjo, in nam jih pošljejo. Iz zbrane plastike bomo izdelali sesalnik iz Baltskega morja, torej bo sesalnik rezultat skupnega truda vseh!

Sandhamn je znan po svojih jadralcih in ravno na dan, ko smo se odpravili tja, sta potekali kar dve regati! V luki je bila velika množica ljudi, in števili so želeli sodelovati pri akciji in s tem narediti uslugo Baltskemu morju!

Dobrodošli pri sesalniku iz morja

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:15:50 GMT

Dobrodošli pri sesalniku iz morja

Naši oceani so polni plastičnih odpadkov. Na kopnem pa primanjkuje reciklirane plastike.

Dobava trajnostnih surovin, kot je reciklirana plastika, je bistvena za proizvodnjo trajnostnih aparatov in pomoč potrošnikom pri ustvarjanju okolju prijaznejšega doma.

Zato upam, da se nam boste pridružili pri izboljšanju ozaveščenosti o nevarnosti, ki jo predstavlja plastika za morske živali in rastline, in o nujni potrebi po boljšem ravnanju z že obstoječo plastiko.

Hans Stråberg, predsednik in glavni izvršni direktor pri Electroluxu

Recikliranje plastike

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:15:46 GMT

Ni točnih podatkov o tem, koliko plastike se reciklira.

Glede na poročilo »Zgovorna dejstva o plastiki 2009, analiza evropske proizvodnje plastike, povpraševanja in ponovne uporabe za leto 2008« se v Evropi reciklira približno 20 odstotkov plastike za potrošnjo, vendar pa so razlike znotraj te celine ogromne.

Ramsvik

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:15:46 GMT

Ramsvik, ki se nahaja blizu Smögna in Kungshamna, je eden prvih krajev, kjer je Electrolux začel zbirati plastične odpadke za projekt Sesalnik iz morja. Prejšnji teden smo se pridružili čistilni akciji lokalne skupnosti in se odpravili do arhipelaga Skagerrak, da bi tam zbrali morske odpadke.

Na Švedskem vsako leto vzdolž obale Bohuslän naplavi velike količine odpadkov. Tokovi iz Severnega in Baltskega morja ponesejo plavajoče smeti do Skagerraka, kjer se kopičijo in jih veter ponese na našo obalo. Večji del materiala ni biološko razgradljiv in je sestavljen iz do 80 % iz plastike, naplavi pa tudi olja, kemikalije in medicinske odpadke ter vojaške predmete. Kopiči se na brežinah, kjer se meša z morskimi algami in travo v zalivih in skalnih špranjah.

Več informacij in slik bo na voljo v kratkem!

Začnite zbirati!

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:48:38 GMT

“Včasih te lepota spodbudi. Želeli smo sprožiti akcijo, ki zahteva samo spoštovanje osnovnih pravil pravilnega ravnanja s planetom – obenem pa je potrebno tudi upoštevati tihe glasove inspiracije in zavzetosti, kajti največji nasprotnik lepote je – indiferentnost.”

Judith Selby Lang in Richard Lang sta v zadnjem desetletju zbrala več kot dve toni plastičnih odpadkov na eni sami plaži na Point Reyesu. Plastiko sta uporabila kot surovino za svoja umetniška dela, s katerimi širita zavedanje o neverjetni raznovrstnosti in stalni prisotnosti plastičnih odpadkov ter njihovemu vplivu na občutljive morske ekosisteme.

Več o njunem delu in ustvarjanju lahko preberete na njuni spletni strani Beach Plastic in v blogu Plastic Forever.

