Redesigning Basics - Lessons From Nature

 by: Sudhakar Ram

"One Size Slipper doesn't fit all". That was the message in a recent article by Prof. Jeffrey Hammer from Princeton University. He was writing on a village self-government (Gram Swaraj) scheme funded by the World Bank in Karnataka, India.

According to the article, a village in the Gulbarga district of north Karnataka decided to use discretionary funds from the World Bank to build better toilet facilities. Given the arid conditions, the only latrines feasible in this region are variations of covered pits.

However, the District representatives, following statewide rules, went ahead and built toilets with septic tanks - even though the village doesn't have enough water for a septic tank system to work. A significant amount of money was wasted - sorry for the pun -- on a septic tank that lies unused because someone felt that the rules had to be followed uniformly, no matter what.

While this incident is an example of a greater need for village autonomy, it set me researching on a different topic - sanitation technology. Some of the statistics were startling - more than 2 billion people across the globe have no access to proper toilets (600 million in India alone). Of a billion toilets connected to proper sewage systems throughout the world, only 300 million undergo proper end-of-pipe treatment before discharges and released into rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and seas.

The contamination of these bodies of water is as harmful, if not more, than the waste from open-air 'toilets' used by the 2 billion people without proper sewage facilities. Globally, more people die from poor sanitation and water-related illnesses than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined.

The Western toilet, with its flushing system, was designed in the mid-18th century and has remained relatively unchanged over the last two and a half centuries. While the level of water consumption per flush has decreased over this period, the current system still wastes too much valuable water. Further, it requires expensive plumbing and public sewage systems to ensure proper waste disposal. Perhaps most importantly, it ignores nature's elegant design principle of zero waste: the waste generated by every individual is scientifically proven to be adequate, as fertilizer, to grow enough food for one person.

Buckminster Fuller, convinced that human beings had not even scratched the surface in applying modern technology to sanitation issues, designed the Dymaxion Bathroom in 1937. This could be installed as a stand-alone unit and did not require any further plumbing or connection to a public sewage system. In his system, human waste was deftly shrink-wrapped in bio-degradable plastic sheets for pickup and composting. Along with other technology for water conservation, he managed to reduce the water needs of a household to a few bottles a week. The typical household saved 2,000 gallons of water per year in flushes.

Over the last few years, EcoSan (ecological sanitation) toilets have been introduced in various parts of the world. These 'dry' toilets reduce the need for water and support composting of human waste for use as fertilizers. However, the world has been slow to adopt the dry toilet. User feedback suggests that people would prefer having a single pan rather than two - one for urine and another for faeces - and that sprinkling ash on the faeces after every use to eliminate smell and flies isn't very effective.

I strongly believe that a Buckminster-style design approach to EcoSan will go a long way in making this technology more user-friendly and affordable. Focused messaging and marketing on the benefits could then lead to wider adoption.

Sanitation is just one of the areas where fresh designs are needed for items of daily use. We need to redesign the houses we live in, the automobiles we use, the places we work, and our consumption patterns - various important facets of our lives - to create a more sustainable planet. New Constructs is your opportunity to shape this dialogue. What everyday items would you like to see redesigned?

How Nature Can Inspire Your Creativity

by: Kimberley Cohen

Whether you are stressed, problem solving, feeling stuck or uninspired, overwhelmed, or frustrated by others or yourself, nature is a key component in stirring new ideas and ways of being.

No matter what's going on in my life, when I step outside it's like walking into a dream. The greatest thing about it is, it's not a dream. It's right here, right now, waiting for me to align with and be inspired by.

There is nothing like kicking your shoes off and walking on the grass, or letting the sand squish between your toes, or lying down and watching the puffy white clouds shape shift in the sky.

Nature is pulsing with energy, life, and harmony. We are not separate from, but connected to this universal life force (God); how can we not be inspired by it?

Whether it's the sounds, smells, sights, or a combination of these, allow these beauties to not only stir your wonder, but ignite what's within...your originality and uniqueness.

