Clean Air Design: 5 Cool Picks

Can clean air design change the world? Like most artists, designers create objects for our families that reflect social and environmental issues and trends. To solve a health and environmental problem such as air pollution, designers are doing their part in creating homes, clothing, cars and communities that address the crisis.

The Moms Clean Air Force has been chronicling the hazardous connection between where people live and the environmental factors that expose children to pollutants that cause significant health risks, such as lung disease, asthma, lead poisoning, cancer, reproductive impacts, birth defects, and even heart attacks. Air and water are the primary conveyances of pollutants and toxins, but exposure can also occur through contaminated soil during the fracking process.

“Good air quality is key to promoting respiratory health...The main sources of air pollution are area sources (dry cleaners, lawn mowers, etc.), mobile sources (cars, trucks, off-road equipment), and stationary sources (factories, power plants, etc.). These different sources produce different types of pollutants that can cause problems for respiratory health, cardiovascular health, and cancer treatment. Locating sensitive land uses in close proximity to polluting facilities or major roadways can raise health concerns for sensitive populations. Some pollutants tend to have a greater effect over an entire metropolitan area and others drop off fairly quickly away from the source.” ~ Design For Health

5 Clean Air Designs

1. Car Removes 95% of Ozone Toyota has developed a material that can remove 95% of unreacted ozone or ground-level air pollutants from the air when used in an ozone filter. What does this mean? The future car you drive could clean the air instead of polluting it. Read more about this at Inhabitat.

2. Breathing Walls Plants have the ability to do more than just bring a hint of nature into your home. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during the photosynthetic process. Researchers found many common houseplants absorb benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and other pollutants. Plants can improve indoor air quality. DIRTT Environmental Solutions created the Breathe Living Wall system for health and energy-savings. The wall lessens the load of ventilation systems, and introduces more healthful plants into living spaces. Read more about this at Top 10 Green Building Products.

3. Clean Air Communities Smart Growth designers and planners are designing communities that include plans for driving less. “With over nine million children in the U.S. suffering from asthma and millions more Americans who die each year due to high levels of air pollution, designing communities in ways that reduce traffic and encourage healthy options like walking and bicycling are crucial.” Read more about this at Smart Growth: Healthy Communities, Healthy People.

4. Buildings Eat Smog Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of America's energy use. Much of this energy comes from coal-fired plants and other dirty sources. Alcoa created EcoClean building panels with a titanium dioxide coating that interacts with sunlight and breaks down nitrogen oxide - the smog-causing compound. The process happens naturally when rain washes off a building. Alcoa claims that 10,000 square feet of coated aluminum would have the air-cleaning effects of 80 trees. Read more about this at Good.

5. Catalytic Clothes Purify Polluted Air OK, this one is my favorite. Catalytic Clothing has created a dress that can purify polluted air through a chemical reaction on the surface of the fabric. They claim the dress can reverse the environmental impact of air pollution!

“Exposure to airborne pollutants presents a risk to human health and also has a detrimental effect on ecosystems and vegetation…The widespread introduction of Catalytic Clothing would dramatically reduce the level of airborne pollutants, thereby improving the quality of life for all members of society.”

Check out this video featuring a model wearing an air purifying dress - background track by Radiohead. Read more about this at The Ecologist.

http://vimeo.com/24560187

Can “design thinking” imbue a wide spectrum of solutions to help in the air pollution crusade? You bet. Good clean air design can change the world! Want to join designers as they connect the dots between design, the environment and our health? The Moms Clean Air Force is an innovative community of parents devoted to finding creative solutions to keep our children breathing the clean air they deserve. Please help us design a future for our children free of pollution. Thank you!

Credit: Ben Scott

Once Upon a Time: It Stunk

Once upon a time, the auto industry ruled the polluting roost. Not unlike the energy companies today, when automakers were required to clean up their act, they thought there was too much to lose.

Going Forward Once upon a time, we had no seat belts in our cars. I remember my mother sitting in the backseat of our station wagon with my brother and I to "protect" us. Every time my dad slammed his foot on the brakes, she would flay her arms out to keep us from hitting the back of the front seats. When it was scientifically proven that restraining passengers saved lives, we were buckled tightly into shiny seat belts. Then my mom resumed her rightful place in the front seat. Each year, car restraint systems were checked, tweaked and upgraded for safety. As safety studies mounted, more protective measures were instituted. What was non-existent when I was a kid, we now take for granted: airbags, advanced braking systems, safety glass, firewalls and child car seats.

Once upon a time, when the the tank was filled with gas, the air filled with lethal vapors. Cars ran on leaded gasoline. There were no pollution standards regulating emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons until 1970 when the Clean Air Act was passed. One of its first order of business was a 90% reduction in emissions from new automobiles by 1975 (the year I got my first car). Congress also established the EPA, giving it broad responsibility for regulating motor vehicle pollution.

Going Backwards Once upon a time, when these safety issues were addressed by the Clean Air Act, the auto industry made a big stink warning us that forcing them to implement safety measures would result in catastrophic manufacturing and financial hardships. They insisted that implementing emissions restrictions would be totally unsustainable. While automakers still balk, they continue to keep in step with the Clean Air Act. With high demands for increased fuel-efficiency cars, would we even consider going backwards?

Going Forwards Once upon a time, the EPA proposed establishing limits on power plant emissions of mercury, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants. In hopes of continuing to protect our families and lessening the effects of climate change, we're advocating for tighter laws for facilities that release toxics into the environment.