Neuničljive smeti

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:47:57 GMT

Zobne krtačke. Slika: Thomas Engström

Če pokukamo v vrečke smeti na smetiščih, v njih opazimo številne vsakdanje predmete. Razen plastične embalaže, steklenic, plastičnega jedilnega pribora opazimo tudi številne zobotrebce, glavnike, igrače … Po desetletjih na soncu so obledeli barvo in obrabljeni, zglajeni so od peska, zdrobljeni pod skalami. Da, tudi ti predmeti s svojo patino so lahko lepi, a so strašljivi! Številni so zelo stari – kajti plastika je večna! Če ne bomo kmalu ustrezno ukrepali, nas bo vse preživela.

Smeti na obali Havajev. Slika: Thomas Engström

En svet

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:46:11 GMT

Samo to vam želim reči. Samo en svet imamo.

Ali poslušate?

Plastika.

Ta pameten nasvet je Benjamin Braddock, ki ga je igral takrat 29-letni Dennis Hopper, prejel že pred mnogimi leti, leta 1967, na koktajl zabavi v filmu Diplomiranec. Takrat je bila industrija plastike v razcvetu, privlačna za mladeniča, ki je pravkar zaključil študij.

Le pet let po premijeri Diplomiranca, leta 1972, so v reviji Znanost objavili prve študije o odpadni plastiki v severnem Atlantiku. Edward Carpenter, znanstvenik pri Oceanografskem inštitutu Woods Hole, je opravil raziskavo, pri kateri je enajstkrat vlekel mrežo po površini oceana in ugotovil, dab o vedno večja uporaba plastike v vsakdanjem življenju “brez dvoma povečala koncentracijo plastičnih delcev”.

Onesnaženje odprtega morja z odpadno plastiko seveda ni nov pojav; znanj je že leta.

Do sedaj smo ulovili v naših mrežah več kot 40 000 kosov plastike.

Letošnje poletje nas je triintrideset prostovoljcev in profesionalnih mornarjev iz organizacije Sea Education Association (SEA).odplulo na 134 čevljev dolgi ladji SSV Corwith Cramer z namenom poglobljeno raziskati ta problem. Mrežo smo vlekli po površini več kot 128-krat, in v njej našli več kot 40.000 kosov plastike! S palube smo opazili škornje, sandale, pokrove za straniščne školjke, nalepke z živil – ni stvari, ki je ne bi bilo! V našo metrsko mrežo smo ujeli celo ogromno vedro, ki je mirno plutalo na gladini – skupaj s tisoči drugih kosov iz plastike, in jatami obalnim rib, ki so sledile vedru … Težko bi si kaj takega sploh domišljal.

V laboratorijah.

Sicer smo res odstranili veliko količino plastike s površine morja, toda naš cilj tokrat ni bil čiščenje oceana. Želeli smo raziskati plastiko z znanstvene perspektive. Od kje prihaja? Koliko je je? Kje je je največ? Kje konča? Ali se na plastičnih odpadkih naselijo mikrobi? Plastika na odprtem morju je sodobna morska pošast: brez glave, brez rok ali nog, a z neznansko velikim telesom. Da bi oceane povsem očistili, je skoraj – misija nemogoče! Boljše bomo svoje vire izrabili, če se poskušamo naučiti iz dosedanjih slabih navad, če si zastavljamo vprašanja o naravi plastike – in naši naravi nasploh.

Priprave.

Tako kot Dennis Hopper v Diplomirancu sem tudi sam pred kratkim dokončal študij. Poleti sem učil jadranje v Newportu na otoku Rhode. Vsak dan sem jadral v zalivu Narragansett in opazoval plastične vrečke, plastične steklenice in druge odpadke iz plastike. Imel sem občutek, da tega nihče drug ne opazi. Priznam, prej jih tudi sam nisem .. Šele ko so mi predočili, kam gre ta plastika, kam jo odnaša voda, sem spoznal, da gre za velik ekološki problem s hudimi posledicami za naša morja.

Torej, ste me slišali? Vse, kar želim povedati v zvezi s plastiko, je samo to: En svet.

Reciklirajmo.

Tyson Bottenus,
Prostovoljec na ekspediciji Plastic at SEA 2010.

