shopping : :
greener 01 eco design fair magazine :: issue 1 :: april 2009
sustainable lifestyle and architecture : : fashion : : green shopping : : eco heroes : : organic cookies : : go green tips 1
: : shopping
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contents : : 40
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green shopping feature: hello my name is... I drive sustainable change + very practical go green tips! how you can make a difference towards a more environmentally friendly world.
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a future green
18 19 20 22 24 26 34 40 42
constructive sustainability two interesting architecture projects showcase the use of sustainable materials and take it a step further: designing for tomorrow, today.
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urban green q&a sherry poon bamboo explained why is bamboo regarded sustainable and is it actually always very eco-friendly? learn more about this amazing grass. recycling in shanghai
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q&a peggy liu meet shanghai’s greenest resident and eco-hero peggy liu. eco fashion by green entrepreneurs kids fashion baby’s & kids go green green your kids’ lifestyle with the coolest products in town. favourite organic cookies
colophon
46 48 50 54
3 1 million trees a million trees in a desert? yes! fight desertification and reduce or even offset your carbon footprint! ride your bike in chongming soap nuts do your laundry without chemicals and toxins, use all natural soap nuts. beauty: soaps ecodesignfair information and schedule
contributors
greener magazine is published to promote
a00 architecture/arkin tilt, barefoot portraits,
the ecodesign fair, shanghai, april 2009
tyler duncan bowa, jason campbell, marianne delhez, design li3,
magazine concept & art direction by ineke teeninga
ryan dick, greennovate, jules kwan, lamm sp, liu huili, peggy liu, mengmeng cui, adam minter, o2 magazine, sherry poon, pamela pour,
greener magazine is printed in a low printrun
bettina regolini, lindsey salatka, meera singh, katherine szeto,
on environment friendly paper
trine targett, ineke teeninga, urbn hotels, raefer wallis,
please go to www.ecodesignfair.cn for the online version!
heather wigmore, ben zhang, zeezee zhong, ping zhou.
email us at greenermagazine@gmail.com
and thanks to ava, luca, racheal, riley and tessy.
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shopping, shopping! : : 1 : : triple green Made from 100% organically grown bamboo, these beautiful nesting baskets by bambu come in sets of three. The baskets are handwoven by families in rural villages to help supplement farming income. Perfect for fruit, veggies, bathroom clutter or simply as decoration. available at Nest, 2F International Artists Factory, 210 Taikang Lu
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: : 2 : : old basket / new use
These old bamboo baskets are in the proud collection of O2 shop after a countryside visit. Handmade and with a little bit mending, we reuse them as a ower basket. Or use them as a shopping basket for your vegetables and fruits when strolling around the market. O2 shop, 3F, 60 Xinlelu
text and image by O2
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shopping : :
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: : 3 : : no more plastic Since all kinds of resuable bags keep on popping up every where, there’s really (really) no excuse to still use plastic bags for your groceries. This nice and basic bag, simply called “twine
bag” is available from O2 shop. O2 shop, 3F, 60 Xinlelu
: : 4 : : pure and simple Just put these
charcoal bamboo sticks in your water – or tea or coffee even – and they will help take the toxins out! Spin, bld. 3, 758 Jululu, near Fuminlu
: : 5 : : local international Those small
chinese tea shops you see everywhere sell all sorts of chinese tea, but... which tea to
choose? If your Chinese is not that fluent it might be hard to find your favourite. Check out Song Fang Maison de Thé – French native Florence Samson selects the best teas from all over China. She can tell you all about tea, will let you smell many varieties and help you make the right choice! Song Fang Maison de Thé, 227 Yongjialu near Shaanxinanlu
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Hello, my Name is I Drive Sustainable Suddenly the world is green, the entire world. Appliances, cars, buildings, food, clothes, light bulbs, toilets, and all things designed are now ‘sustainable’ or at the very least ‘environmentally friendly’. These terms have broad currency today, although they are often inaccurate or misused. This is not to suggest that some of these products and consumables have sustainable aspects or features worth noting – some certainly do. The trouble is differentiating between what are claimed to be ‘sustainable’ or ‘green’ options. Sustainability refers to processes that provide for the needs of today, without compromising the needs of future generations. Consumption pressures this very concept regardless of a product’s inherent sustainable features. All products carry negative environmental implications; they require raw materials and energy to create. Even the greenest materials require raw materials and energy to create. Still, consumption is inevitable – simply put, we need to 6
consume to survive. What we choose to consume and how we consume it is entirely up to us. This decision is incredibly important – what we purchase and use directly influences what is produced and even how it is made. This alone carries enormous environmental implications. This also places consumers in a critical position of responsibility as drivers of sustainable de-
feature : :
{...your name here}
Change
by Ryan Dick, images by O2 magazine
velopment and change. Like it or not, your individual lifestyle and consumption habits have a tangible and measurable effect on global sustainability, period.
