The show is over. What now?

The show is over.  What now?  

If you can think like artist, Matthew Mazzotta , you will be able to fold up your theatre neatly back into a house.  How?  Let’s take a look at what Open House, a transforming theater that can seat 100 people, is all about.

It is obvious that instead of complaining that old abandoned property is an eyesore and blighted the look in their neighbourhood, the residents of York in Alabama have taken charge and make merry in a very environmentally friendly way by re-using material from them.

Architect, Shigeru Ban? Why trust him?

I wrote about the cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, created by Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, as a "temporary replacement" for the one damaged during the earthquake of February 2011.

Want to know what Shigeru Ban did to gain confidence in the statutory authority involved to consider allowing him to use cardboard tubes as construction material for the Cathedral?  Just take a look at some of the past projects he shared during his talk at TED.

The eyesore? Can raise funds.

Large discarded items are often left uncollected for a period of time.  This is in view that the municipal council have a schedule for collecting them which are often missed.  If you are living in Kajang and you would like to complain about the eyesore, you can find the list of contractors engaged by MPKj to collect them at their link to SENARAI KONTRAKTOR SAMPAH MENGIKUT ZON MPKj.

Then take a look at the list of items that can be recycled by Community Recycle for Charity (CRC) or Pertubuhan Kebajikan Masyarakat Melalui Kitar Semula (PKMMKS) for raising fund to run  charity homes or school projects.

They will send their workers to your place to collect large items, such as, furniture, electrical items, etc. Just give them a call:

Community Recycle for Charity (CRC) or 
Pertubuhan Kebajikan Masyarakat Melalui Kitar Semula (PKMMKS) 
017-3638 100 
10am to 6.00pm 
Monday to Saturday or 
email: community@crcbox.com.my

You can also go one step further by allowing CRC (Ren Ren) to allocate a recycle bin by contacting or writing to the Management Office at:

Community Recycle for Charity (CRC)
47-1, Jalan 5/2, Taman Sg. Besi Indah 
43300 Balakong, Selangor 
Tel: 03 – 8941 5959 
Fax: 03 – 8941 1959 
Email: community@crcbox.com.my 
www.crcbox.org 
www.crcbox.com.my 

What do they do with the items collected?  The items will be refurbished and sold at very affordable prices if they are not required by the charity homes.  

I think that recycling is a great way to raise funds for the projects they support, don't you? 

New look? Let's start from old.

Spring cleaning?  Take a look at what Pablo Fernández can do with the stuff you are likely going to throw out of your house.



Decision made?  Still throwing them?  Before you do, make an online search for "unwanted items pick up" to see if there are any charitable group that could make good use of them.   

Happy thoughtful cleaning. 

Cardboard Cathedral possible? Yes!

Let's build a Cathedral out of cardboard?  Not a miniature to play with but one to worship in?  Sounds cool but are you kidding me?   No, it's not a joke and Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, made it possible with some shipping containers and ninety-eight cardboard tubes for decoration with timber beams inside to hold the load.

Why do that?  Do you remember the earthquake of February 2011 that struck the South Island of New Zealand? Its historic Anglican Cathedral in Christchurch was damaged.

Well, the so called "temporary replacement" which can last 50 years is finally completed.  And here is how it looks like.  Beautiful.

I picked this up from Gizmag.  It makes you wonder what else have been created with cardboard that are commercially viable, doesn't it?  OK, let's take a look then.



And if you think that it would be too difficult to do your own cardboard furniture, you just have to check out this video by Industrial Designer, Adrian Candela, where he shared why and how his cardboard furniture was created with easy to follow instruction, Ikea style.



Do a search on YouTube for "cardboard furniture" and you will find many more of such creations to inspire you.

Pots? Broken to perfection!

I have been doing some spring cleaning and have decided that some of the odd bits and pieces of toys that got separated from the main sets, most of which have been given away, have to go.  Dumping them is no easy task though.  Just think about the years of attachment my children have hanging on to  (hiding) them.

Maybe we should start a project together so that we can incorporate these toys into our "work".  My son shared an idea with me this morning when he showed me some photos of miniature gardens grown in broken pots.

I did a search and found the same photos posted at Ella and it was one of the ideas they found on Different Solutions. 

Will it be easy to recreate?  There are some free tutorials to check out at The Garden Diaries, About Miniatures, BuckEye Gardening and some videos to watch at Miniature Garden Shoppe to decide on what to grow.

OK, children, you can keep the toys but before you start breaking any of my pots, lets go find some broken ones from the parks nearby.

Let'us get to the park before anyone start burning the cuttings thrown at the park.

A new look? Use reclaimed material!

Americans!  The next time you want to renovate your home, maybe you should run through what you intend to discard with PlanetReuse Marketplace as they maybe looking for that very material for their next building project. In fact, it is very likely too that you can find some stuff in their warehouse to re-use for your renovation

And if you think that it is not cool to utilize used items in your "upgrading" project, maybe taking a look at how used items are utilized at Pinterest can change your mind.  Also, there is Dan Phillips, an American designer and builder from Texas who can give you some ideas on how to incorporate reclaimed material into your home.

A company that sells reclaimed building items?  Can they be trusted?  PlanetReuse Marketplace did make it on WSJ Start Up of the Year List for 2013, if that is of any assurance to you.

Free course: Energy, the Environment and Our Future

Learn without limits at Coursera.

It offer courses online for anyone to take, for free and you can learn in the language you are comfortable with.

I picked this up from Nancy Meyer who will be attending an 8 weeks long course by Dr. Richard B. Alley on Energy, the Environment and Our Future.  Who is Dr. Richard B. Alley?  Is he an authority in this subject?  You decide.



What will he be sharing?  This is the Course Syllabus which is subject to change before course begins.

●    Lesson 1. Sustainability: Why Energy Matters (and Money)
●    Lesson 2. What is Energy—Units and Such; What we use, and how much good it does
●    Lesson 3. Oil, Coal and Natural Gas, Drilling and Fracking and Reserves
●    Lesson 4. Global Warming I—Physics
●    Lesson 5. Global Warming II—History  and Impacts
●    Lesson 6. Options: Solar, Wind
●    Lesson 7. Options: Geothermal, Waves, Tides, Nukes
●    Lesson 8. Options: Conservation
●    Lesson 9. Options: Geo-Engineering
●    Lesson 10. Economics
●    Lesson 11. Policy Options
●    Lesson 12. Ethical issues

Students who successfully complete the class will receive a Statement of Accomplishment signed by the Dr. Richard B. Alley.

Happy learning and making this world a better place to live in.