Datum določen za čiščenje s potapljanjem na Tajskem

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:45:47 GMT

20. in 21. avgusta smo se odpravili na otok Phi Phi na Tajskem. Skupaj s potapljači Blue View Divers se bomo potapljali in očistili morsko dno – zbirali bomo odpadke iz plastike, ki so se zapletli v koralne grebene.
Skupina potapljačev Blue View Divers je nastala leta 2006, in je od takrat sodelovala pri številnih okoljevarstvenih projektih. Dolgoročni cilj skupine je ozaveščanje prebivalcev in s tem ohranjanje in varstvo koralnih grebenov v vodah, v katerih se potapljajo.

Pričakujte še več informacij in gradiva.

5 Gyres: Prečkanje Sargaškega morja

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:45:24 GMT

Januarja 2010 je ekipa 5 Gyres prečkala Sargaško morje. Pluli smo na ladji našega partnerja Pangaea Exploration's, Morski zmaj - dolgi 72 čevljev z jeklenim trupom. Prebijali smo se skozi plasti odpadne plastike, ki prekriva dele Sargaškega morja, in našli plastične delce v prav vsakem površinskem vzorcu, ki smog a odvzeli. Na otokih – Bermuda in Azori – smo našli plaže, zatrpane s plastičnimi odpadki. Glede na omejena sredstva za zbiranje in odvažanje odpadkov, ki jih imajo na voljo na otokih, je nujno potrebno najti kakšno novo rešitev!

Nedolgo zatem so nas znova povabili, tokrat na plovbo po Indijskem oceanu Indian Ocean Gyre, od Pertha v Avstraliji do Mavricija, ob obali Madagaskarja. In spet nam ni uspelo dobiti niti enega vzorca vode, v katerem ne bi bilo plastičnih delcev – bodisi delce plastične embalaže, pokrovčke steklenic, posodice za sladoled in podobne odpadke. Najdbe so nam dale vedeti, da je začetek težav drugje – v naših domovih …

Zdaj načrtujemo 8 ekspedicij v južni Atlantik in Pacifik, s čimer bomo zaokrožili globalno raziskavo. Želimo si sodelovanja znanstvenikov, novinarjev, režiserjev in vseh ljudi, ki jih ta problem zanima – vabimo jih na krov, da se o problemu prepričajo na lastne oči in po vrnitvi kot globalni ambasadorji seznanijo svet z našimi ugotovitvami. Naš cilj je postaviti onesnaženje morij s plastiko pod žaromete in ga predstaviti mednarodnemu občinstvu, spodbujati družbe, vlade in posameznike, da se nam pridružijo pri iskanju uresničljivih rešitev. Pri tem čestitamo Electroluxu, ki veliko prispeva k večji ozaveščenosti, in veseli smo, da lahko eni druge pri tem podpiramo. Če želite zvedeti več, obiščite spletno stran 5gyres.org

5 Gyres: plastika v svetovnih oceanih

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:43:53 GMT

Do zdaj ste že številni slišali o plastičnih odpadkih v severnoatlantskem vrtincu. Gre za ogromen, počasi se vrteč oceanski sistem, ki nastaja zaradi nasprotnih tokov, vetrov in rotacije planeta. Plastični odpadki s kopnega – plastične steklenice, vrečke, igrače, skodelice, embalaža in drugi predmeti za enkratno uporabo, ki jih vsakodnevno uporabimo in nato zavržemo, najdejo pot – bodisi po rekah, hudournikih, ali kar zaradi naše lastne nemarnosti – do oceanov. Morski tokovi te praktično neuničljive predmete odnesejo v neverjetne daljave; prepotujejo na tisoče kilometrov, na poti pa ujamejo v svoje pasti na tisoče morskih živali, onesnažijo skrite plaže in sčasoma razpadejo na mikroskopsko majhne delce, ki vstopijo v prehransko verigo morij.

