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An eco invention we can all use, every single day
Posted by: | CommentsI’m always on the lookout for innovation when it comes to green ideas, some you see and realise it only applies to a small cross-section of consumers or the public at large. Others seem to be too far fetched to replace accepted processes or products. While hunting down the latest eco-friendly inventions this weekend I found something that fits many critical criteria:
1. There is a working, effective model in operation in many locations
2. It is cost effective to convert to
3. It can potentially be used by everyone, every day
4. It truly can make a difference
That sounds too good to be true, but there is something I bet almost everyone reading the blog has done in the last 24 hours and probably more than once for many of you. I want to be as delicate as I can as this is a serious topic and don’t want to downscale this to toilet humour, but the green product of the day is an eco-friendly toilet. In my efforts to keep today’s post palatable (and perhaps you’re about to eat lunch) I’ll establish some parameters before discussing the invention. Let’s refer to the deposits we make in our toilets as simply U for urine and F for f***s for the rest of the blog? Sound like a plan? Let me continue then.
Not only are these toilets a great idea they are in relatively widespread use in Scandavia and receive positive accolades from those who use them. The official name for the device is a ‘NoMix Toilet’ and the difference to the norm is that the toilet has what amounts to a built in urinal. In the front of the bowl (the bowl is ‘conventional’ in size) sits a raised section that drains U into a separate tank, meanwhile (if you have both in mind) the F is left in the the rear of the bowl and flushed in the usual fashion. If flushing is a ‘fashion’ - just work with me, I’m writing this with a very serious face.
The NoMix toilet began in Sweden in 2000 and has gained moderate gains in Northern Europe particularly in new planned communities that are being designed, marketed and sold with the eco-conscious home buyer in mind. NoMix toilets began catching on in Sweden about a decade ago and have made some inroads in lavatories in north and central Europe, especially in planned “eco” communities. Judit Lienert a Swiss researcher offers:
“Separating waste streams and dealing with waste at its source should be possible and makes more sense in a technological society, our approach to plumbing is horribly conventional. What we’re doing now was invented by the Romans”
To take the idea beyond theory some 2,700 users of 38 NoMix pilot projects were polled to gauge consumer satisfaction of the new toilet. A staggering 80%+ responded in positive fashion when asked questions pertaining to liking the design, satisfaction with the hygiene, lack of odour and comfort (in seating of course). You’ve already spotted that the key difference is the separation of U and F which provides the ecological benefits of the invention. Currently sewers send both elements together to wastewater treatment centres, a process that is both expensive and in the longer term not a sustainable practice. Splitting the U out the mix to be reused is seen by experts as an ideal way to provide better benefit and lower costs. The U contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous so is perfectly suited as a fertilizer. Those surveyed favoured strongly the idea of applying the U in such a manner and said they’d happily eat food grown with it. In addition the benefits of water conservation were seen as key in saving water that would otherwise be used to flush away the U. The overall sentiment was that is was prefereable to have the U used on a farm or your garden than end in the rivers and oceans, which leads to algae growth and negative impact to other species.
It would appear that to gain more widespread acceptance that the NoMix toilets will also need to take actions to improve upon some of the concerns brought to light by the surveys however. More than half of those respondents advised that the flushing ‘power’ was not the equivalant to a standard toilet and also that cleaning the system was also more difficult. There would also be a change in habits required by the user. Firstly getting used to the idea of manually removing the U from the system is a habit that would take some time to get used to. Then, for men, standing is no longer optional as taking a seat (and probably something to read) will be mandatory simply due to the design of the toilet.
So - is this a far flung European idea that will never catch on, or perhaps an innovation that should be embraced as rapidly as possible? I think if we ‘never knew anything different’ we’d see this as the most logical thing in the world instead of sticking to what is a centuries old sewage process. Taking the pee takes on a new meaning, perhaps we shouldn’t flush away a good eco idea too quickly. (see I kept things above board until the very last sentence).
Tags: eco communities, eco inventions, fertilizer, household toilet, nitrogen, nomix toilets, ocean pollution, phosphorous, planet forward, river pollution, wastewater treatment, water conservationThe height of Eco-Friendly - World’s tallest buildings face new contender
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London's Post Office Tower
It all started with the church in the village where I grew up , it’s stone spire could be seen from a few miles away as it was the tallest building in our little town. As a youngster I was ridiculously impressed by tall and grand buildings, as a little kid when visiting London I was amazed at the twin spires of Westminster Abbey (69 M 225 FT) and the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral (112 M 366 FT), before then being transfixed by the tallest tower (at the time) in London - The Post Office Tower (now named the BT Tower standing at 188 M 617 FT). As a small boy that building seemed impossibly tall and so it remained until the first time I visited Paris on a school trip when I was about eight. It was there that I first saw the Eiffel Tower - not so much a building as a steel observation deck but certainly enough to thrill me and the tallest yet (not to mention very metric exactly 300.0M or 984 feet).

