Responsible Futures - An Audit

Consumption…

is what we are talking about. The department of Art, Media and Design is home to the creative disciplines, Graphic Design included. They all, by necessity and definition, consume resources through the processes of learning and the practice of their craft. How and what do we consume and can we do it better and more efficiently in the interests of working sustainably?

Breaking the problem down…

into three areas of enquiry, we looked at the workshops, the art shop and the buildings and estates department.  We did so in the belief that questions directed to these hubs of consumption would give us a good overall picture of the management of resources within the department.  First of all though, we...

Brainstormed..        

the problem. With no suggestion off limits, as are the rules, this is the flow.  Workshop equipment; how much is turned on for the entire day and does it need to be?  Empty rooms; could the management of these be improved so energy is not wasted in heating/lighting?  Could smaller working spaces be heated more efficiently (thinking particularly of cubic footage in studio)?  Insulation; where there are large areas of glass, is it thermal?  Paint used for the fabric of the building; does it have eco credentials?  Furniture; would it recycle and are there superfluous items in the studio?  Recycling bins; are there enough and are they specific enough e.g. blades, photography paper, paper cups? Life room; is there a more efficient way to heat this? How green are the inks used in printing?  Studio; is there a more efficient way to heat this through the winter, e.g. woodburning stoves?  Can the heat be turned down, modulated, in line with the daily climate?  Is there a policy for water usage and is waste water recycled?  Is lighting low energy?  Could we work in a more paperless way using technology?  How much paper purchasing is recycled goods?  How far do suppliers travel?  Could better studio facilities reduce disposable waste e.g. kitchen area for food prep/drinks?  Could lighting/taps/flushing be sensor controlled?  How are areas of intense energy demand managed, e.g. kilns?  Do we need trips?  Could terms be increased to reduce overall time to acquire a degree, principally conserving student financial resources? 

Art Shop..

   

• An estimated 40% of delivery couriers are not from local areas which means there are more fuel emissions occurring whilst the deliveries are being made
• There are no recycled papers available to buy in the art shop due to a higher cost
• Currently there is only two products sold in the shop that are recyclable; paper and batteries.  Lots of coated paper and card will be scrapped.
• They claim not to have any scrap items but if they do have any they mark the price down and sell them to students at a reduced price to prevent waste
• Any waste cardboard is put into a room for students to help themselves to, if this becomes a fire hazard the estates team is called and they then come to take away the cardboard to be recycled.
• They have one small recycling bin in the shop which is used for paper.

Workshops...

• The workshops have a range of very heavy machinery for use in woodwork, metalwork and plastics all of which would inevitably use a lot of power.  The waste products, including wood, styrofoam and various plastics do not appear to have recycling facilities. The bins contain a mixed collection of all waste materials.
• On our research into the workshops we discovered that there are no sustainable procedures in place.  When asked, the technicians explained that they only keep track of the 'business side' of the area.  Their stats are concerned with expenditure, profits and losses within their stocked materials.
• We were unable to establish how waste materials are disposed of, that is, the excess that hasn't been reused by students. We can only presume the waste is binned along with the regular rubbish in the University.    

Buildings and Estates...

• In 2010 the university published its Carbon Management programme.  This sets out an objective to reduce emissions by 25% and 48% by 2014 and 2019 respectively as set against a 2005/06 baseline.  The report addresses a number of the questions raised in the course of our discussions around the university's approach to sustainability.
• The university does not have a sustainable procurement policy, although it is a stated aim of the current Environmental Manager.
• There are funds for a biomass boiler to be installed at Yarlet halls of residence but it is a long term objective for elsewhere in the university.
• Since 1st April 2012 the university purchases 100% green energy from its suppliers.
• Lighting is gradually being replaced by a lower emission alternative
• This summer the heating in Flaxman, Henrion and Brindley will be upgraded so that it can be more responsive to prevailing weather conditions.
• Automated lighting controls are to be installed in larger areas.  Payback time is too long for small areas.
• There are no immediate plans to target energy use in the kilns area.

Recommendations...

• More recycling bins - everywhere!  In the studio and in the art shop, allowing for the separation of different types of paper, cardboard, glass and plastic.  Create more opportunities for everyone to do it effortlessly.
• Implement a more rigid policy for purchasing from local suppliers where practicable.
• A greater supply and range of recycled alternatives from the art shop.
• Consider turning wood waste into chippings for use in a woodchip and pellet heating system with proven efficiences of up to 93%.
• Examine disposal procedures of waste from the workshops
• Become as paperless as possible (within what is practicable - it is an art department after all) e.g. Module Packs, online access only.  Written work submitted online.  Using blogs etc.
• Reconfigure the studio into smaller, screened workstation areas with one large breakout area for lectures/presentations.  Could this help toward heating efficiency in colder months?  Could it aid productivity?
• Kitchen facilities in studio to reduce disposable waste e.g. mugs not cardboard cups.     

