Building with Discarded Plastics

The products sold in the building industry have come a long way due to the study of building science. Building performance is more critical now than ever in history, with the need to use less electricity and reduce carbon emissions from traditional power plants. The builders of the old colonial and Victorian homes of 100 to 150 years ago believed that the house needed to breathe or have a certain amount of ventilation to remain a healthy environment for the occupants. The air changing freely was thought to reduce molds and carbon dioxide, creating a more beneficial habitat for people there. The more modern view of a building is, the tighter the house is built, or the fewer air changes a building has, a healthier environment. Building science studies have discovered that air-tight damp, proof foundations with a controlled air filtration system perform much better than traditional foundations. Traditional building products are wasteful and take away from the natural capital of the environment. These building practices can be counteracted by producing more of the building products out of discarded waste materials, with the cooperation of local, state, and federal governments mandating that a certain percentage of new construction and remodels use recycled discarded materials in the new buildings. A mandate like this would create use for discarded materials like plastic or paper and inspire innovation to develop more products from common waste materials. There are recycled building materials that can be used from the foundation to finished flooring and other materials that can be used to build the outside walls in tropical climate zones or as insulation to help control the house's climate. Integrating recycled building materials can directly affect the triple bottom line in sustainable industry and building.   

            The triple bottom line can be described as consciously accounting for economic, environmental, and social impacts as part of the business model. The building industry uses many wood products on the residential side, everything from studs, plywood, flooring, siding, and doors. Wood can be considered a renewable resource because it can be grown and harvested like a garden. The fact is that wood is being used faster than it can re-grow, which harms the environment. Replacing many of these products with plastic materials made from waste or recycled plastic can allow trees a longer growth span and reduce the amount of discarded plastic throughout the world. Socially using recycled plastic can improve conditions in third-world countries like Brazil and give use to all plastic floating in the oceans. Cleaning up the oceans would positively impact the sea life that most of the world depends on for food. The third part of the triple bottom line is the economic impact, and using recycled plastic building materials can positively affect long-run economics. Plastic deck boards, for example, last longer than wood when exposed to outside elements. They also do not need to be painted, which has economic and environmental benefits and disperse heat differently than wood. The triple bottom line can be affected in the United States by local, state, and federal government policies mandating a certain percentage of building projects have a portion of discarded recycled material in the finished buildings.

            Reusing or discarding material building percentages is an effective way to use discarded plastics in recycling centers, landfills, and the ocean, especially when it comes to the life cycle of plastics, which has a slow rate of degrading. Building codes are used as a minimum for building standards set by local, state, or federal governments that dictate safety, quality, and efficiency. The building permit cannot be signed off on and finalized with the authorization of the building inspector. This can directly affect the financing of a project, which means that home builders can be influenced by the building codes that the building inspectors follow. This is a cradle-to-cradle approach to the manufacturing of these buildings by using materials that manufacturing is dependent on the reuse of plastic bags, bottles, and other forms of plastic products. The building materials can also be recycled for reuse after their useful life creating a circular to follow. The industrial level of any country does not affect the applications of reusing plastics. For example, a third-world country can fill plastic bottles with dirt and place them I a wall with either mud or mortar to create an earth-ship construction. In places like Columbia, the Conceptos Plásticos Company recycles plastics into LAGO-like boards that slide down, track, and interlock to build a wall. "Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Ltd. has made bricks from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic." The implantation of these policies will first use up the available discarded plastic resources in the United States and eventually create a need for more discarded plastic resources. This may spur a ripple effect into other countries and a need for human capital to aid in collections of discarded plastics, thus moving toward achieving the ultimate goal of finding a use for the out-of-control plastic waste in the world.  

