Death by Plastic

Posted by Minnesotastan in Animal on October 17, 2009 at 8:55 am

plastic in albatrossChris Jordan has previously created art pieces utilizing garbage and junk to emphasize the role of consumerism in modern society. For his most recent project he has photographed the carcasses of albatrosses on Midway Island to document the deleterious effects of plastic on wildlife in the Pacific Ocean.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

There are several dozen additional photos at the artist’s website.

 
Comment (32)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         


Neatorama Shop » Science T-Shirts (Geektastic!)
Great Vocab Didn't Save the Thesaurus
See more Science T-Shirts »

Recycled Milk Bottle Lights

Posted by Queuebot in Arts & Crafts, Gadget, Home & Garden, Video Clips on April 25, 2009 at 1:09 pm


[YouTube - Link]


I made these plastic milk bottle lights by embedding LEDs in the caps, hanging them from a bent section of pipe and hooking them up to an Arduino microcontroller.

Not happy with an on-off switch, I thought they might look mesmerising with a rotary control knob turning them on in sequence. It works! They make great low lighting to wind down for sleep, and they’re great to hang in the hall for parties too.

There are complete build instructions on Instructables.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Nachimir.

 
Comment (2)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         



Plastic Could Make House Lights Obsolete

Posted by Queuebot in Architecture, Gadget, Home & Garden, Science & Tech on February 4, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Could flexible organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, be the future of lighting? Don’t worry; I don’t understand that sentence either. Keep reading for a jargon-free explanation.

On General Electric’s research campus in Niskayuna, NY, there is a machine that prints lights. This machine is so good at its job the lights it creates could make traditional lamps and lighting fixtures obsolete. In what sounds to be a relatively simple process, the semitrailer-size machine coats an 8” wide plastic film with chemicals and seals it with a layer of metal foil. When an electric current is applied to the plastic sheet, be prepared to throw on a pair of shades as it emits an ethereal blue glow.

Light from the sheet is produced using compounds known as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). OLEDs are currently used in television and cell-phone displays and have been embraced by large
manufacturers such as Siemens and Philips.



Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by whitespace.

 
Comment (3)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         



16-Year Old Boy Isolates Microbe That Eats Plastic, Potentially Saves Earth

Posted by David in Science & Tech on May 25, 2008 at 7:31 am

I first became truly horrified at America’s addiction to plastic and its already-hugely deleterious effects when I read Best Life’s stunning piece on our Plastic Ocean. One of the most dangerous elements of plastic is that it almost never goes away. Plastic bags are made of polyethylene, which micro-organisms don’t break down like organic material. They can also be poisonous, making for a dangerous combination not only for nature, but also for humanity.

Since then, I’ve tried my best to reduce my usage of plastic in all aspects of my life, whether it be bringing a reusable bag to the supermarket or cutting down on the amount of bottled water I buy. Nonetheless, as shockingly depicted by Chris Jordan, America’s collective usage of plastic continues unabated.

Enter Daniel Burd, a 16-year old boy who isolated the microorganisms that degrade plastic…as part of a science project:

Daniel, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, got the idea for his project from everyday life. “Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have this avalanche of plastic bags falling on top of me,” he said. “One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags.”The answer: not much. So he decided to do something himself.

Could this be the first step to ending our plastic problem? What do you guys think?

Read the Link for details on Daniel’s experiments.

 
Comment (19)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         



10 Everyday Items You Can Recycle

Posted by Algonkin in Everything Else on February 3, 2008 at 9:07 am

plastic

Baby boomers are now embracing ways to leave an imprint on the environment, and it’s about time.

If something is labeled as a plastic #1 or #2, it can be recycled virtually eveywhere. This is great news if you’re trying to reduce your impact and waste. We can all help close the loop by buying and recycling products made from these materials – every little bit helps.

To help out, here is a neat list of items you can recycle.

Source: Gogreencharleston

 
Comment (8)    Permalink   Please share:  email this         


Neatorama Shop » Home & Garden » Kitchen Gadgets
See more Kitchen Gadgets »