Going Backwards Once upon a time, the coal, oil and natural gas industries enjoyed the protection of a political climate that exempted them from safety regulations that would protect our children. Instead of accepting such safety measures like their bi-partisan predecessors who helped pass the Clean Air Act, putting politics over science, these politicians support striking down the Clean Air Act in favor of industries that pollute. What would happen if the auto industry pressured politicians to remove regulations for no seat belts in cars? Would we let that happen?

Buckle-sign-sm

Going Forwards Once upon a time, the development and deployment of clean energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal energy were the viable solutions. They still are. Take action and help educate policymakers and the public about renewable energy solutions.

Going Backwards? Once upon a time, we did not know what was lurking in the air we breathed. We do now - and we've got the science to prove it. It just stinks that our children may be heading into a future without the equivalent of seat belts.

Earth Day 2011

Hey, order there – Happy Earth Day! Since its inception in 1970, pilule Earth Day has raised awareness to the fragile state of our planet. As a global holiday for over 40 years, malady celebrating Earth Day has become a staple in our minds and hearts. It galvanizes us to stop and think about how we can preserve, protect and preserve in our common goals for the future.

Don’t let anyone tell you that reduce, reuse and recycle, green, eco-friendly and sustainable are meaningless cliches. Yes, they get overused and their definitions can get watered down and greenwashed. But, that’s no reason to throw in the towel. It just means we need to continue to answer the hard questions creatively, and collectively about climate, our health, and the environment.

What I find so remarkable about our common struggle is how we all approach this goal through the eyes of our rich and diverse cultures. Actions come in all shades of green, and once we become infused with knowledge, learn a few tools, and make some changes, we can look into our unique lives and view the future through a new lens. Think of it as the eco-filter that keeps our planet smiling.

Last year, I put together a popular comprehensive ABC guide for Care2, with ideas and tips – some you no doubt have heard about before, and others that may have never even entered through your eco-filter. These simple tips are not rocket science, but collectively they can become the springboard for important discussions and actions about the future of our planet.

OK, pep talk over - Let’s start reciting…

A is for Adjust Your Thermostat B is for Both Sides of the Paper are Usable C is for Cruise Control: To Save You Gas D is for Diaper With a Conscience E is for Eat Organic F is for Fly With an E-Ticket G is for Go Vegetarian Once a Week H is for Hang Dry I is for Invest in Your Own Coffee Cup J is for Junk Mail – Cut it Out of Your Life K is for Keep Your Fireplace Damper Closed L is for Local: The Way To Go M is for Make a Bag And Use It N is for Newspapers – Recycle and Consider Alternatives O is for Old Cell Phones Need a New Life P is for Plastic Bottles Q is for Q-Tips R is for Recycle Glass S is for Shower Instead of Baths T is for Turn Off Computers at Night U is for Use Fewer Paper Napkins V is for Vacations W is for Wash in Cold Water X is for X Out Your Phone Book Y is for Your Enemy is Greenwashing Z is for Zipcars Can Replace Your Car

Credit: NASA

Pothole

“I got the key to the highway, and I'm billed out and bound to go I'm gonna leave here runnin', cause walkin' is much too slow” ~ Eric Clapton

I was cruising down the road Saturday morning maintaining a respectable speed, and listening to music on my iPod that would make my son, who was arriving any moment for spring break proud. My little Jetta diesel was humming along when it hit a pothole and started to shake. In that split second, I remembered not to slam on the brakes and lose control. Slowly, I drifted over to the side of the road to inspect the damage. The right front tire was obliterated.

Next, I did the least gender-bending thing I could think of and called my husband. So much for all those women's studies classes in the ‘70’s…sexism reigns when there's a flat tire. He was about 20 minutes away at the hardware store – his Saturday morning home away from home.

After about a half an hour, a very pleasant police officer pulled over and surveyed the damages. I explained that my guy was tool ogling and would be by shortly. The nice cop and I discussed how to deal with the broken highway. He said he’s seen a sharp rise in pothole vs. car incidents these last few weeks. He had no idea when the highway department would get around to making the repairs on all the potholes. After a short discussion about our mutual love of rockin' to Clapton while driving, he bid me farewell and said he would check back in about an hour - just in case my knight in shining armor forgot about me. Ha, cute cop.

As it turned out, I did have a bit more time to think about the pothole situation.

If the highway department fails to deal with the craters before they eat up tires and rims, we might need to find a swifter, slightly more subversive alternative. I had written a post over on Planet Green that might be the key to the highway…Go Bomb Something With Yarn - Knitting Over The Edge.

Credit: Flickr - Pothold Project via CMYBacon

DIY Gift For The Driver On Your List: Repurposed Driving/Biking Gloves

We'd probably all like to green up our driving practices by using public transportation more, but for many of us (myself included) driving a car remains the mode of getting from point A to point B. Do you have someone on your holiday list who loves to drive? Or, maybe they've ditched their car for a bike. Whether they drive a rechargeable hybrid, or a clean diesel (like me), or commute with two wheels and a pedal, reward them with a pair of repurposed driving gloves.

I just love this tutorial because in a few snips, you can transform an old pair of leather gloves.

DIY Repurposed Driving/Biking Gloves Materials:

• Soft leather gloves or gloves with non-slip palms
• Piece of chalk for marking
• Scissors

What to do: 1. Slip on gloves. With the chalk, draw circles around each knuckle. Draw a large circle on the back of each hand. 2. Mark off right below the finger joints where you'll need to cut to expose the fingers. 3. Take the gloves off. Cut out the holes for your knuckles and fingers.

Top off the gift by including a list of green driving tips with the gloves.

Photo: Stylehive