Good Guide 06/25/2009
Add Comment The Applications of POOP 06/21/2009
 Image from my favorite book, 'Everyone Poops' Creative reuse can be applied to poop. A friend brought such marvels to my attention as I am the kind of person who is entertained by poop. There’s nothing more hilarious or amusing as poop…maybe because everyone poops. While poop is an unavoidable waste product, we do have creative ways to make it work for us. A natural by-product of poop is methane gas. If you’ve ever smelled the funk driving south on I-95 past downtown Richmond, you know what methane gas smells like. You can see the flame from the top of the waste treatment facility along I-95 where it burns the methane gas in order to get rid of it. An alternative method of treating methane gas is using it as a source of energy. There are micro-organisms that can rapidly digest poop in an environment absent of oxygen (anaerobic digestion), naturally producing methane gas. When the methane gas is burned it can produce energy as a fuel or electricity. Some other proven uses for human or animal waste: • Kennels, dairy farms, pet shop owners, etc can use a machine called a methane digester to convert animal waste into electricity • Paper made from elephant poop, as featured under STUFF’s Resources page • “Energy recovery facilities” reuse waste from the disposal process to create more energy (also cutting the mass of the waste in half) -- funded by stimulus funds maybe? • Use sterilized fibers extracted from cow poop to replace sawdust in the production of fiberboard • Fertilizer...uh duh! • More interesting applications... -Elisabeth Interview: Noah Scalin and Skulls 06/17/2009
  I had the pleasure of interviewing Richmond’s Noah Scalin, an environmentally conscious social entrepreneur. He was born and raised in our lovely city, although he left to study and live in NYC for ten years. In 2001, Noah founded Another Limited Rebellion (ALR), a local design company that employs the Triple Bottom Line business model: people, planet, and profit. Stuff admires Noah and ALR because his company is a perfect example of local industry thinking beyond profit to consider the effect services provided will have on our community and our environment. We also are very interested in his Skull-A-Day blog that quickly became a sensation and exemplifies creative reuse. Below are a few of the questions I asked Noah with his answers summarized as we had lunch at Harrison St Coffee Shop.   STUFF: How does ALR provide eco-friendly services? ALR considers the 3 Rs when providing services. Reduce the amount of materials disseminated enough to remain effective; ultimately in service of the goals of the client. Reuse - When possible products are designed to be used more than once and/or in more than one way (i.e. a brochure that is also a poster), saving clients money and preventing wasteful production. Products are made out of recycled and recyclable materials as much as possible. He formats these services based on the needs of the client for each job. STUFF: Is being environmentally responsible cost-effective for a business in your opinion? Noah says it is cost-effective in the long-term even though day-to-day expenses can be higher in some instances. Being wasteful will lose a company money, although he is not advocating taking extreme measures. He said, "If you do not design paper, you have to deal with what types of paper already exist. Highlighting that your company employs corporate responsibility pays off for marketing, customers are more attracted to the company that uses recycled materials." STUFF: How did the Skull-A-Day project become so popular? Noah originally started the project as an opportunity for a creative outlet with no limitations, aside from the subject matter. It evolved organically as the audience grew, fans encouraged him by sending him ideas and pictures of their own creations. As the project expanded, more opportunities came along, including a published book called SKULLS. SKULLS was chosen as one of the top 10 books for reluctant teen readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association. ***STUFF Program Director, Sarah, was one of his fans and sent in her own skull design! We hope to use the success of Skull-A-Day to show that not only books, but creative reuse can also be cool. You should check out the Skull-A-Day blog that started it all for more pictures. -Elisabeth Climate change in Richmond 06/01/2009
 Hampton Roads Hurricane Evacuation Routes Climate change is often highlighted in the news, but it is difficult to relate this global phenomenon to our daily lives in Richmond. How will climate change affect us individually? There is clear evidence from research published in the notable science journal, Nature, recording the increase in the strength and number of hurricanes as a result of global warming. This is especially relevant to Richmond as the city is the main end-point for the hurricane evacuation route for the larger Hampton Roads/Tidewater region. Should a hurricane occur that demands an evacuation of the vulnerable region, lanes will be reversed and traffic on both east and west I-65 will be directed straight to Richmond. Additional evacuation routes will also direct citizens inland. An estimated 750,000 people would need to evacuate storm surge areas in the region and would require immediate shelter and food. The effect on resources, traffic, and the overall economy of the city would be great and costly. And even as the city must manage this immense influx of people, at the same time Richmond would most likely be hit with the remaining strength of the hurricane turned tropical storm. Global warming will also affect the poorest in our community more than others. Researchers in California have noted that there is a “climate gap,” in which the poor and minorities are the most affected by climate change. As the planet warms, cities are especially susceptible to increasing heat caused by a “heat island” effect - when temperatures intensify because of the concrete and asphalt that blanket urban areas. Richmond is no different. Some impacts noted by researchers:
Elisabeth | About STUFF
STUFF is a community organization in Richmond, Virginia.
The mission of Stuff is to provide Richmond with a community space for creative reuse, education, environmental awareness, and fun stuff. The vision of Stuff is to become the first community destination for art and reuse supplies and educational materials in Richmond. Stuff operates under the following core values: Filling the education gap with Stuff; learning goes beyond the classroom. Stuff happens; spontaneity breeds creativity. It's more than just stuff; there is value in our trash. Taking responsibility for our stuff; we have an obligation to reuse. Stuff brings us together; community is rooted in cooperation. ArchivesAugust 2010 |
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