I'm researching data sets about a couple of different sectors of the waste stream in the United States. I'm currently focusing on Construction and Demolition waste (C&D) and post consumer electronics waste (both considered part of MSW - municipal solid waste). C&D waste currently makes up slightly more than a third of the total waste that winds up in landfills and is a major contributor to C02 and methane emissions. Many of us here at ITP are active parts of the maker movement, and I think it's important that as people build they keep in mind the lifespan of their materials and attempt to make responsible decisions in their construction. By creating functional tools that include pertinent information about C&D, the user has a subtle reminder every day. Potential combinations of function and information include etching/carving negative space to simulate statistics/graphs on the body of saws and hammers; sculptural tool boxes and wraps; and pie-chart casing for tape measures. In looking at post consumer electronics, a statistic I found interesting had to do with the precious materials that are possible to reclaim from many consumer electronics. One million discarded cellphones contains 50 lbs of gold, 550 lb of silver, 20 lb of palladium, and 20,000 lb of copper. Some concepts for data objects includes jewelry of these precious materials, cellphone cases with engraved maps of cellphone recycling sites, or sculptural cellphone charging bases or laptop cases.
I'm researching data sets about a couple of different sectors of the waste stream in the United States. I'm currently focusing on Construction and Demolition waste (C&D) and post consumer electronics waste (both considered part of MSW - municipal solid waste). C&D waste currently makes up slightly more than a third of the total waste that winds up in landfills and is a major contributor to C02 and methane emissions. Many of us here at ITP are active parts of the maker movement, and I think it's important that as people build they keep in mind the lifespan of their materials and attempt to make responsible decisions in their construction. By creating functional tools that include pertinent information about C&D, the user has a subtle reminder every day. Potential combinations of function and information include etching/carving negative space to simulate statistics/graphs on the body of saws and hammers; sculptural tool boxes and wraps; and pie-chart casing for tape measures. In looking at post consumer electronics, a statistic I found interesting had to do with the precious materials that are possible to reclaim from many consumer electronics. One million discarded cellphones contains 50 lbs of gold, 550 lb of silver, 20 lb of palladium, and 20,000 lb of copper. Some concepts for data objects includes jewelry of these precious materials, cellphone cases with engraved maps of cellphone recycling sites, or sculptural cellphone charging bases or laptop cases.
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Authora level 1 Luddite getting on board with the digital age Archives
May 2013
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