I’m just one person, how can I be so fundamentally important? Individuals are too frequently removed from
Humans currently consume 20% more natural resources than the earth can produce and our lifestyles are to blame. Technology is not the issue. Attitude and habits are. Lifestyle is defining what we ‘need’ and how we meet these needs. This alone impacts the environment more than the actions of corporations, governments, designers or products.
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you buy are, they still consume resources. You are in the driver’s seat of change. You can green your life – and its not even that hard!
Greening your life starts with goals. Work towards Consider a low flow show- achieving the easiest er that is designed to ones first, and gain momentum. Proceed incresave water. This inherent feature is moot if you mentally. Make a habit of take multiple showers considering the environeach day or shower for ment with every decision minutes on end. Or con- you make. Your individual habits impact the envisider a 100% organic shirt. If you already have ronment more than the products you use. enough, buying another Here are some tips to get is wasteful. No matter started. how green the products
equations of sustainability. Defining and creating ‘Green’ products and habits is instead left to governments, manufacturers, designers, and marketing – effectively removing consumers and individual, critical, sustainable thought and action (Note that these bodies, excluding governments, all directly profit from the sale of products – consumption is their chief objective). This creates a non-transparent process which allows products and materials to be promoted as being sustainable too often, regardless of holistic sustainable merits. As consumers we bear a fundamental responsibility to sift through the clutter of marketing to develop our own individual approaches to sustainable consumption. This begins with a process that is critical and opinionated – we must demand information and make a thorough and decisive response to its review. Consumers drive markets. Deliberately sustainable consumers drive sustainable markets. The more sustainable development and alternatives are demanded, the more they will become available – simple supply and demand.
Sustainable claims are not enough As an isolated term ‘Sustainability’ is quite concise. Applying this to the larger picture gets messy. Sustainability is inherently dependent on place. Each location and each situation dictates a different sustainable response, making it very difficult to speak in absolutes. For example: What’s better, locally produced incandescent lights, or imported LED lights? Although unanswerable here, this is the exact type of question consumers (you) need to be asking and weighing. This article aims to help consumers
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the easy anyone-can-do-it tips
develop a process and habit to evaluate products and materials.
How can consumers know what to buy? Sustainability encompasses several crucial areas; Energy Consumption, Material Consumption, Pollution or Waste Generation, Toxicity or Health, Economics, and Social Equity or Fairness. Ideally products would achieve high sustainable marks in each of these categories. More often, however, achieving high sustainable marks in one area comes at a cost of another. Almost always, similar ‘sustainable’ products rate differently across each fundamental area. Consumers must first define what they value most, be it Health or low Energy Consumption, and develop purchasing habits that give preference to products which achieve highly in these areas. What you value is not what’s most important; rather, having defined values and a process for evaluating products based on this value is what is most critical. This requires consumers to question and understand, if only on a basic level, where their products are coming from, how they are Produced, Used, and Disposed of and what the impacts of each Life-cycle stage are. Understanding products, even at this level, results in informed decisions that carry a significant positive impact. For example, purchasing non-petroleum based natural house cleaners immediately cuts petroleum consumption, reduces exposure to toxins or VOCs (both for manufacturers and you), and helps to bolster an emerging market to be more competitive both in terms of availability and cost. This all stems from the simple decision to purchase a more sustainable product.
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Unplug it Chargers and power strips account for nearly 5% of home energy consumption. When they aren’t in use, turn them off or unplug them. Just do it: • turn off lights and air-conditioning when you leave the room. • turn off your computer, tv and other appliances instead of leaving them on stand-by. • turn off the engine when not using the car (and make a point of instructing your driver to do it too). when you leave the motor of a parked car running (idling), it emits 20 times more pollution than a car traveling 50km (32 miles) per hour!