BAD BEAUTY

After researching lots of brands and people that practice good sustainability I came across a trade that isn't interesting in practicing any kind of sustainability!

Results of a recent survey in the midlands found that around 70% of beauty salons and spas were not recycling their scrap materials such as plastic, glass, card and paper.

After being made aware of the issue of sustainability and being told what they needed to do to help many of these salons and spas were not interested even if they had access to trade recycling services!

Read more about this at http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=22131&title=Beauty+salons+guilty+of+poor+recycling+practices+

Sustainable Tea!

The Nations favourite tea PG Tips has just gone even better as its now fully certified!

PG has teamed up with rainforest alliance which means the tea is grown using environmentally friendly farming methods! The people that pick the tea are earning a better living and their families have access to an education and medical centre.

"By choosing PG tips, you are helping to protect the environment, while ensuring decent working conditions for the farmers and providing access to education and healthcare for them and their families."

Recycle your used coffee cups!

Lots of people buy a takeaway coffee on a day to day basis but the used styrofoam cups are hardly ever recycled!

However I have found a new trend occurring where people recycle there coffee cups to create designer vases! It costs nothing, only takes a few minutes, is ridiculously easy to do, and every vase/pot will be unique. It's an interesting gift if you add flowers or a small plant.

TREE HUGGER ECO SANDALS

The discovery company Tree Hugger have designed 3 eco friendly stylish sandals!

1. NAYA: ETERNALWEDGE

Vegetable tanned a cork midsole and a rubber and rice husk outsole, stylish and they've got sustainable cred too!


2. SWEEDISH HASBEENS: BRAIDED SKY HIGH

Made with vegetable-tanned natural grain leather that is nailed to a sustainably-harvested wood platform.

3. CRI DE COEUR: WARRIOR STUDDED 

Vegan fashionistas never had it so good with Cri De Coeur's flat studded sandals in a pretty summer color, coral, and an open-toe thong style.

They're made in an ethical, sweat-shop free factory in China and sport a PU upper and a manmade sole.

Design Can Change

I was impressed by the website http://www.designcanchange.org and the way it has addressed the problem of sustainability.

I like the way in which their website clearly explains the issues such as global warming and recycling and what we as designers can do about it.

Another interesting feature on the website is 'The Pledge' where you take your own pledge and say what you will do to help in creating a sustainable future. I think the website takes a difference approach to this topic as it helps you to understand what the issues are and how by changing small things we could be making a big difference.

Good Car, Bad Car.

The good old Toyota Prius, with its ugly looks and so called Eco-Friendliness. Not only is the car ugly to look at, just maybe this car is ugly underneath the exterior. Many scientists are saying that Toyota's best-selling hybrid is actually bad for the environment. Some are even asserting that it has a worse impact on our world than the widely-hated Hummer.

With such universal concern (whether genuine or a desire to be "hip") to live a "greener" lifestyle, it's no surprise that this argument has become quite heated, though surprisingly quiet.

After all, if Toyota says that it's created a car that gets excellent gas mileage and is therefore better for the environment than other cars are, the consumer wants to believe this. So what are these new, conflicting reports?

The Prius' battery contains nickel, which is mined in Ontario Canada. The plant that smelts this nickel is apparently nicknamed "the Superstack" because of the amount of pollution it puts out; the area for miles around it is a wasteland because of acid rain and air pollution.

But the main problem that the "Dust to Dust" study has with the Prius' impact on the environment comes next.

That smelted nickel then has to travel (via container ship) to Europe to be refined, then to China to be made into "nickel foam," then to Japan for assembly, and finally to the United States. All this shipment for each tiny step in the production process costs a great deal, both in dollars and in pollution.

The study then concludes that -- all the production costs in mind -- the Prius costs about $3.25 per mile and is expected to last about 100,000 miles. The Hummer, on the other hand, with all the same factors counted, costs about $1.95 per mile and is expected to last about 300,000 miles.

More..

An article in Wired's car blog Autopia covered this topic quite eloquently, concluding, "You might feel better driving a hybrid, but you won't necessarily be greener."

That's because each Prius consumes the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of fuel before its odometer clicks to 1. As we saw above, this is due to the manufacturing and shipping costs associated with the Prius. So while the Prius may not be worse for the environment than a Hummer is, it certainly would be given a run for its money when put head-to-head with a used car with reasonable fuel economy.

The Autopia article and the original article in Wired Magazine both agree that buying a used car that gets great gas mileage is the best option for having less of a negative impact on the environment. In fact, many cars receive up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway, which is almost as high as the Prius' 45 highway mpg, and those other cars aren't killing the environment quite as much in their manufacturing process.

Destruction To All?