            Plastic is out of control today, with a particle land mass of plastic bags floating in the Pacific Ocean. Finding a positive use for discarded plastics is only a tiny step in environmental stability but an important one with the amount of discarded plastic worldwide today. The conscious push for recycling started gaining momentum in the early 1970s, although recycling had been around in the United States since Rittenhouse Mill in Philadelphia in 1690. Implementing legislation to use a certain percentage of recycled discarded plastics will clean up the environment while creating new markets for businesses to grow. Growing companies need more workers, so they should create new jobs by harvesting or manufacturing these building materials. Goals like cleaning up the plastic land mass in the Pacific Ocean can also be achieved with tax incentives to companies that harvest their raw material from there. This would result in cleaner water and less marine life being killed by plastic in the ocean, help the fish population recover, and eventually provide more food in the world. The extreme level of plastic pollution is already plaguing, and not implementing some form of policies like the building code inquisitive would allow the problem to compound, damaging the environment even further. The greatest threat to this type of pollution is doing nothing and ignoring the problem. The overrun of plastic is just part of climate change. One of the fastest ways to successfully overcome these issues is for governing bodies to take the problem seriously and create legislation that will evoke change. People will only take problems seriously if their elected leaders take them seriously. What is needed is for people like Leonardo DiCaprio to bring attention to these problems so that policies can be created and enforced.

            There are already companies exploring the options of using discarded plastics to make building materials, and the economy is the most significant factor for them to go mainstream. A subsidizing project like this is crucial in overcoming plastic pollution, another tool for policymakers. The lack of conviction in leadership in the United States Senate is one of the most significant flaws in overcoming the plastic pollution problem. They could create legislation to stop the production of plastic, but that would not take care of the discarded plastic already out there. Reusing through manufactured building supplies is a viable solution to this problem once leadership discovers its potential.    

Sustainability and Business

Sustainability is more than a description of actions. It is a lifestyle, social movement, and the mother of all business opportunities, according to the documentary "So right So Smart." The world's businesses and industries have a chance to lead the way in positive lifestyle changes like they have never had before. The economic models have to change because if human life becomes unsustainable, businesses will undoubtedly see a decline in consumers' need for goods and services. These three areas could impact the much-needed global changes in the industry, social awareness, and Government policies. There is no clear-cut answer to achieve the needed level of change in the world today, and all three of the key points need to be addressed, with a focus on the United States.

Businesses operate to maximize profits for their shareholders, which is done by providing goods or services in exchange for money. There are several ways companies could change how they operate to lessen the environmental impact. They could change pay scales to retain employees while lowering operation hours by one day a week and reducing the number of people traveling one day a week, plus saving on operations cost for the one day. Much like Sweden has done earlier this week. They could lease the function of their products instead of selling the product for profit to the consumer and retain all rights to the precious metals inside the product. The most common approach to modern business is to work with resource management and close the loop by reducing waste during production and transportation. Some companies are investing in renewable energies like wind and solar to reduce production costs and environmental impacts. These businesses and industries implementing the right policies can help social change through different practices in the business environment. These should carry over to employees' personal lives, at least in the United States, due to the amount of time they spend on the job.

Social change is more difficult in the United States because so many in the public and the Government policy makes do not entirely buy into the idea of climate change. Even with this doubt, there are ways to get people on board with the concept of overcoming climate change, and one way is to constantly bomb bard them with the information. Start a publicity campaign by picking a poster boy for the cause, let's say, for the sake of argument Leonardo DiCaprio. Then link a symbol to the grounds, like a picture of the Earth, with a simple phrase like "my life matters" written around it, and connect the information to a website. Then have him or the picture everywhere, like milk cartons, beer cans, TV ads, billboards, cameos in movies, or even backgrounds in video games, almost like the old Uncle Sam posters in WWII. Then develop a phone app where people can track climate change and highlight companies that are changing policies to give them some publicity or even possibly boycott the companies that are anti-productive to the cause. Even though some companies have been making progress in their policies, there seems to be a great deal lacking in the publicity department. Increasing public awareness is an essential strategy to get the general public to voice their desire for change and to get the politicians and Governments moving on policies that can facilitate the needed changes to shift the current trends in climate change.       

Governmental policies are put into place by publicly elected officials, who represent the wishes of the general public, or at least that was the intent. Elected officials have been doing what they want for some time now, and this will not change until the general public makes enough noise to get their attention. This can vary by implementing policies like term limits on elected officials in the Senate and Congress or more substantial constraints that hold every elected official accountable for their decisions. A balanced Government can create policies and pass laws like the carbon tax, or they could take them a step further and support the leasing of product ideas by only allowing companies right's to a limited amount of precious metals. The companies are not allowed any more precious metals than the allotment, and if these metals are not managed well, the company runs out of materials and is out of business. The focus on the United States is due to the enormous amount of resources wasted in their current production policies, and overcoming climate will take a lifestyle change.