Reduce, reduce, reduce Most of us consume far more than we actually need. The most sustainable thing you can do is before buying any product or service ask yourself , ‘Do I need this?’ When the answer is no, don’t buy. Bring your own reusable bag to reduce the use of plastic or paper bags. Our favourite: the ReUse bag by Jooi for Greennovate, see page 33 (fashion section).
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Reuse, reuse, reuse The more you reuse, the less you consume and waste. Simple.
Air Quality Bring plants into your indoor environments. Plants naturally digest toxins and carbon dioxide. The result – cleaner air.
Energy Consumption Dress for the weather. Throw on a warm sweater in winter. Wear light colors and thinner fabrics in summer. Saving energy can be this easy...
top 3 for die hards • take cold showers. energy consumption increases for each degree you heat your shower water – and its better for your skin. and while you’re at it: no need to use water when you lather soap. if you only use water to get wet and to wash soap off it can cut water usage to a minute or less. • either walk or ride your bike, no cars, buses, taxi’s (we’re not even going to start about airplanes...) if your office is too far to bike or walk to, you live too far from work. • never eat meat again. cows, for instance, produce huge amounts of voc’s – some studies say they set off even more than an average car! apart from that, producing meat is very energy and resource consuming – to produce a pound of beef, no less than 2500 gallons of water is needed.
How can I evaluate the impact of a product’s Production, Use, and Disposal? GIGA (Green Ideas Green Actions) is a Shanghaibased, non-profit NGO that exists to empower designers with actionable sustainable design solutions. As a driver of change, GIGA is devoted to finding, evaluating, and rating green materials and products using a simple Life-cycle analysis called GIGA Rate. These criteria focus on orders of magnitude (or a GIGA-scale) as they relate to fundamental concepts of sustainability. Once evaluated, materials can be compared throughout their Life-cycle. GIGA Rate is not intended to assign sustainable rankings to materials, it is instead intended to evaluate sustainability fundamentals and transparently demonstrate their holistic sustainable performance. The decision to purchase or use a material is left up to you and should be based on your own developing critical position of sustainability. Hence, GIGA Rate is intended to be an active tool and can be applied to any product or material you use or consume. The more you use GIGA Rate, the more sustainable thinking and (more importantly) action will become habit and a subconscious default. To download GIGA Rate or to learn more about rating and understanding Green Products and Materials, please visit www.giga-china.com At GIGA we aim to create a sustainable culture, active in making sustainable change. To become part of this initiative email us: action@giga-china.com Start driving change.
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more challenging (but still doable) tips Waste is Food Consider waste first. Before buying, ask yourself, ‘How will I get rid of this product?’ Where will it go and what is it’s impact? Avoid buying products that contain toxins, do not biodegrade or cannot be recycled, because these products are thrown into a landfill. Intentionally or not, solid wastes are part of our food cycle. Two other points: • paper is recyclable, but if thrown away in regular garbage it will probably end up in a landfill – not so sustainable... • throwing away a forgotten tomato may not seem like the most environment unfriendly thing to do, but consider this: you also throw away all energy and resources needed to produce that tomato and get it in the shops and your fridge!
Compost Treat as much waste as you can at home. Compost your organic waste. Learn how in the Ecodesignfair Worm Composting workshop (see page 55).
Buy greener and use products that are non-toxic – this minimizes harm as products ‘return to the environment’ after throwing them away. For instance: use
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Go Carbon Neutral Save all energy bills, collect taxi receipts, record travel mileage (cars and airplanes). Calculate your carbon footprint. Offset your emissions by donating to a carbon trading program like The Million Tree Project by Shanghai Roots and Shoots (see article on page 44).
natural detergents instead of chemical ones. Vinegar, lemon and soapnuts are good alternatives (for more info on soapnuts read the article on page 48).
Water Use water saving fixtures. Product labels indicate the volume of water used each minute – purchase the most efficient fixtures. You can also modify and improve existing fixtures by adding low flow aerators which significantly reduce water consumption, and thus waste water.
Local Where do your goods come from? Buying locally produced products typically requires less energy than non-regional goods. This also helps to support local industries, economies, and cultures. Buying local also applies to foods. Find local substitutes for your cereals, biscuits, vegetables, fruits, coffee, etc. If local solutions aren’t available - aim to change your habits to stop using these products. Connect yourself to your food stream. Ask where your products are coming from. The closer these goods are to your location, the better. We know this isn’t easy in China, that’s why it’s not in the easy section! ::
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A future green by Jason Campbell
Over the past decade, China has experienced extreme economic growth in its pursuit of development and modernization. With that positive change came negative costs, and the environmental consequences have been stark. However, China may be entering a new era – China’s environmental future depends on the untapped resource of its youth.
