Fuel from plastic

So I was walking home today from town and seeing all the plastic rubbish lying everywhere and was thinking how could all this rubbish be useful?

if plastic was valuable then people wouldn't leave it lying around.

I was wondering could this plastic be turned back into oil to make fuel?

while scouring the web I found this:

I know this is in't a complete solution to our fuel and waste solution but at least it would be a start to clearing up our streets.

Beautiful recycled glass lamp

Here is a nice idea for a funky lamp:

Materials:

Glass jar

broken coloured glass

light bulb with switch and cable or leds

You could even do it on a massive scale as a way of getting people to recycle glass in a fun way.

Glassphemy…what would you make with broken glass? · Glass Art | CraftGossip.com

Do we own products or do they own us?

As it draws nearer to Christmas and I am bombarded with the shop shop buy buy attitude. Ive come to the point where actually I want less, I want to get rid of what I have as some of it I don't really need. I want an experience or a chance to discover something new as apposed to another item taking up space. Gifts that you can eat are great as they give you energy and the idea is that you consume it and there is nothing left to take up space.

(how are you meant to use this desk?)

This thought came to me...

We don't own resources, they own us. The more resources and products that we "own" the more they own us and encourage us to want more and more and to fill up our lives with things.

The more we own the less freedom we have and the more we become tied down enabling us to find it more difficult to travel and discover new experiences.

True freedom comes from, experiences with oneself, nature or with fellow humans.

Discovery, harmony and knowledge are really what makes me happy.

Pleasure from Creation and destruction

Why do we get enjoyment from creation as well as destruction?

Our instinct to create is just as powerful as our need for destruction which is why we get a similar buzz when we create things as when we destroy things.

If we kept everything there would be no space for new creations. It seems like the more we create means we have to be more destructive, is this the same way we treat the entire planet?

In life it is important to break things down and dispose of things, otherwise you can't create new things but the issue is we source materials from all over the world so they can't get back easily to where they came from.

it reminded me of some artwork I had seen awhile back of a man who made hand blown glass doves the released them in the air.

and similar artwork by artist Julie Oakes

Swounds: highlights - YouTube

Portable Jar garden for camping

I found an article about sprouting jars for carrying on camping trips from Lip smacking backpacking- how to cook on your travels book and thought I would share it with you.

Also a nice recipe using the sprouts in pulp patties:

ani's vegan green (some of the time raw): Pulp use (burger) and sprout update.

Mike Feingold's Permaculture Allotment

Mike Feingold guides us around his permaculture allotment in Bristol.

Future of degradable petroleum plastic goes up in smoke

So the organic additive I thought as being the holy grail of making petroleum plastic degrade turns out to have rather negative consequences.

Fish seem to rather like the look of degradable plastic flakes as they look allot like Plankton.

Defra has shown concern "that these particles of plastic may be ingested by invertebrates, birds, animals or fish".

After contacting The Coop about using bio plastic I received this message:

"Until recently, all our carrier bags and some other plastic wrappers were degradable which meant they were not suitable for recycling as general plastic.

DEFRA commissioned a report that said that degradable additives in plastics offer no environmental benefit and therefore we have stopped using degradable additives in carrier bags, and we are running through the old stock.

Research casts doubt over green credentials of "degradable" plastics - 11 Mar 2010 - News from BusinessGreen

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=EV0422_8858_FRP.pdf%20

So there goes that plan of saving the world from the curse that is petroleum plastic. It seems to suggest any sort of throw away petroleum plastic is a curse.

So what now?

Maybe Its time to introduce corn starch and potato starch plastic which is food safe.

New Plastic Bags Biodegrade in Four Months | Popular Science

Polylactic acid is a polyester derived from corn starch which decomposes in 4 months and mineralizes into water and carbon dioxide when composted.