      A lifestyle change will come from the mixture of all three points business, social awareness, and Government policies. The good news in the climate change scenario is the openness to the possibilities in innovation on all levels. Plenty of technology can aid in achieving the needed goals from energy production, transportation, building efficiency, and food production to provide the lifestyle change required to overcome the effects of climate change. The negatives of the newer technology can be cleaned up through higher levels of production coupled with research and development. This makes it essential to get the right policies in place and the general public's support to drive the needed changes in all forms of business and industry.  

E-Bikes

   

The world has been changing with climate-related issues, and transportation is one of the most common concerns. Since the invention of the wheel, humanity has looked toward traveling further and faster to the point that most of the world is dependent on some form of transportation. One solution that has been making headway in more populated areas is the bicycle with an electric motor or E-bike. There are many different forms of the E-bike, but most systems have the essential components of an electric motor, battery, throttle control, and wiring. Some come with regenerative brakes, a battery charge display, or an LCD display. The electric bike can be set up as a pedal assist or power-on-demand. The pedal assists E-bikes are usually set by sensors that regulate the electric motor by pedaling. The power on demand is a throttle connected to the battery and turns on the electric motor when pushed. The E-bike can be either chain driven or bet driven and receive power on the front tire, rear tires, or pedals. Most modern tire drives are hub conducted these days.

The batteries for electric bikes are the same as any other battery. They come in different sizes, are made of different compounds, and are variable in the same way. The batteries can be damaged by overcharging or being run down too low or from water, and the most common problem in these electrical systems is loose connections. Water can also cause the throttle control to malfunction, but the more people choose to use these E-bikes, the more problems are solved with innovative thinking. The E-bike is an excellent choice for many people, for example, elderly people, people living in areas with hills, someone hauling goods home, or someone who is simply tired. The E-bike technology can be integrated with solar charging stations making for cheap operation costs, not to mention the health benefits associated with the exercise. E-bikes can cut back on the need for automobiles in inner city travel, thus making e-bikes a sustainable way to travel.     

2016 Appalachian Energy Summit

The Appalachian Energy Summit, for those who have not heard of it, is an annual event held at Appalachian State University for the past 5 years. The event is organized by Geb Moody and staff from the Appalachian States Office of Sustainability over 3 days to provide a communication forum for North Carolina's 16 system campuses, plus 3 independent Colleges and Universities. They discuss and share information, ideas, and results on how to save money through sustainable practices. Since the inception of this event, the participants have saved over $499,000,000 in energy costs from implementing many innovative sustainable ideas, along with nine billion pounds of Co2e emissions over the past five years. The event is also open to many companies involved in the UNC system planning or execution of these plans, students, and professionals in the sustainability field. In fact, many of these companies donate the money used to hold this event, thus making it a free event that does not affect the budgets of these Universities. The keynote address was given this year by 350. org Bill McKibben, followed by a question and answer session with him and Amory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute. The theme for this year's event was "Knowledge. Collaboration. Action." and several Universities outside of North Carolina attended this year's event. Although all of the ideas discussed at this event are about producing green energy, energy reduction, waste reduction, and reducing environmental impact. The idea that stood out most to me was the importance of spreading the savings from low-cost / high-payback projects or "low-lying fruit" to offset the cost of larger, more expensive projects. The sustainable concept is about a total change of business, lifestyle, energy usage, and environmental impact, adding importance to the diversification of saving to make these changes more appealing to any entity pursuing the sustainable concept. The growth of this event, coupled with the savings to date, is a testament to how effective sustainability can be. Participation in this event was a gratifying experience, and I hope to be a part of many more of them and many more like it. Sharing knowledge in this field is the only way to provide the opportunity to accelerate a change in lifestyle and move toward reversing the effects of climate change.

Simply put, the technology is available. It is time to use it. Thank you, Appalachian State, for your leadership in innovation once more.