Round Earth – The Environmental Protection Organization of SHOU
There is increasing awareness of the environmental impacts of domestic growth, so it is a perfect opportunity to harness that energy to make positive change. The appropriate focus group is young people, who ultimately will take on the role of balancing both China’s economic and environmental investments.
In order to gain varied perspectives, I spoke with young (and new) members of the Communist Party, environmental activists, and migrant workers. They were all very open-minded about serious environmental issues (despite past domestic disregard) and all agreed that China has serious environmental problems, with air and water pollution being cited as the most severe. They want to help make change, but they feel they lack necessary information to take action. Jessica and Iris are two recent university graduates joining the Communist Party. They discussed about how the Party should address China’s environmental problems. Both agreed that it must begin by educating people better. Jessica felt that understanding is key, for “young people are willing to take
action, but to take action, we must first have awareness... Many people are concerned,
but they don’t know how to contribute. If the Party asks, we will want to do it.” Iris, however, defended the Party’s environmental record, citing it’s previous campaigns, such as banning free plastic bags at grocery stores, and China’s
status as developing country. But she still agreed that the Party should further inform people how they can save energy in their daily lives. She added that increasing awareness must go beyond the Party and into the larger community, praising South Korean pop stars who promoted energy conservation to young people. Next, I spoke with Vic, a recent graduate who was an environmental activist and lecturer at his university in Jiangxi Province. He stressed the importance of making environmental issues relevant to young people’s lives. The attendees of Vic’s lectures were unaware of how pollution affected their lives and were very open to learning more. Other students are working with Shanghai Roots & Shoots to raise awareness by performing enviromental evaluations of their schools and business ofices. The efforts of Chen Peng, one volunteer, have culminated in a successful recycling campaign at his university as well as in the collaboration with FedEx to help the company conserve energy. Yet despite the resounding desire among young people to acquire information, there is an entire population of migrant people who often face the worst consequences of pollution and are also the least informed. They are in need of serious environmental outreach. As Rex, a migrant worker from Jiangxi, noted, “many of them [workers] don’t go to school and lack education. They do not know the health effects of pollution. If they don’t know, they can’t do anything.” ::
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We’re designing for tomorrow, today. Our buildings and spaces directly consume materials and resources. More importantly, they shape lifestyle and consumption patterns. Architecture must be sustainable.
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architecture shopping : :
Eco-Retreat by A00 Architecture/Arkin Tilt, pictures by Raefer Wallis
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project eco-retreat location zhang jia gang (suzhou district, yangtze river) area flora: 25,000 m2, architecture: 600 m2 function eco-retreat and sustainability research center architect a00 architecture / arkin tilt completion date summer 2009
The concept that drove the design and develop-
mum amount of cement. Its behavior and structural
ment of the Eco-Retreat and its site is deeply rooted
properties are not too dissimilar to concrete. The
in sustainable principles.
advantages, however, are that it uses less cement
Every design decision was weighed in terms of its
(50% to 85% less), is non-toxic, breaks down into
environmental impact. ‘Renewal’ best describes the
aggregate once disposed of, and cuts out count-
design process and built result. Materials are more
less finish materials. Paints, stains, glues and other
important to sustainable design than the buildings
finishes are all unnecessary as rammed earth is both
they are used in – the toxins they contain persist in
a structural and a finish material. This entirely
our environment for thousands of years even after
eliminates some of the building materials available
demolition. Hence building with materials which mini-
on the market. Taking it one step further, the insulated
mally impact the environment during their entire life
rammed-earth walls of the retreat make it superbly
(production, usage and renewal) was critical. Building
energy efficient.
with natural resources that China actually has was also of key importance. This drove the decision to build
The client was bold and fearless to take risks and
the structure out of stabilized, insulated rammed earth
test several firsts, the largest being the rammed earth
(SIREwall). Precedent was taken from the traditional
walls. Due to the client’s generosity and courage,
Hakka earth houses in Fujian Province. The Eco-Retreat
stabilized, insulated rammed earth technology has
walls are the first of their kind in China.
become a valuable new sustainable building alternative for China. This is especially notable given the
Rammed earth is made from locally sourced inorganic
overwhelming lack of green construction resources
soil (meaning anything but topsoil), water, and a mini-
in China.
