The article 'Citizens Science & Bird Watching', (p. 481), was interesting and taught me something I was not familiar with. Although I certainly know there are many people interested in birds and spend their spare time along with their vacations looking for rare birds.
There is a massive bird count on Christmas day. With birdwathich being one of the most popular hobbies in North America, Scientist realized that they could use all the birdwatchers to report valuable information.
By obtaining the bird count on Christmas it enable s scientist to understand the migrations patterns,locations and populations of different bird species. However, they knew they had a great amount of information, but they needed a way to consolidate the information.
As noted in the article a few years back the researchers and the birders came to the conclusion they could utilize technological tools to gather this information. As a result a large data base was created called eBird. On Christmas each birder that has signed up for input to the data base take the information that they gathered and inputs this into the database.
With any kind of research there is always question of how to gather all this data, because data gathering is time consuming and therfore labor intensive. Of course this can be very costly, but the birders have solved this problem by having thousands of data collectors.
This is a great theory that I would have to imagine could beuseful in other research situations. Of course there would be some degree of error associated with this type of data collection; however, all data collection has a degree of error.
With the interested individuals particpating in research gathering it makes me wonder if there could be quicker resolves to some of our problems with many people participating in getting them the information they need.
Living Well in a Compact Space (p. 152) has a great concept going. The introduction of small, and this means 350 square feet of space apartments is amazingly constructed. It ustilized every bit of space in that square footage. Abito, a UK based company is constructing a building that contains these little apartments.
This is a great idea expecially in cities where living space is becomming scarce. If some of those people working in the city begin living in the city it will reduce the amount of travel, which is good for the individual with respect to the time it takes to get to work, the stress reduction of not being in traffic and of course the pollution that there vehicle would have emitted if they would have been driving a long distance from the suburbs.
I think that there is the possibility if these pod like apartments were cheap enough that people could actually have a home in the suburbs and one in the city. On those days when an individual is working late, or has something to do in the city, then they would just stay in the city-pod.
I believe that there are cities in the U.S. that could benefit by a pod-like apartment building; specifically New York, Chicago, San Francisco and so on. The benefits of this kind of living are eneromous for both the individual and our environment. Although it is a great idea, I think it will take some time before it really catches on, and becomes reality in our cities.
For my fifth World Changing response I read the article “Creating Healthy Homes” under the “stuff” section of the book. The most impacting line I read was “Nothing we wash away is actually gone… [It] ultimately cycles back into our lives one way or another” (47). I was disappointed with this article otherwise. After the introduction I thought it was going to talk about the cycle that products take and how some chemicals always come back. Instead it just said what people are doing wrong, in very vague general terms, and then listed a few non-specific product alternatives. Like “oh don’t use ammonia, use baking soda”. Why? I want to know more specifics. It was very boring. So my reaction would be wow, this sounds really interesting and then being disappointed. Instead of telling me what chemicals lead to diseases tell me how long it takes, and side effects and signs a person has been poisoned. Making it more of a human-interest piece would make it more intriguing. Even the image of plastic bottles staked together loses its wow factor when it’s placed next to a paragraph telling you to wash towels separately from light bedding. There was no call to action, not that fear tactics are necessary, but they help you remember the article. I have already forgotten what I read because it reminds me of those recycle ads all over campus. Lame.
After reading this I had to look around the living room in which I am writing this. The living room has a table, a coffee table, a desk, and two couches. Everything which I bought in IKEA!
The home decor industry feeds off from our desire to upgrade, redecorate, or otherwise get rid of furnitures. Often many of us buy new addition to our home decoration following our ever-changing whims. It is time to think when we buy furnitures, "Is it really what we want?" "Is this actually comfortable?" "Is it sustainable?"
I was shocked to learn that many cheap furnitures are hazardous to our health. For example, many low-cost furnitures are made out of particleboards and plywoods. These often emit small traces of carcinogenic gases in our homes, contributing to health problems. Also, furnitures with foam-filled cushions, wuch as sofas and loungers, poses another threat. Foam is usually treated with fire-retardant chemicals which are harmful to fetuses and can even cause brain and reproductive disorders in adults.