A le malo ljudi se zaveda, da sega problem veliko dlje od severnega Pacifika. Obstaja 5 subtropskih vrtincev, kjer se lahko nabirajo odpadki iz plastike – v severnem in južnem Pacifiku, severnem in južnem Atlantiku, ter v Indijskem oceanu. Projekt The 5 Gyres Project je do zdaj proučil tri od petih, in prav povsod našel zaplate smeti!

Tekom zadnjih petih let smo s fundacijo Algalita Marine Research Foundation trikrat prečkali severnopacifiški vrtinec, enkrat celo na splavu, izdelanem iz 15.000 plastičnih steklenic.

S fundacijo Algalita smo zasledovali hiter porast količine plastičnih odpadkov, ki se zadržujejo na površini oceanov, in našli vedno nove dokaze prisotnosti plastike tudi v trebuhih morskih rib. Potencialne nevarnosti za zdravje ljudi dobro ilustrira slika, ki so jo posneli naši mornarji kakih 650 km od havajske obale – v trebuhu ene same ribe so našli kar 17 kosov plastike!

Zato smo se lotili raziskovanja onesnaženja s plastiko na globalni ravni in začeli iskati odgovore na številna vprašanja: kakšna je globalna porazdelitev plastike po svetu? Ali se toksini iz plastičnih mas nabirajo v živalskih tkivih in torej tudi v ribah, s katerimi se hranimo?

Kmalu boste lahko prebrali več o rezultatih naših ekspedicij in o sklepih, do katerih smo prišli. Obveščali pa vas bomo tudi o naših načrtih za prihodnost.

Na havajskih plažah prevladuje modra in bela plastika

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:43:27 GMT

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Suzanne Frazer iz organizacije B.E.A.C.H. govori o različnih kosih plastike, ki jo morje naplavlja na obale Havajev. Če si želite ogledati posnetek, kliknite na spodnjo sliko.

Razumevanje procesov akumuliranja plastike

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:43:01 GMT

Že od sredine sedemdesetih združenje SEA Education Association vzročuje plastične odpadke, nabrane v severnem Atlantiku. 10. junija so spet izpluli. SEA je izobraževalna institucija, ki se posveča raziskovanju, razumevanju in skrbi za oceane ter proučevanju odnosa med človeštvom in oceani.

Plovba je trajala 34 dni, med tem časom pa so prepluli več kot 3800 navtičnih milj in zbrali več kot 48.000 kosov plastike. Nabrane vzorce zdaj analizirajo v svojem laboratoriju, rezultati raziskave pa bodo pripomogli k izboljšanju razumevanja nastanka s plastiko prekritih delov oceana.

Če si želite ogledati posnetek zadnjega dneva ekspedicije SEA, kliknite na gumb PLAY.

Pobiranje odpadkov iz Tihega oceana

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:39:51 GMT

Slika: Thomas Engström

Ta vikend smo se pridružili združenju Ta vikend smo se pridružili združenju B.E.A.C.H. in domačim prostovoljcem na Havajih in pomagali pobirati odpadke iz Tihega oceana. To so prve slike s te ekspedicije, ki je bila organizirana severno od Honoluluja. Začeli smo ob pol šestih zjutraj, saj smo se želeli izogniti močnemu žaru opoldanskega sonca. Kmalu bo na voljo več slik in filmov!

Slika: Thomas Engström

Swedish news channel raises the plastic debris issue

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:39:25 GMT

Swedish news channel Tv4 Väst showed a three minute long feature on collecting plastic litter in Sotenäs in the Swedish archipelago. Per-Joel Andersson, leader for the team in Sotenäs, pointed out the problem with the small parts of degraded plastic littering the archipelago.

- If you take a closer look on the beach there are small parts that we can’t take care of. What to do with these, I don’t know, Per-Joel said showing a handful of plastic litter.