       

Transportation from Fossil Fuel to Electric Again

 The history of the transportation of the American automobile that most people don't know was when cars became available, there were two choices fuel or electric powered. Most people in that period preferred electric because they were quieter and did not omit exhaust fumes. That was until John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), America's first billionaire, had a new plan. He obtained his wealth from an early investment in the oil industry. He saw an opportunity when Edwin Drake discovered oil in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, struck oil, and he discovered that crude oil is converted to kerosene. Kerosene was a suitable replacement for whale oil that was used for lamp oil at that time and was rising in price with the whale population dwindling. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company with his brother William, Henry Flagler, Jabez A. Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. This author believes the most significant reason Rockefeller made so much money wasn't that he bought out most of his partners but because he invested in finding new ways to use the byproducts of the refining process. During the refining process, approximately 45% of each barrel of crude oil ends up being gasoline. Rockefeller was primarily interested in kerosene for lamp fuel, which amounted to about 8% of a barrel of crude oil at the beginning of his oil venture, leaving gasoline as the most significant byproduct of each barrel of the natural oil production process. Most refineries' tried dumping the leftover byproducts like gasoline at the time was commonly dumped into rivers and fields only to discover it killed everything from fish to plants. Standard Oil eventually found that gasoline could power automobile engines, so they converted most of the engines in the company's fleet to run off of gasoline. Most fuel power motors ran off from ethanol during that era, and with advancing the timing of the motor, they were able to run off from gasoline. Rockefeller eventually convinced auto manufacturers that gasoline engines were the better choice, and that is how the electric car was phased out 120 years ago. Today the electric vehicle is returning, and with solar panels, the car of tomorrow can be powered by the sun. This is possible with a simple carport and a battery storage system sizes calculated to provide enough energy to run electricity for the ordinary day. Which is around 40 miles a day in an urban setting, and the more the technology is used the more efficient these systems will become. Now that this story has been told, where would technology be if different decisions were made then?

      

Better Transportation with Autonomous Vehicles

The self-driving car is also known as autonomous or advanced cruise control (ACC). May make the roads safe in the future. Researchers believe there are many benefits to the self-driving car idea. For example, the car can be programmed for optimum fuel consumption, save space in cities by being used as taxis, and lower energy and material consumption with fewer vehicles being needed. The number of human error accidents should drop because cars should be able to communicate through computers and sensors, easing congestion through platooning. With the lack of traffic, incidents should reduce the need for police to concentrate on the roads and focus on more critical issues. The parking issues are resolved with cars being able to drop passengers off and park farther away or move on to the next prospective customer. These cars will reduce the need for personal vehicles and be in constant motion conserving more energy with fewer cars needed, being used like a taxi or Uber. This system will enable more elderly, disabled, and handicapped people to be safely independent without driving. These vehicles could reduce the need for infrastructure like mass transit as they stay in transit throughout the city. There should no longer be impaired or drunk drivers operating cars because sensors will detect the alcohol and take over control of the vehicle. The reality is that most cars have the initial sensors needed for these systems, and it is projected that by the year 2020, there will be 10,000,000 self-driving cars on the road. Companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Tesla have already released, or are soon to remove, self-driving features that give the car some ability to drive by itself. With this type of technology, the time involved in transportation can be shifted to a time of rest, communication, learning, or entertainment, thus increasing the overall quality of life for everyone who chooses to travel this way. 

Cradle to Cradle Philosophy

Cradle to cradle is a term developed by architect William McDonough and chemist Dr. Michael Braungart describing a unique approach to design and science, which they laid out in their (2002) book, Cradle to Cradle. The concept is that all materials used in the industrial or commercial process fall into two "technical" or "biological" nutrients. Technical nutrients are man-made materials that can be recycled and reused, creating a continuous cycle. Biological nutrients are the materials that form naturally and are generally recycled through a composting process. There are five basic steps to the cradle-to-cradle design. The system's first part is identifying material health through a color coding system. The material is assessed against criteria and eventually ranked on a scale with green being low risk, yellow being those with moderate risk but are acceptable to continue to use, and red for materials with a high chance that need to be phased out. Grey is used for materials with incomplete data, thus giving environmentally proactive companies another tool to help them make more ecologically sound decisions. The next importance is how well the material can be recycled and reused at the end of its life. Then an assessment of energy required for production, which for the highest level of certification, needs to be based on at least 50% renewable energy for all parts. The rest of the steps address water usage and water quality. Another essential process is managing social responsibility by looking objectively at fair labor practices. Labor is a form of capital. It is the most crustal part of the production. With all things considered, there is no wonder that companies like Ford Motor Company and countries like China have looked at the cradle-to-cradle system. Innovative programs like this one are not a silver bullet to fix the social, economic, and climate issues that the current and future generations face, but it is undoubtedly another building block in a solid foundation of change that our world is starting to move toward.