burj-khalifa in Dubai
My dad used to travel to the US and Canada on business a lot and when I was ten we were taken on a family trip which was really masquerading as a business trip but my tall building buzz saw new highs. We flew into JFK and I was lucky enough to visit and go to the top of the Empire State Building (381M) and The World Trade Centre (417M 1368 FT). At more than double the height of the Post Office Tower plus the incredible vastness of the building I remember just looking up in awe - and of course there were two of them! It seemed to my 10 year old brain that the trip was designed around my tall building hobby (it wasn’t) as we also visited Chicago which of course features the Sears Tower, the tallest in the world at the time (442M 1451 FT). My holy grail was visited and I had the photos to prove it.
As I grew older my interest in tall buildings waned, and although I ended up living in one and working in one for a short time I found other interests that replaced my early passion. I’ve paid marginal attention as the Sears Tower was trumped by new skyscrapers in Asia and wept (for reasons beyond the obvious) when the twin towers in New York came crashing down on that dark day in 2001. My interest was rekindled by the recent construction and opening of the new top tower in Dubai - the Burj Khalifa is a staggering height (828M 2717 FT). I can’t even conceive of a building being that tall and photographs and videos such as the one beneath make it seem computer generated against the desert background.
From an environmental perspective the newest buildings are also using more methods of green construction. Not just smaller buildings and homes are benefiting from new concepts of sustainable construction by skyscrapers around the world are also incorporating design ideas that consider more than height. There is now news of a potential tower being constructed later this decade in Miami, Florida that would not only been taller than the current pinnacle in Dubai but also potentially the one of the largest eco-friendly buildings ever built.

The proposed Miapolis
The proposed structure is the Miapolis, if it gets built the 975 meter high tower could potentially beat out Dubai’s Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest building if built. Designed by KOBI KARP, Miapolis would be more than just a building - it would be a vertical self-contained city. They utilize the most cutting-edge sustainable systems and practices within the design, it would be the largest LEED-certified structure at any rating level in the United States. The staggering 160-floor tower would contain entertainment and residential spaces within including an amusement park, observatory, restaurants, 2 million sq ft of shops, over 1000 apartments, 1 million sq ft of office space and a 792 room hotel. *(some elevators too I’m guessing)
Miapolis’ eco-credibility includes the use of 60% wind energy, a modular green roof, greenhouse gas management, water desalinization, storm and wastewater management, solid waste management and much more. Will it actually happen? There is a list of proposed super towers as long as my arm that never came to fruition - but to think that the tallest building in the world might also boast a very green core - that would be the height of eco-friendly.
Tags: burj khalifa, dubai tower, eco-friendly buildings, eco-friendly construction, empire state building, green construction, greenhouse gas management, history of tallest buildings, LEED, miapolis, modular roofing, New York skyscrapers, post office tower, sears tower, skyscrapers, St Pauls Cathedral, tallest building, tallest buildings, water desalinization, wind energy, world trade center, world's tallest buildingsGreen Gazette (Issue 39) Eco-mice, horses and a great way to green your music
Posted by: | CommentsHello again, like many others I have the occasional weakness for ‘gadgets’ although I’m more tempted to just say ‘that’s pretty cool’ as opposed to purchasing one it doesn’t change the fact that I admire the innovation. On the other hand we have gadget consumers, those of us who live to purchase new tools and ideas that change the way we do things and hopefully make life that tiny bit more efficient. Today I thought I’d look at some fairly simple but certainly innovative gadgets that have a legitimate green benefit - each of which has yet to be released on the market. Off we go!
Wireless mouse - you can’t beat a wireless mouse once you’ve made the transition from the more common garden variety of mouse with a cord. It does make me wonder though is it still a ‘mouse’ when it no longer has a tail? At that point isn’t it more like a chipmunk or a marmot. However, if you love your wireless mouse but tire of replacing the batteries every 3 months or so there is now a green option. Meet Corky - he/she is made entirely of recycled cork and doesn’t need batteries. The kinetic energy caused by normal use when scrolling and clicking provides the energy source of our keyboard accomplice. No more batteries and plastics needed - what a great idea.
Discarded car tires/tyres - a blight of rubber wastage and something you rarely see any innovation attached to. This sounds like a bet an
inventor took and won as he created the Automan 500 - which is an ottoman speaker (subwoofer) made from a standard automobile tire. In addition to being very eco friendly in design it apparently does the task assigned to it very well:
Designers Carolyn Butts and Hans Honegger say that the circular/cylindrical shape allows the subwoofer to have a better sound quality, and its unique construction helps it to emit all the bass notes.
The non audio components include a car tire, bicycle tire and wheat straw fiber board. This ranks as one of the more unlikely gadgets I’ve seen and when did you last see a round speaker?
Tags: corky the green mouse, corky wireless mouse, eco friendly gadgets, eco inventions, eco-friendly ideas, energy conservation, green gifts, green inventions, green wireless mouse, kinetic energy, planet forward, recycle, recycled tire stereo speaker, Recycling, wireless mouse
Finally how about something a little different for the children which will serve a dual purpose by being eco-friendly while helping educate the kids about green issues and clean energy. You can accomplish both at once if you meet
exist almost everywhere and at the heart of much of the needed change will remain consumer awareness. 
