How to Lay Some Misconceptions About Mattress Recycling to Rest in 1 1/2 Minutes

With increasing concern over our throw-away culture, many have asked what happens to those old mattresses seen left on the street, and if there is any way to keep them from being landfilled or incinerated with toxic consequences.   According to Greg Conigliaro, founder of Conigliaro Industries, a versatile recycling company in Framingham, Massachusetts, a mattress is one of the most difficult products to recycle due to its complex multi-material structure.  In spite of this, in 2002, the company became the first commercial mattress recycler in the country, and won a $10,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for their solution.  The minute-and-a-half process involves feeding a mattress through a large-scale “shredder”, which breaks it apart and allows it to be magnetically separated into its individual parts, (foam, cotton, wood, and steel) for resale as raw materials.  Conigliaro’s website claims that they annually process over 3000 tons of such material, “enough mattresses to fil 900 tractor trailers.”

(Image courtesy of Conigliaro Industries)

Please visit Conigliaro Industries for more information.

How to Make a Home Out of Shipping Containers

(Image courtesy of City Center Lofts)

Soon to rise up in the heart of one of Salt Lake City’s historic districts, is a condo project called City Center Lofts, designed by architect Adam Kalkin, to be the first mid-rise building in the U.S. built from international shipping containers.  In the mode of many European architects, Kalkin has experience designing a number of luxury as well as affordable homes out of shipping containers, and he is employing his expertise to help make this residential project one of the greenest in the State of Utah.  Taking a wholistic approach, the project team is focusing on sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.  The main green features within the building will be natural ventilation; no or low-VOC paints, sealants and adhesives; a high efficiency air-to-air heat exchanger and HEPA filtration; low-E windows; on-demand hot water heaters; a green roof; on-site bicycle storage; and most notably, construction from 50% recycled materials by weight, which is no small feat.  Another factor making City Center Lofts so progressive is that its central location makes it so pedestrian friendly, allowing residents convenient access to numerous neighborhood amenities as well as public transportation.

Please visit City Center Lofts for more information.

Recycled Cardboard Made Into Furniture

Krooom focuses on environmental performance and makes products which are produced with at least 60% recycled paper. Their technical team has developed and invented patented technology that has enabled the creation of products which are strong, sturdy and lightweight. They ship folded flat and require no tools for assembly. According to Nitzan Bertele, their Chief Design Officer, “advanced patented technology ensures no visible corrugated edges. Our products are completely printable, and meet many of the standards for moisture resistance.  Their production facility in China is supervised by our own staff, strictly working under international and local labor laws.”

In a typical re-manufacturing process, recycled cardboard is dropped into a water-based solution in which it dissolves, contaminants (tape, staples, dirt, etc.) are removed by gravity, flotation, or filtration, the recycled pulp is blended to produce a mix with the characteristics required for production of a specific paper product, and the pulp is pumped to a paper machine where the final product is manufactured. Paper production from recycled cardboard consumes less energy, produces fewer emissions to air and water, and generates less solid waste than production of similar products made from virgin fiber.

Please visit Krooom for more information.

From “Paper or Plastic?” to “Glass, Plastic or Aluminum?”

There is a new debate emerging about which packaging material, glass, plastic or aluminum, has the least environmental impact over the course of its lifetime, and there are many perspectives to consider prior to determining a true winner.  Barry Sanel, a former packaging executive with over 20 years of experience in branding and packaging, brings this issue to the forefront of an industry which plays a major role in the amount of waste produced by ubiquitous single-use consumables.  According to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, the four most crucial determinants by which to gauge a package’s level of sustainability, are how its materials are sourced, manufactured, applied within the packaging itself, and finally, disposed of or reconstituted at end of life.  All three materials have their inherent benefits as well as drawbacks when viewed within the scope of the SPC’s considerations, so the question might be better posed thusly: How may vested interests, including the public at large, quickly establish the means by which to use each material efficiently, while minimizing waste and overall carbon footprint, such as furthering incentives for recycling across the board, as well as cleaning and refilling glass bottles as done in Germany.

Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Toys for Elementary Math Education in the Developing World

Project H Design is an Ecolect partner and a global design nonprofit who believes design can change the world. Their team has assembled a group of industrial designers, social entrepreneurs, and manufacturers to conceive and produce a toy for elementary math education with applications in the developing world and the US retail markets. Their case study is the Kutamba School for AIDS orphans, located in Uganda. Project H’s team will develop a locally-made version of the toy for Kutamba and broader distribution in the developing world, along with a sister US retail version based on the same system.

In addition to taking donations on their site, Project H is submitting their proposal on Ideablob “the living, breathing community of ideas”. Their team is striving to delve more deeply into the design development, prototyping, user testing and distribution. According to Emily Pilloton, Founder of Project H Design, “We will be able to fund the initial production of the math toys for both the Kutamba case study school as well as the US retail production and associated legal/intellectual property protection.”

If you like what Project H is up to, sign-into Ideablob and give them a vote!

A Road Less Travelled?

As the summer driving season winds down come this Labor Day, there is no time like the present to reflect how the trend towards ever higher gas prices is taking a major toll on American driving habits.  If oil prices continue to skyrocket (Crude is at $116/barrel as of this writing, down from a high of over $147 on July 11, 2008), it may lead over the next few years, to what economist Jeff Rubin of CIBC World Markets terms “the greatest mass exodus of vehicles off America’s highways in history.”  How might this possibility affect the environment and the design of the cars of the future?  For some, it might lead to taking public transportation more often or purchasing a fuel efficient car, as fuel expenses reach 20% of income, but there is real concern that unlike many Europeans who have adjusted over time to high energy costs thanks to forward-thinking leadership, it will be very challenging for Americans to do the same before a widespread clean technology infrastructure is in place. However, with the help of big thinkers like Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, options such as the Hypercar, made with an ultra-light and highly rigid structure, and capable of three to five times greater fuel efficiency than the cars of today, we will work our way out of this challenge.  Even though the Hypercar may be at least a few years off due to cost of carbon fiber manufacturing, leaders like Shai Agassi, founder of Better Place, may soon fill the void of fuel efficiency with his bold plan to provide affordable electric vehicles around the world, in the near future.

Hypercar

Watch interview with Amory Lovins discussing Hypercar technology on bigpicture.tv

Better Place

What’s New at The Body Shop?

As part of its Nature’s Way to Beautiful campaign, the first marketing effort since its purchase by L’Oreal, The Body Shop has launched its Wellbeing line of  beauty products in 100% PCR (post-consumer recyclate) bottles, and will feature in-store displays describing the environmentally friendly nature of their products.  According to a Body Shop spokesperson, the company intends over the next 12 months, to convert all of their PET bottles from 30% PCR to 100%, with significant gains in PCR expected even before the end of 2008.  In an effort to get customers to stop using plastic bags, they have also introduced the Bag of Life, a shopping bag made of organic cotton-canvas, with $2.00 from each purchase being donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  In the long term, The Body Shop intends to become carbon neutral by 2010.

The Body Shop

Bag of Life

Meet the ReUse People of America

As their Mission Statement articulates, “The ReUse People of America reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse.”  With headquarters in Oakland, CA, and a number of branches throughout the country, TRP is busy spreading the word about salvaging the overwhelming amount of materials from construction sites, in an effort to minimize waste flow to landfills.  Begun in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic floods in Tijuana, Mexico in April, 1993, with the help of San Diego and Tijana government and business leaders, the firm set out to provide over 400 tons of donated material to help rebuild devastated communities.  Once they acquire materials from construction sites, The ReUse People of America will then either sell them to customers at one of their facilities, or donate them to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.  The company also offers demolition services for homeowners, whereby one may acquire tax deductions based on the overall value of salvaged materials, and provides online inventories of available materials according to location at regional TRP warehouses.

Please visit The ReUse People of America for more information.