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architecture : :
project greennovate office location jing’an district, shanghai function office space area 85m2 architect design li3 completion date november 2008
For designing the new Greennovate office we
This project made us aware that we should not wait
basically used Greennovate itself as the concept;
for the Chinese sky to turn blue by itself. It was our
matching their way of thinking and allowing
first “green” project in China, and we were lucky to
them to live in it.
have Greennovate as such a conscious and active
A way to think turned into a way of life turned into
client. Sustainability calls for action and asks for
a way to build. Reuse, reinvent, rethink. We wanted
involvement. Its process isn’t only bound to build-
to create a quality space in terms of functioning,
ing “green” – it requires deep understanding of what
circulation and modularity.
consequences your thoughts are going to have on your
We built a very comfortable space using low VOC
surroundings.
painting, local low processed wood, rough bamboo, and as little glue as possible. The office benefits from a lot of natural light and good orientation, so the
The client’s perspective
energy saving is obvious and easy for Greennovate’s
Greennovate is a social enterprise providing environ-
team. We worked with local furniture companies and
mental concepts that contribute to the quality of life in
redesigned/reused Chinese furniture we are keen
China. We work within green SCR challenges including
on collecting.
greening the supply chains, environmental awareness initiatives and environmental education.
Our goal was to establish a trusting relationship be-
With the architetcs we share the passion for develop-
tween the designers (us) and our contractor.
ing green concepts that inspire other people to start
Getting the contractor to understand something which
participating and acting towards positive change.
is very hazy here in China- sustainability- was challenging to say the least, especially on such a low budget
When we were planning our move we wanted to create
project.
a space that will be comfortable and healthy for us to
We achieved the green goals we aimed for in the be-
work and an exciting place for our clients and partners
ginning. The understanding of sustainability was well
to visit and work with us. We wanted to have an open
received by the contractor and I think overall we were
space divided into areas for working, brainstorming,
able to embed a certain environmental awareness
eating, hanging out and a separate area for a confer-
into our team’s mind with this projects completion.
ence room. We had a goal with our move and renova-
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: : architecture
tion: to reduce waste, use natural and local materials,
The whole area we created encourages positive energy
install energy efficient appliances and lights, use low
and creativity and gives us a feeling of belonging
VOC painting materials and reuse all the existing
somewhere. This really matters in a city like Shanghai.
furniture.
The building management was very helpful when we
We wanted a budget solution to show other busi-
were moving and planning and the most rewarding
ness in Shanghai that green doesn’t mean spending
thing came after the office was finished and they
more money, but it is a great way to unchain the small
actually asked us to help them make the entire area
innovations that are usually lost due to our existing
greener. So we are now planning to do waste separa-
thinking processes and habits.
tion inside and around the building and we hope to
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shopping : :
Greennovate office by Li3, picture by Tyler Duncan Bowa
introduce the green roof system to use the empty
Most members of our team live within walking
space on the roof and create a pleasant outdoor area
distance from the office, so we don’t have to use taxis
for all tenants.
or other public transportation to get there. I myself
We liked the space from the beginning because it has
have to say that I really enjoy my daily walk to the
plenty of natural light and is a part of an older build-
office.
ing. We are on the first floor and don’t have to use the
I encourage everone that wants to build green or
elevator to get to the office which is a very nice thing
make their home more green to stop waiting for solu-
to have in Shanghai. We also have coffee, food stores
tions to happen and start creating them by simply
and gym downstairs.
reanalyzing the ways we do things in China. ::
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: : urban green
urban green Shanghai construction sites have their own way of showing green. Maintenance is hidden away behind carefully choosen pictures of better looking places. Why? No idea!
