Turning waste into resources

A Liter of Light 

The objective of the project “A Liter of Light” is to provide affordable and sustainable solar light to people who have limited or no access to electricity. In poor areas, houses are built very close to each other to meet the demand. In result of lacking basic living quality such as lighting indoor during the daytime. The project “A Liter of Light” turns wasted plastic bottles to light bulbs by adding water and bleach and installing it onto the roof of the house. These bottles reflect sunlight and lighten up the interior spaces. These bottles are later improved by adding a LED powered by small solar panels so there will be light at night time as well (Liter of Light).

I think this project is an example of a good sustainable design since it is under high restrictions, at the same time it provides a solution to improve people’s living quality. It has reduced the electricity usage per household, it has also turn wasted plastic bottle into resources again. Furthermore, it provides employment opportunities for the locals, such as carpenters and trash collectors (Matters 2012). 

                                            Fig 1. Bottle installed at a store (Matters 2012)

I think the ideas can be taken from this project are waste management and sustainable design thinking. Waste management such as recycle materials and resources, expanding the usage or “life” of materials. Sustainable design thinking which I understand as maximise the positive effects with the least possible costs. These includes economic factors, environmental factors and social factors. In the case of A Liter of Light, it has positive effects on all three sectors.

Resources:

Matters R, (July 2012). A Liter of Light Goes a Long Way (by Ami Valdemoro), [online] Wordpress, Available at: https://riomatters.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/1-liter-of-light-by-ami-valdemoro [Accessed 4 March 2017]

A Liter of Ligh, (2013). A Liter of Light @ Night. [video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQCHvO2H0_0 [Accessed 4 March 2017]

Liter of Light. About us. [online] Available at: http://literoflight.org/ [Accessed 4 March 2017]

City Infrastructure: Thirsty Concrete – An answer to Sustainable Road

According to a report realise at 2014, in the year of 2050, there would be over 9 billion population and 66% of the population would be living in urban areas (United Nation 2014). There will be around 5.9 Billion people living in urban areas which would require an increase of urban areas. The road is one of the important components of City infrastructure, it represents the circulation of a City. It is the only element in the city that allows large amounts of transportations and pedestrians flow on daily bases. Therefore, it is important to make sure that roads are always available and easy to access. However, roads cannot function under flooding which usually causes under extreme weather condition and insufficient drainage system.

Topmix Permeable concrete is design by Tarmac to provide a solution to stormwater management. It is also known as the ‘thirsty concrete’ which could quickly drain away 600L of water per minute. The water can be drain away to the soil or recycle for other uses. Due to the drainage capability of the concrete, it can also prevent flooding of in many urban areas (Tarmac 2016). 

                   Fig 1. Different types of Topmix Permeable concrete (Tarmac 2016).

I think that road has always been an important component of the city infrastructure. The ‘Thirsty Concrete’ is an innovated material that can improve the quality of the infrastructure and reduce maintenance on drainage systems. It would definitely help areas that are troubled by Stormwater and flooding issues to develop in the future. I believe the application of the concrete could be an important transition toward a sustainable city. I think the technology can be also applied to another aspect in a sustainable city such as accessible rooftops and parks or outdoor playgrounds. 

Resources

United Nation. (2014). World Urbanization Prospects The 2014 Revision – Highlights. [pdf] UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Available at https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/publications/files/wup2014-highlights.Pdf [Accessed 4 March 2017].

Tarmac. (March 2016). Topmix Permeable: The ideal concrete solution for surface and storm water management. [pdf] Tarmac: A CRH Company. Available at: http://www.tarmac.com/media/957194/topmix-permeable-brochure-march-2016.pdf [Accessed 4 March 2017].

Tarmac (2015). Topmix Permeable - The ultimate permeable concrete system. [video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlFX_WTFIis&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 4 March 2017].