On the other hand, luxury furnitures have problems; designer plastic and metal items often have toxic finishes or other material additives and exotic woods used in furnitures destroy rain forests.
Our best solution to these problems is not to buy cheap or expensive furnitures nor buy no furnitures at all. It is to think once more when buying furnitures. We should consider their durability, sustainability, our tastes and reusability. There are furnitures out there that make use of renewable woods or recycled furnitures. One may be able to save some dollars buying at IKEA, but it will cost a lot more to the whole nature.
Green Remodeling on page 142 had taught me things I don’t know. The writer picked out my sympathy when he said that people think of themselves “proud”, dragging our bins diligently to the curb each week and going back inside with a guilt-free glow.
As a future Architecture student, I was very interested in this topic. Writer, very specifically, commented on in which way we, common people, can make the world green, putting aside the high technology such as Solar power panels that are not tangible by public people in daily basis.
For the floor, people can use discarded hardwood. Its quality is actually appreciated by people who know wood well; discarded hardwood is actually much harder, and smoother and more uniform surface. Bamboos are also good material to use for the floor. I thought the writer brings the social matter up to very front of my face and explains how world is changeable by little behaviors that lead to the better world.
This book will be very useful in my future, for sure, because it contains lots of information that I can reach and do something about easily. Glass tiles, Reuse centers, and other resources that I can look up to make the world more green.
I’m looking forward to the day when I can buy a can of spray paint that when applied creates a photovoltaic surface that can then be used to create a solar panel. Although this is probably a long way off, we are beginning to see renewable energy sources becoming less expensive and more available for the average home owner. I would think that when these technologies become readily available in the retail world (Wal-Mart, Costco) we’ll se more and more people attempting to become net producers of energy to save money on utilities.
I find it interesting that renewable sources of energy are most efficient when they are site specific. Much like designing public art, solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro-electric fixtures must be installed in a manner that doesn’t disrupt the environment while still serving its purpose.
In an architecture class I took last semester we learned about the effects of “suburban sprawl”, and just how inefficient a suburb actually is. This article points to suburbia as one of the most detrimental housing concepts, and notes that density is inherently more efficient than sprawl. However, growing up in the suburbs outside Detroit defiantly gives me some perspective on why people find this kind of lifestyle appealing. The cookie-cutter-McMansion-style homes are the main features of these suburbs, and for those who buy into this lifestyle they act more as status symbols than a home built for a specific set of needs. I also believe that people find the uniformity of these homes to be comforting, in a sense it is reassurance that they fit in with everyone else.
I find the idea of ‘bioremediation’ quite intriguing, specifically if it was implemented in some form of public art. Here we could see artists becoming important not only in their ability to captivate and inform, but also to provide a solution for the problem from which their work is derived.
In the World Changing article ‘Brands’, on page 393, the author talks about societies obsession with brand labels on various product designs. It reminded me a lot of Culture Jam and how people become more attached to the label of the object than the object itself. Plus, we have no idea what goes into making the things we buy, or a sense of where it comes from. If feel like companies do a lot to hide that information from the customer because the facts would drive them away from buying the product. This makes me wonder ‘if more companies started using fair trade and resourceful material, and then advertising that info about their product, wouldn’t that actually help their company?’ Years ago, I was walking down an aisle at the grocery store and noticed a new brand of chocolate bar. I looked at it, and it in fact uses 10% of the profits to help endangered species. I thought ‘how cool is that? You can eat chocolate while supporting animals?’ So I ended up buying a couple chocolate bars to support that company. I don’t even think I would have bought any chocolate at all if it hadn’t said that it helped a moral cause. So I think it is much more successful for a business to use moral practices in the making of their products than to continue taking resources and having to hide where it comes from and how it affects the planet. In terms of brands, I think it’s very successful when they advertise the environment first, before the object they want you to buy.
The article 'Citizens Science & Bird Watching', (p. 481), was interesting and taught me something I was not familiar with. Although I certainly know there are many people interested in birds and spend their spare time along with their vacations looking for rare birds.