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q&a : :
q&a with Sherry Poon organiser Eco Design Fair
What inspired you to start the Eco Design Fair? Despite being known as a polluted, congested city, Shanghai has a wealth of green resources. Through personal research for my family and business, I discovered some wonderful eco and locally produced products and wanted to share them with the rest of Shanghai. The Eco Design Fair is an easy startingpoint for the general public to connect with various eco-conscious businesses and groups in one location. What is the ideal product to showcase in the Eco Design Fair? Eco products showcased at the fair should be natural, organic, sustainable, fairtrade, recycled, reuseable, energy-efficient, non-toxic, cruelty-free, and available in Shanghai. Nowadays, there is no excuse for a product to not use environmentally responsible materials, ecologially sound manufacturing processes and ethical labour conditions. Green design has moved beyond the hippie-era. New eco materials and processes with a little creativity allow products to be well-designed, contemporary and sustainable. It is what the consumers and the earth demands. The event also includes workshops and exhibits. How do you select who and what to feature? The city’s sustainability movement is being advanced by a small yet interesting crowd of people with amazing talents. By featuring these people and their stories
in our free workshops, the hope is that ideas can be exchanged and action taken to improve Shanghai’s environmental situation. This year’s workshops include urban worm composting, ways to green your home, how to calculate your carbon footprint, and eco-friendly activities for kids. Also, there will be a unique opportunity to take a tour of the URBN Hotel led by the chief Architect. What makes the Eco Design Fair special? Although eco fairs are now being held in cities across North America and Europe, Shanghai is the first eco fair I have taken part in. A variety of goods are available and the Eco Design Fair in Shanghai focuses and supports local businesses with well-designed, modern, sustainable products for the everyday. The Eco Design Fair in Shanghai is small in scale which helps maintain the feeling of a community marketplace, allowing people to connect with others and to discover what is new and interesting in the city. A lot of people have commented that the best part of event is the relaxed and fun atmosphere. Will the Eco Design Fair change the world? For me, going green does not mean you have to change your entire lifestyle. I believe small changes can make a difference, and that a consumer can drive meaningful change in their community’s product-consumption habits, purchase by purchase. Of course, we hope that the Eco Design Fair will spark similar events in various cities around China. ::
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: : background
Frequently celebrated for its inherent durability and renewability, bamboo is being used to produce a wide range of products: flooring, wall panels, clothing and textiles, furniture, pens, silverware and kitchen utensils, scaffolding, etc. Most things we use can somehow be made in part from bamboo. Manufacturers happily advertise the origins of their products and are quick to slap on claims of ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’. Bamboo certainly has some very preferable environmental features. These, however, need to be balanced against the definitive negatives.
Bamboo explained by Ryan Dick, picture by O2 magazine
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background : :
Bamboo is a grass, and a prolific grower. Mao bamboo (or Giant Bamboo) is commonly used to produce consumables and can grow to its full height in just 3 months. It takes an additional 3-5 years for its fibers to fully mature and become dense, hard and woodlike. This rapid growth can occur entirely without the help of fertilizers. This expedited time frame has made bamboo environmentally notable as hardwoods take decades, if not centuries to mature. Bamboo is also inherently pest resistant eliminating the need for pesticides. Once harvested, bamboo does not require replanting – as a grass it reseeds itself. Bamboo is natural, and when treated properly can biodegrade when disposed of. On the flipside, in reality bamboo is rarely grown without the aid of fertilizers or pesticides. Although unnecessary, these dangerous additives do speed up growth. This creates a major downside – fertilizers and pesticides are often nasty, petroleum based products with embedded toxins that leach into soil, and eventually our waterways contaminating both. Rapidly renewable materials demand high nutrient levels to sustain their growth. When left to natural cycles, dead bamboo biodegrades to fuel new growth. When harvesting is uncontrolled, nutrients are too quickly removed from their natural cycles, often leaving soils nutrient deficient to the point of being unproductive. This then dictates the use of additional fertilizers or growth enhancers – clearly a downward spiral. Bamboo is now a cash crop of sorts and it is not uncommon for extensive amounts of land to be cleared for its cultivation. This disrupts local ecologies and even human cultures (displacement). Processing raw bamboo also commonly leads to significant environmental problems. Harvested