Collecting the plastic litter for Vac from the Sea, Cecilia Nord, Vice President, Floor Care Environmental and Sustainability Affairs, at Electrolux, talked about the importance of taking the plastic debris issue seriously.

- The usage of plastic is increasing each year, if we can’t create sustainable systems for taking care of and recycle plastic, the debris problem will become unmanageable, said Cecilia Nord.

Se the whole clip here:
Skräp blir dammsugare

Previous Posts:
What is Plastic
Plastiki just arrived in Sydney
Sustainable Futures - Can design make a difference?
Creating Art out of Plastic Debris
Recycling Plastic - a challenge
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

What is plastic?

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:38:52 GMT

Photo from stock.xchng

PLASTIC(S) from the latin word plasticus, (“plastic”, “malleable”), is a synthetic material made from one or more polymers combined with a variety of additives. Polymers are natural or synthetic substances that are formed of chain molecules. Polymers are what give plastics its special characteristics. All plastic are malleable at some point during the manufacturing process.

There are two main types of plastic – Thermosetting plastics and Thermoplastics. Thermosetting plastics do not melt when heated. Instead they turn to ash and therefore cannot be used to make new objects. Thermoplastics, on the other hand, softens when heated and can be reshaped and therefore used to make new objects. Here are some of the most common plastics, and plastic varieties that have been important in the history of plastics.

Celluoid. The first plastic. Semi synthetic, based on cellulose (the material that cell walls in plants are made of).

Bakelite. Thermosetting plastic. Hard and dark. The first synthetic plastic.

Carbamide plastics. Thermosetting plastic. Slightly grainy surface. The first plastic suitable for household goods.

Melamine plastic. Thermosetting plastic. Smooth surface. Hard and resistant to light and heat.

Polystyrene. Thermoplastic. Hard but fragile. One the first thermoplastics. Later improved – heat resistant and robust.

Polyethylene. Thermoplastic. Waxy surface. Very common in household goods.

PVC. Thermoplastic. PVC means Polyvinyl chloride. Used in, for example, rain coats and toys.

Nylon. Thermoplastic. A synthetic polyamide fiber that can be used for textiles and other items.

Previous Posts:
Plastiki just arrived in Sydney
Sustainable Futures - Can design make a difference?
Creating Art out of Plastic Debris
Recycling Plastic - a challenge
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Plastiki just arrived in Sydney

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:38:29 GMT

Photo from Plastiki website

After 130 days at sea Plastiki, the catamaran made out of 12 500 plastic bottles, just arrived in Sydney. The voyage started in San Francisco the 22 of march and in total the catamaran have traveled 8393 nautical miles. The aim with the project is to raise awareness of the over usage of plastic bottles and to make people re-think waste as a resource. Everyday you’ve been able to track not only Plastiki itself, but also how many plastic bottles that have been used in USA since the departure.

Previous Posts:
Sustainable Futures - Can design make a difference?
Creating Art out of Plastic Debris
Recycling Plastic - a challenge
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Sustainable Futures - Can design make a difference?

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:38:07 GMT

Both Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and environmental site Treehugger writes about the exhibition Sustainable Futures at the Design Museum in London. The exhibition is opened until the 5th September and is set out to answer the question; Can design make a difference?

Sustainability and design is explored around five themes: Cities, Energy and Economics, Food, Materiality and Creative Citizens. Under each theme the exhibition shows different ongoing projects that in somehow are aiming to get the visitor to think about the impact one makes on the world, and how to change it.

One of the projects shown is Plastiki, the catamaran made out of 12 500 recycled plastic bottles that just arrived in Sidney after 126 days at sea. Plastiki is a project aiming to raise awareness about re-thinking waste as a resource, and with smart design decrease our impact on the environment.