ReplyDeleteThere is a massive bird count on Christmas day. With birdwathich being one of the most popular hobbies in North America, Scientist realized that they could use all the birdwatchers to report valuable information.
By obtaining the bird count on Christmas it enable s scientist to understand the migrations patterns,locations and populations of different bird species. However, they knew they had a great amount of information, but they needed a way to consolidate the information.
As noted in the article a few years back the researchers and the birders came to the conclusion they could utilize technological tools to gather this information. As a result a large data base was created called eBird. On Christmas each birder that has signed up for input to the data base take the information that they gathered and inputs this into the database.
With any kind of research there is always question of how to gather all this data, because data gathering is time consuming and therfore labor intensive. Of course this can be very costly, but the birders have solved this problem by having thousands of data collectors.
This is a great theory that I would have to imagine could beuseful in other research situations. Of course there would be some degree of error associated with this type of data collection; however, all data collection has a degree of error.
With the interested individuals particpating in research gathering it makes me wonder if there could be quicker resolves to some of our problems with many people participating in getting them the information they need.
Living Well in a Compact Space (p. 152) has a great concept going. The introduction of small, and this means 350 square feet of space apartments is amazingly constructed. It ustilized every bit of space in that square footage. Abito, a UK based company is constructing a building that contains these little apartments.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea expecially in cities where living space is becomming scarce. If some of those people working in the city begin living in the city it will reduce the amount of travel, which is good for the individual with respect to the time it takes to get to work, the stress reduction of not being in traffic and of course the pollution that there vehicle would have emitted if they would have been driving a long distance from the suburbs.
I think that there is the possibility if these pod like apartments were cheap enough that people could actually have a home in the suburbs and one in the city. On those days when an individual is working late, or has something to do in the city, then they would just stay in the city-pod.
I believe that there are cities in the U.S. that could benefit by a pod-like apartment building; specifically New York, Chicago, San Francisco and so on. The benefits of this kind of living are eneromous for both the individual and our environment. Although it is a great idea, I think it will take some time before it really catches on, and becomes reality in our cities.
For my fifth World Changing response I read the article “Creating Healthy Homes” under the “stuff” section of the book. The most impacting line I read was “Nothing we wash away is actually gone… [It] ultimately cycles back into our lives one way or another” (47). I was disappointed with this article otherwise. After the introduction I thought it was going to talk about the cycle that products take and how some chemicals always come back. Instead it just said what people are doing wrong, in very vague general terms, and then listed a few non-specific product alternatives. Like “oh don’t use ammonia, use baking soda”. Why? I want to know more specifics. It was very boring. So my reaction would be wow, this sounds really interesting and then being disappointed. Instead of telling me what chemicals lead to diseases tell me how long it takes, and side effects and signs a person has been poisoned. Making it more of a human-interest piece would make it more intriguing. Even the image of plastic bottles staked together loses its wow factor when it’s placed next to a paragraph telling you to wash towels separately from light bedding. There was no call to action, not that fear tactics are necessary, but they help you remember the article. I have already forgotten what I read because it reminds me of those recycle ads all over campus. Lame.
ReplyDeleteFurniture and Home Decor p 157
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I had to look around the living room in which I am writing this. The living room has a table, a coffee table, a desk, and two couches. Everything which I bought in IKEA!
The home decor industry feeds off from our desire to upgrade, redecorate, or otherwise get rid of furnitures. Often many of us buy new addition to our home decoration following our ever-changing whims. It is time to think when we buy furnitures, "Is it really what we want?" "Is this actually comfortable?" "Is it sustainable?"
I was shocked to learn that many cheap furnitures are hazardous to our health. For example, many low-cost furnitures are made out of particleboards and plywoods. These often emit small traces of carcinogenic gases in our homes, contributing to health problems. Also, furnitures with foam-filled cushions, wuch as sofas and loungers, poses another threat. Foam is usually treated with fire-retardant chemicals which are harmful to fetuses and can even cause brain and reproductive disorders in adults.
