034: Plastic, the future, this semester's project starts....

Plastic: archi-arts and the world's pollution.

Free plastic bags have been banned in China, a law which will take effect June 1st. In the United States, little of this has happened. Mostly, here, there is only the option (of paper or plastic) rather than having a law that embraces the environment.

"I think this really shows that China is being a responsible country," said the 21-year-old.

Plastic bags is just a minor pollutant when compared to everything else, the emissions, all the other waste. But, thinking in terms of plastic bags-- think of all the disposable items that are given/sold to us-- restaurants, groceries, packages, toys, electronics. Once they are thrown away, there they stay forever.

I used to applaud Mexico, for using/reusing glass bottles for soda and water. Yet in recent years (as in, the last 10 years I've gone to the country), plastic quickly replaces glass. And Mexico is already heavily littered in the first place-- and the plastic comes even more dangerously since Mexicans in rural areas burn their trash.

In the United States, which has less than one-quarter of China's 1.3 billion people, the Sierra Club's Sierra magazine estimates almost a hundred billion plastic bags are thrown out each year.

The Sierra Club estimated that if every one of New York City's eight million people used one less grocery bag per year, it would reduce waste by about 218,000 pounds.

With such numbers, I remain optimistic. Considering there's over a billion people living in China...the pounds of trash prevented will be much more than 218,000 lbs. The problem-- the hardest of all-- is making sure that many participate. But to eradicate the apathy, the lack of awareness...I would consider it pollution too.

Mass Transit in Houston,TX: the knots of transportation














This semester focuses on Wheeler Station. By 2012, the METROrail will have many additions, the first one being the University Line (blue) that connects UH to the Galleria Area, and crosses the existing Red Line.

At the moment, we are doing metric work: understanding the dimensions, movements, and scales of the light rail vehicle.


















Then again, what more can we do? This is the first week of school...