Previous Posts:
Creating Art out of Plastic Debris
Recycling Plastic - a challenge
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Creating Art out of Plastic Debris

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:37:40 GMT

If you look around, there are many creative and artistic ways to approach recycling. One we came across is artist Steve McPherson. For over 15 years Steve has been collecting objects from beaches of the North Kent Coast of the UK, and turning them into pieces of art. It started when he was a teenager running around the beaches with his friends looking for objects to burn. But as he grew older he started collecting pieces turning them in to art and to use in his diaries and journals.

In his most recent work, Steve combines found objects from his local coast, with a summary text that gives the object a potential identity and history. He sees the fact that the objects are lost and then found, fills them with a story and an interconnectedness. But he likes the fact that he doesn’t know the truth to why they are lost.

- The truth of these objects now becomes a matter for questioning and is itself filled with countless possible beautiful alternatives, Steve says.

The environmental issue is a big one for Steve. He is aware of that the mark he makes on the actual environment, by cleaning the beaches, is small compared to the actual problem. But the art is his way of raising awareness to the problem.

- Plastic pollution is a growing problem not a diminishing one, and we have yet to begin to understand its true impact or the long term cost to the environment and ourselves.

Steve’s art is not only a way to remind us that there’s more than one way to recycle, but he also reminds us that we’re all connected through the sea. He talks about the sea's way of being local and global at the same time.

- When someone throws something overboard on the coast of the USA it may end up in the Azores or Portugal or on the West coast of the UK. Connecting me, the finder, who is local, with the sea that brought it and the person who discarded it, which are or may be global. The world oceans are vast yet finite; they have no borders.

More info about Steve:
Steve McPherson
Steve McPherson - News and Events
MarinePlastic.org

Previous Posts:
Recycling Plastic - a challenge
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Recycling plastics – a challenge

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:37:18 GMT

Computers, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners all have one thing in common. When they are no longer functional it is often less expensive to throw them away rather than repair them. Every year millions of tons of plastics-rich waste are generated. Most of these mixed plastics are difficult to recycle and reuse due to the fact that it is hard to identify and separate the different plastics from each other.

Electrolux is working together with MBA Polymers that has developed a process where it is possible to economically recover distinct types and even grades of plastics from mixed plastics-rich waste. The mixed plastic is first separated from non-plastics and then sorted by type and grade using a fully automated process that converts the material to high value new materials.

Previous Posts:
Date Set for Hawaii
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Date Set for Hawaii

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:34:57 GMT

Things are moving forward! On July 25th we'll team up with organization B.E.A.C.H. on Hawaii and head for Kahuku beach North of Honolulu. Here, plastic debris from the Pacific Ocean continuously gets carried to the beach by the waves. Suzanne Frazer at B.E.A.C.H. describes it as "if the ocean is throwing up to get the debris out of its system". From tiny grains to larger items - the cocktail of plastic debris in the water is complex. More info and documentation to come.

Previous Posts:
At the Design Studio
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

At the Design Studio

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:32:41 GMT

The first collected plastic is starting to arrive at the Electrolux design studio. Soon a first prototype will be made to test how the sea plastic behaves when it is molded into a finished vacuum cleaner.

The challenges are many;

Which parts can be made with plastic from the sea?

How do you solve the problem with casting together different types of plastic?

And what will the final vacs look like with plastic from different oceans?

It is an exciting work.

Previous Posts:
Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Collecting Debris in Skagerrak, the North Sea

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:32:14 GMT

The plastic is hidden in the grass among seaweed and driftwood. Sometimes you have to dig deep in the sand to release fishing nets and long plastic ropes. Sometimes it feels like the sand dunes hide more plastic than we can ever remove.

The rocks are slippery and the terrain is difficult to cross with your hands full. The operation to load the heavy sacks into the boat takes a long time.

A day's work results in a huge pile of plastic, collected from just a few square meters of coastline. It is a good day's work, but cleaning up the whole coast is close to a sisyphean task.

