Urban Renewal

Many well developed cities are also facing the same problem - the inner city become old and full dilapidated buildings.

 

There are two ways to renew these type of building: 1.  Rehabilitation of dilapidated buildings to prevent urban decay, these can maintain and restore the buildings which have the historical and architectural value, and to sustain local characteristics; 2. Demolish the whole building and rebuild it.

Most of the cities are willing to use the second method because it can save the maintenance cost of the old building and also can release the plot ratio for the building. It can create more economic benefit. Moreover, the whole city will have the new look and become more attractive.  However, this method will cause the whole city lost many historical building and collective memory. Therefore, when renew the city, the developer should consider about the historical value of the building, not just the economic value.


Reference:
http://www.ura.org.hk/en/about-ura/vision-mission-and-values.aspx

Gutter Oil

In China, the cooking oil is the essential element for every meal. Everyday Chinese consume many oil. Therefore, some of the bad guy try to save the cost to product the cheaper oil. Gutter oil is a cheap way to produce cooking oil, which is wasted or used oil came from the gutter. Those "oil" will mix will another chemical to make the taste and smell become better. After all the proceed,the oil will be repackaged and sold to small restaurants at below market prices. These gutter oil is full of chemical elements  and may cause careers or other side-effect to the health.

Actually this kinds of oil is also common in western country, but used in industrial , not cooking.In 2014, Boeing company try to use the gutter oil to be the bio-fuel for the aircraft. It can be save the cost and make the environment become better.

Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp92BlLLVEI

Noise Pollution

IN recent days, due to the Sydney light rail construction, the night work was started on Anzac Parade which near my living place. There are some construction noise during the midnight. Although the noise is not really loud, it still affect my sleep  quality .

It makes me check about the noise problem about the construction site. However, it just apply for the city centre. In the regulation of the City of Sydney,  the construction must be carried out between 0700 and 1900 on weekdays and in Saturday can just be started from 0700 to 1700. There are also have the noise criteria. During the first working hour, there is no more than 5dB above the background. After that, there is no more 10dB above background noise level at all other times. 

The neighbor  have right to complain if the noise problem is too disturbing. The City of Sydney can restrict the equipment and time of the construction 

Reference:

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/report-local-issues/noise/construction-sites

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0010/136882/Combined-Construction-Noise-Factsheet.doc

Zero- Waste Lifestyle

https://www.facebook.com/insiderpeople/videos/526689684205335/

This video is shown that the 25- year old singer try to enchase the Zero-waste Lifestyle. After four years, the trash that she used which can be store in the little jar.

She discovered that the main waste of our daily life is the plastic waste and hard to avoid to use plastic. Then she decide to use the homemade product to reduce to buy the product in the store, for example toothpaste and body butter. She also brings her own containers when she buys somethings each time.

Honestly, this type of lifestyle maybe really can save money and reduce to produce the waste. However, it is hard to promote to public. The main reason is that everyone want to be the be convenient. For example, the people would like to buy a drink in store rather than bring the bottle to fill the water in outside because the cost is not high for them and bring the bottle is quite inconvenient to them. Moreover, for the normal office hour working, they do not have so much time to do the handmade product.

Therefore, the concept of the zero-waste lifestyle is good, it is hard to promote to everyone. What we can try to eliminated to produce the waste.

Collect the ocean garbage 

In the previous journals, it had been mentioned about the ocean garbage is harmful for the sea life. Before this method, it is hard for the people to collect the ocean rubbish in a large scale. The main reason is that the large scale collection maybe cost too much and the fish will be also killed during the process.

This new method is called "floating bin".The bins can be left running 24 hours a day and are simple to empty, It will floating on the water and near the sea level. The bin will suck the rubbish nearby and remain in to the bins. It become a filter of the sea to clean the ocean. Not just the solid wastes, but also the oil of the sea surface can be cleaned The other important things is the production cost of this bins is low. It just cost $3,825 (£2,500) each .

The cost always be the main problem for the cleaning the environment. If the cost of this method is not high and less harm to the environment, it should be promote to the public use.

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFV2Skl3IlU

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3370235/The-ocean-VACUUM-sucks-rubbish-oil-waterways-2-500-Seabins-trap-floating-debris-coastlines.html

From Landfill to Park

Landfills are one of the major methods to disposing the solid waste, which can store the garbage and let the rubbish decomposed. Every time we think about landfills will be dirty, disgusting and messy. However, the landfills will full and can not store any rubbish again. The landfill still need take time to decompose. The closed landfills can become a recreational facility, garden or some sport facility.

One of the example is the Jordan Valley in Hong Kong, the areas of this landfills is around 11 ha and received around 1,5mt wastes. Since it was closed at 1990, it set up a park on the top and opened to public in August 2010. It includes Bougainvillea Garden, jogging track and Large Radio-Controlled Model Car Racing Circuit, etc. The landfill restore provide a good a for the nearby residential and a good environmental to people spend their time .

 

Overview of Jordan Valley

The lighting system along the access road inside the park were powered by the electricity derived from landfill gas.  The utilization of landfill gas in this case actualizes the principle of Waste-to-Energy and benefits the community. It also can benefit for energy saving.

Reference:

https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/3c0838d4-6018-4535-b7c7-8da94ffdcce9/files/landfill-capacities.pdf

http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/msw_si_lra.html

https://www.archsd.gov.hk/archsd/html/xtef5x5/accessibleversion/OurAchievements/general.html?year=2010

 http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/msw_lgu.html

Recycle Bin

When talking about waste disposal, it is quite different from my home town - Hong Kong and Sydney. In Sydney, we got two box to dispose the waste. One is the red box, which is used for the general waste. The yellow box is for the things that the material that can be recycled. However In Hong Kong, we have general waste Rubin bin and three type of recycle bin - blue bin for paper, yellow bin for plastic, brown for aluminium.

I think if we can classified and dispose the recycle waste in the different bin. That is better for the recycle jobs. It can save many resources to distribute the useful waste and the transport cost. There are also some disadvantage for the mixed all material in one box, that is the material may loss during the collection. 

Although the start up cost of setting he recycle bin maybe high ,we better start from the beginning of the recycle bin.

Reference

http://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/household/source_detail.htm