For some, creativity seems to come naturally, while others struggle to know what it is, let alone apply it in their lives.

Go outside. Take a look around. See and feel what you are drawn to and what inspires you.

When you look at a tree, what words or feelings come to mind? Maybe words like strength, flexibility, movement, roots, home, reaching, etc.

What about when you look at the sun? Perhaps expressions like, warmth, brightness, aliveness, happiness, etc.

Or, what about a thunderstorm, a flower, the beach, a sunset or sunrise, rainbows, mountains, streams, oceans, or animals? What do you think of when you see these?

There is so much outside your home and/or office that can titillate your senses and arouse your imagination.

Allow nature to inspire your creativity, bring harmony back into your day, and touch your heart and soul by:

Having breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a cup of tea outside.

Going for a walk or swim.

Taking off your shoes and wading in the river or ocean, or going barefoot in the grass.

Sitting under or hugging a tree.

Lying down on the grass and watching the clouds shift or the stars twinkle.

Listening to the birds, waves, or trees blowing in the breeze.

Letting the sun shine upon you and warm your body.

Meditating outdoors.

Feeling the energy around and within you.

Allowing nature to speak to and through you.

Sleeping under the stars.

Not forcing ideas to come, rather allowing them to unfold.

There is a blank canvas in your mind awaiting your creativity. Maybe it's a new idea, solution, mindset, career, or perhaps even a new way of viewing and living life.

You are the painter, so step into nature and let your senses guide you as the colours, sights, sounds and smells ignite your inspiration.

My techniques into insight can assist you in being creative in all aspects of your life.

Treatments Of Nature: How To Abolish Acne With A Natural Healing
 by: Bill Cobern

Everybody understands the importance associated with our face. The prettier it is, the more advantages an individual may get. First, it's the very first thing other people view whenever they look at you. Generally, your self-confidence banks on the satisfaction to our own actual physical appearance. Whenever you consider the individual looks good, the actual self-confidence truly blossoms.

When becoming an adult, the development associated with acne is often a significant problem. For individuals who don't have issues concerning the facial skin, best wishes! For individuals who are actually crying and moping over it, there's a bright light at the end of the tunnel!

Could acne breakouts be one's own problem? Do you have to spend excessively for chemical like remedies? Would you like to use a treatment however, you tend to be frightened it might be to harsh? Try out by natural means of dealing with your own acne breakouts. You don't have to go far… The particular treatment methods are in your house. A doctor is right inside you.

One of the best beauty guidelines of all times is definitely: consume a minimum of eight cups of drinking water each day. Hydrating the body can help you be free from toxic compounds. Adore your entire body as well as love your skin layer.

Wholesome as well as clean behaviors may also be helpful. Make certain you don't allow make-up products on your own skin since it plays a role in mucking up the skin pores, triggering much more zits and blackheads. Don't sleep having make-up on you face. Additionally, keep the hair far from your own face. Hair is made up of oil that could establish outbreaks to your own pores and skin.

Clean the pillow case as well as bath towels. They're absorbent and so they soak up pimple contributors as well. Finally, in no way prick the zits. You don't want your own face to get as filthy as the fingernails, correct?

Maintaining a healthy diet is a good idea also. Because if you have Acne breakouts, a person can be not only cleaning the outside but additionally your inside. It will certainly help should you reduce your own greasy or fat intake of food. Consuming foods fiber rich is often a solution. Furthermore, to ensure that you preserve a healthful pores and skin, ingesting foods that are regarded as anti-oxidants would certainly make a difference. Foodstuff full of Nutritional vitamins A, B as well as D and also the ones full of calcium mineral, potassium, phosphorus, chloride, magnesium mineral, zinc oxide, iron as well as sodium.

Whenever you sustain a diet plan that has elevated levels of beta-carotene as well as zinc, it could additionally help you not only for prevention but for the process of recovery as well as anti-scarring associated with acne breakouts.

Natural beauty is actually skin deep. Indeed, yet getting gorgeous pores and skin will make you feel much more lovely for ones self.