On the other hand, luxury furnitures have problems; designer plastic and metal items often have toxic finishes or other material additives and exotic woods used in furnitures destroy rain forests.
Our best solution to these problems is not to buy cheap or expensive furnitures nor buy no furnitures at all. It is to think once more when buying furnitures. We should consider their durability, sustainability, our tastes and reusability. There are furnitures out there that make use of renewable woods or recycled furnitures. One may be able to save some dollars buying at IKEA, but it will cost a lot more to the whole nature.
Green Remodeling on page 142 had taught me things I don’t know. The writer picked out my sympathy when he said that people think of themselves “proud”, dragging our bins diligently to the curb each week and going back inside with a guilt-free glow.
ReplyDeleteAs a future Architecture student, I was very interested in this topic. Writer, very specifically, commented on in which way we, common people, can make the world green, putting aside the high technology such as Solar power panels that are not tangible by public people in daily basis.
For the floor, people can use discarded hardwood. Its quality is actually appreciated by people who know wood well; discarded hardwood is actually much harder, and smoother and more uniform surface. Bamboos are also good material to use for the floor. I thought the writer brings the social matter up to very front of my face and explains how world is changeable by little behaviors that lead to the better world.
This book will be very useful in my future, for sure, because it contains lots of information that I can reach and do something about easily. Glass tiles, Reuse centers, and other resources that I can look up to make the world more green.
Going Off the Grid pg. 179
ReplyDeleteI’m looking forward to the day when I can buy a can of spray paint that when applied creates a photovoltaic surface that can then be used to create a solar panel. Although this is probably a long way off, we are beginning to see renewable energy sources becoming less expensive and more available for the average home owner. I would think that when these technologies become readily available in the retail world (Wal-Mart, Costco) we’ll se more and more people attempting to become net producers of energy to save money on utilities.
I find it interesting that renewable sources of energy are most efficient when they are site specific. Much like designing public art, solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro-electric fixtures must be installed in a manner that doesn’t disrupt the environment while still serving its purpose.
Healing Polluted Lands pg. 250
ReplyDeleteIn an architecture class I took last semester we learned about the effects of “suburban sprawl”, and just how inefficient a suburb actually is. This article points to suburbia as one of the most detrimental housing concepts, and notes that density is inherently more efficient than sprawl. However, growing up in the suburbs outside Detroit defiantly gives me some perspective on why people find this kind of lifestyle appealing. The cookie-cutter-McMansion-style homes are the main features of these suburbs, and for those who buy into this lifestyle they act more as status symbols than a home built for a specific set of needs. I also believe that people find the uniformity of these homes to be comforting, in a sense it is reassurance that they fit in with everyone else.
I find the idea of ‘bioremediation’ quite intriguing, specifically if it was implemented in some form of public art. Here we could see artists becoming important not only in their ability to captivate and inform, but also to provide a solution for the problem from which their work is derived.
In the World Changing article ‘Brands’, on page 393, the author talks about societies obsession with brand labels on various product designs. It reminded me a lot of Culture Jam and how people become more attached to the label of the object than the object itself. Plus, we have no idea what goes into making the things we buy, or a sense of where it comes from. If feel like companies do a lot to hide that information from the customer because the facts would drive them away from buying the product. This makes me wonder ‘if more companies started using fair trade and resourceful material, and then advertising that info about their product, wouldn’t that actually help their company?’ Years ago, I was walking down an aisle at the grocery store and noticed a new brand of chocolate bar. I looked at it, and it in fact uses 10% of the profits to help endangered species. I thought ‘how cool is that? You can eat chocolate while supporting animals?’ So I ended up buying a couple chocolate bars to support that company. I don’t even think I would have bought any chocolate at all if it hadn’t said that it helped a moral cause. So I think it is much more successful for a business to use moral practices in the making of their products than to continue taking resources and having to hide where it comes from and how it affects the planet. In terms of brands, I think it’s very successful when they advertise the environment first, before the object they want you to buy.
ReplyDelete