eDump? Want to stop it?

You have read about e-dumping and you are concern about how it can affect the environment?



So, what can you do to stop it? Here are some ideas of what you can do that I have posted on my blog.

Upgrading your mobile phone? Before you dump...
Recycing eWaste? Are you doing it right?

Make it one of the topics to talk about in events your company organise or in forums or societies that you are active in. If you would like to screen videos posted on youtube during your talks, check out the free youtube video download tool you can make use of.

Also, check out the recycling concepts of Matsushita Eco Technology Center in Japan and learn what materials and components they can recover from end-of-life electric home appliances to make "new products". You can also learn about the processes.

If you are in the transport business, maybe you can work out a deal with manufacturers of electronic product to collect and deliver materials and components they can re-use.

Money from wood waste

Are you in an industry where you can get your hands on waste from wood streams? These can be used wooden pallets, saw mill waste or debris from land-clearing. You can make money by creating mulch out of these waste collection.

Don't know how? Amerimulch, a company selling colorant and equipment for producing mulch has a write up on the processes. If you think this is feasible, then check out their profitability chartsto see how much you can expect to make out of this mulching business.

Don't forget that there are also other ways to make money out of abandoned wood, especially if they are old solid hardwood. I have covered that in my earlier posting, "Something Old? Before you chuck, check this out".

Upgrading your mobile phone? Before you dump...

What do they do you do with your used mobile phone once you have upgraded to the latest and greatest? You are likely to hear your own responses in the following video by INFORM, Inc.



So, before you buy your new mobile phone, maybe you would like to check if the company you are buying it from has a "Take-back" recycling programme. I did a search on Google for "old used mobile phones take back" and discovered Charity Guide provides a list of places where you can donate your used mobile phones and feel good about it.

VAK Learning with waste

What do you do if you would like to learn something new? Do you go out and get a book on the subject, or call your friends up to hear what they have to say about it? If you are a hands-on person, you are more likely to learn by trying it out yourself.

VAK Learning is about reaching out to learners through one or more of their dominant sensory receivers. It can be through their sight (Visual) or hearing (Auditory) or getting them involved through some actions (Kinesthetic). These learning styles were introduced to us by Professor Lim. I did a research and discovered that you can even run VAK Learning Styles Tests to figure out your preference.

See what VAK Learning has inspired me to create for children of the Sunday Dharma School in Bandar Sunagi Long:

Audio
1) Prof Lim has suggested that we cultivate a culture in the school. What are the qualities we want to see in the children? I would like each child to have STAR qualities, that is:

Strong (will not be affected by negatives comments or persuasions with bad intention)

Thoughtful (of surroundings, nature, environment and people)

Always

Reliable (will listen to guidance and be trustworthy)

Since it is easier to remember nursery rhymes, I modified the song "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" so that they can sing and rap to remember these qualities.

Sing: Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Rap: I twinkle, twinkle, Oh so bright
Sing: How I wonder what you are.
Rap: Strong and Thoughtful that's how I am
Sing: Up above the world so high,
Rap: Always reliable, I always will be
Sing: Like a diamond in the sky.
Rap: Yeah, I make my teachers, Oh, so (or parents) proud
Sing: Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Rap: Learning and sharing the Dharma ways
Sing: How I wonder what you are!
Rap: Living together, peacefully, the Dharma ways
Rap: We can twinkle, twinkle, Oh, so bright

Visual
I have created an appreciation chart with strings of good attributes hanging on it.



Strings of good attributes are strings of beautiful words. So, I named it "Poem in my Ears".



Kinesthetic
1) Each time a child shows a good attribute, the teacher who noticed it can mark it on the star cut out with

a) child's name
b) Teachers name and date
c) child's good attribute

Material used in this project are:

1) Plastic bags cut into strips
2) Newspaper cutting (for good attributes)
3) Cardboard

So how will these stars be displayed? What can the children do with their collection of stars? Watch out for the answers in my next posting.

The cords? Don't throw them!

If you have used cut outs from paper bags to decorate the "Chest of Drawers", what did you do with the cords tied as handles to the bags?

Here is my cord makeover.



How do you like my new necklaces?



Ha, Ha. I have fooled you. It is actually a piece of necklace that I can wear both ways. It's my green focus "OM WELL" creation. What's that...?



That's "One More, Want less". Create or buy things multi functional and you buy less.

The "Scrap House" project

I watched the "Scrap House" project on National Geographic channel this morning. It is about the process of designing and building a home entirely out of refuse from San Francisco landfills and junkyards in four weeks to celebrate "World Environment Day 2005".

Take a peek at what it looked like before it was demolished.



Looking at the material used in building the "Scrap House" should make you wonder how these items landed in the junkyard. From watching the TV progamme, I came to know that some of the material were available in high numbers because construction sites have to purchase material in access of requirement to cover any shortages from defects.

Do a search on "overruns", "surplus", "overstock" and see what you can find. Some of these are likely items produced in excess of anticipated future sales or they maybe from companies that have closed down.

Let us work on this on a smaller scale. How can these be re-used if you would like to create your own "scrap room"?

Styrofoam? Not for packaging only.

One of my friends sent me some Styrofoam pieces found in the packaging of an item she bought. She has read my blog and thinks that I can re-use anything. Not one to give up on a challenge, I did a search and this is what I have discovered.

The Dow Chemical Company, the manufacturer of Styrofoam, has many craft projects on its website if I need some ideas and inspirations.

In fact if I join their Craft Club, they may offer me free crafting supplies to test drive their product. To give you an idea, check out the Modular Wall Decor created by DIY Maven from the supplies received from Dow Chemical.

I remember when I was still schooling, I was taught how to create relief art out of flat sheets of Styrofoam boards. Here are the steps:

1) Draw a scenery with figures on a piece of plywood, which formed the base of the work.
2) Trace out the figures on a piece of paper and cut them.
3) Place the traced images on the Styrofoam and cut the shapes with a form cutting equipment. This is like a saw except that the blade is just a thin piece of wire that is heated by a battery. You place the Styrofoam against the heated wire and it will cut through it.
4) Stick the cut Styrofoam on the picture where the figures are before painting the picture.

And if I do come across round Styrofoam balls, I can consider creating Temari.

So, what if I have more than I can use up in craft? Cut them up into cubes and use them as inserts for cushions.

And if you are in a business where you require lots of inserts in your packaging, consider investing in a Recky Foam Saver which has grid openings which heats up to cut the Styrofoam into 3/4" Cubes size. Or you can grind the Styrofoam into its original beads size with a Foam Gobler. That way you can save cost on inserts by recycling Styrofoam that most people would not keep.

So, what will I be creating with my Styrofoam? Watch out for it in my next posting.