Back in the harbor after a whole day at just one narrow cove of the Bohuslän archipelago. A great amount of plastic debris, nearly 40 sacks, has been loaded from the boat. One of the sacks is now on its way to the Electrolux design studio. The first Vac from the Sea is soon to be created.

Previous Posts:
Fragile Coast
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Fragile coast

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:31:44 GMT

Debris in the Bohuslän archipelago

As we reported before, we have collected plastic on the West Coast of Sweden, outside of Bohuslän. The plastic is now on its way to the Electrolux design studio.

No other coastline in Sweden is so severely impacted by sea debris than that of Bohuslän. This specific coast, due to its geographical location, is exposed to the complex system of currents that runs through the North Sea and Skagerrak. Practically all surface waters in the North Sea sooner or later meet the Bohuslän coast, including the Jutland current.

About 20 000 tonnes of garbage is dumped in the North Sea every year. The Bohuslän archipelago, with its thousands of islands and reefs, acts as a filter for the water masses on their way North. Most of the debris sinks to the sea floor, and around 5000 cubic meters of debris floats ashore on the beaches of Bohuslän.

Most of the debris that reaches the country consists of plastic products such as fish boxes, fishing gear and plastic bottles. Before, man-made products such as fishing gear and ropes which were washed up decomposed after some years on the beaches, but when plastic was introduced to society after World War II, the piles of debris have grown on the beaches and become one of the biggest problems in the marine environment.

Source: ”Strandskräp i Bohuslän en internationell miljöfråga” by Roland Olin, Västkuststiftelsen (West Coast Foundation)

Previous Posts:
Making the Vacs
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Making the Vacs

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:31:03 GMT

A sketch by the design team of what the vacs might look like.

Here is a short update for you. We are now starting to get the first batches of plastic and are in the middle of preparations to collect on Hawaii together with B.E.A.C.H. In the coming days we will be posting more documentation.

The people in our modeling studio are ready to face the obvious challenges of making functioning vacs out of the collected debris. Discovery News correctly points out some of the things to consider. The size of the plastic material will vary – from microscopic grains to identifiable items. Separating and classifying the different kind of plastic will be a challenge. We hope to be able to share this as we get further into this endeavor.

But, as they say: if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again.

Previous Posts:
Collecting plastic in South of France
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

Collecting plastic in the South of France

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:29:49 GMT

Electrolux employees team up with the Surfrider Foundation to collect plastic debris for the Vac from the Sea-project. Where? The beaches and piers of les Leques at St Cyr-sur-Mer, in the South of France.

Plastic litter is a well known problem along the Mediterranean coasts. Sometimes the debris lays visible on the beach. Sometimes it is hidden from the human eye, between the stones or under the sand.

The plastic is shoveled into garbage bags. Some of it will be used to produce the vacuum cleaner from the sea.

Plastics can be wedged in between rocks and stones for years, because of the slow degradation process.

Some of the found debris has been flushed out from the beaches. Other debris has been dumped directly into the sea from boats.

The wrong thing in the wrong place.

Some debris is difficult to reach.

A full day's work results in many garbage bags.

Mission accomplished. The collected plastic is ready to be sent to the Electrolux design studio to finally become a Vac from the Sea.

Previous Posts:
What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea

What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:29:20 GMT

Image via Wikimedia.

Jaymi Heimbuch of Planet Green works to improve the environmental status of our planet. She was one of the first people to write about Vac from the Sea on Treehugger. Here, she tells us about the Pacific Garbage Patch, and what we can do about it:

What is the Pacific Garbage Patch? Simply put, it's a swirling mass of plastic in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is big enough to qualify as the planet's largest landfill. That's a huge amount of marine litter, and a huge problem. Learn everything about the Pacific Garbage Patch, from its impact on ocean life, to how that plastic is ending up back on our dinner plates, to what our options are for fixing the problem over on Planet Green.

Jaymi Heimbuch
Follow Jaymi on Twitter.

Previous Posts:
Plastic recycling
Welcome to Vac from the Sea