bamboo is often cut into strips, boiled in a hydrogen peroxide bath (to become pliable and to kill any leftover organisms), and the strips are then laminated (or glued) and are often sealed. This process is responsible for impregnating toxins into bamboo. Glues remain as some of the nastiest materials we commonly use – many are formaldehyde based. This is significant because formaldehyde is both toxic and persistent and will off-gas throughout its life-cycle (even after disposal). This indirectly compromises the food and water we eat and drink and directly compromises the air we breathe. At its worst, bamboo isn’t so green. The issue of bamboo is rarely this polarized. Often bamboo products have some combination of these pros and cons. There is a growing awareness to these problems – and manufacturers have responded. You can find products that only feature the positives listed above. Bamboo products that have been FSC (Forest Stewardship Council – www.fsc.org for more infroation) certified are clear leaders in terms of sourcing. FSC Certification guarantees that bamboo is sourced from sustainable sources with sustainable practices (no land clearing, additives, or overharvesting). Although a grass, bamboo can be FSC Certified – don’t let manufacturers tell you otherwise. FSC Certification, however, is not enough. Also be sure that the bamboo products you purchase are laminated using non-toxic, non-formaldehyde glues. These non-toxic products are also commercially available. Bamboo products can be as sustainable as is advertised – this, however, isn’t a default. To find out more about bamboo products, please email questions or comments to: change@gigafoundation.org. ::
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: : shanghai style
“Today I collected card board and paper, mostly.� interview by Sherry Poon, pictures by Tian Ning
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shanghai style : :
The Two Cultures, Recycling Edition Filed under: environment, scrap — posted by Adam Minter on shanghaiscrap.com
Here’s something that I’ve learned: the world has two cultures of recycling. In the developed world (Europe and North America, in particular), recycling is a moral act, done – primarily – as expatiation for consumption. Little to no consideration is given to the cost of recycling; and, on those rare occasions when economics enter the discussion, they often do so because an entity – say, a city recycling program – suddenly finds itself in need of a subsidy to continue running a governmentchartered recycling program. The average citizen rarely considers the economic value or cost of his or her sorted paper, cans, and bottles; sorting such materials is a civic duty. Meanwhile, in the developing world, recycling is an economic act, done primarily for income. Little to no consideration is given to the environmental benefits
of recycling; on those rare occasions when the environment enters the discussion, it’s a side-benefit, often utilized as a marketing ploy by companies seeking more valuable recyclables for less money. The average citizen (say, in Shanghai), rarely considers the environmental benefit of selling his or her paper, cans, and bottles to the local scrap peddlers. Almost to a person, he or she is concerned with obtaining market value from an item that has value – to someone else. I’ve written about this topic in other places, and I’ll be writing more in the coming year. For now, though, I’d like to repeat a story: a good friend, from Hunan, likes to recount how people from her small town warn school age children that – if they don’t study hard – they’ll end up as scrap peddlers, picking through trash to find value in other people’s garbage. That is, in rural Hunan, recycling is what you do if you’ve failed at everything else. ::
Meet ‘our’ recycle guy (he prefers to remain nameless). It’s Sunday morning and there he is, like every Sunday morning, right around the corner waiting for people to drop by with their trash. Any kind of paper, plastic, bottles, even dvds, electrical appliances and some metals, like iron, lithium, copper – he buys basically everything except glass. It’s clearly pointed out to us by the wooden sign with the red writing. He says: “My hands get cut by pieces of glass easily, so I don’t like to buy glass.” He’s been doing this work ever since he came to Shanghai in the 1990’s and was cheated out of his total earnings by his boss. He works from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, 7 days a week. He is unclear about earning a decent living, but he tells me prices have gone down again. “For some items the current price is only rmb 0.4/kg, while the price used to be up to rmb 1.0/kg before.” Newspapers for instance, he buys for rmb 1.0/kg and sells them again for rmb 1.2/kg. After collecting and sorting all waste in the lane he meets his friends on their pile-filled bikes and they ride together to a company which specialises in waste disposal on Wu Zhong Lu. This company will resell everything to different factories. All paper, for instance, goes to a paper mill in Zhejiang province. They make new paper out of the old – our guy may see a recycled box on his bike again in a few weeks time...
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q&a with Peggy Liu Chairperson of JUCCCE
Who is Peggy Liu? Peggy Liu is arguably Shanghai’s greenest resident. She is Chairperson of JUCCCE, which stands for Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy. She was honored as a Time Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero and a World Economic Forum Global Leader in 2009. Peggy was an advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative 2008 on Energy and Climate Change. Peggy is an active alumna of MIT and organized the MIT Forum on the Future of Energy in China 2007 from which JUCCCE was formed. What is JUCCCE? JUCCCE is a non-profit NGO that brings together international expertise and technologies to accelerate the use of clean and efficient energy in China. We aim to create visible change within 10 years. Why does JUCCCE focus on China? Because China’s growth dwarfs the progress of any other region of the world. For example, for the past few years, China has built 7.5 billion square feet of commercial and residential space, which is more than the combined floor space of all US malls and strip malls. By 2030, 5,000 new cities and 50,000 new skyscrapers will be built in China. To supply this rising energy demand, China opens a new coal plant, large enough to supply all the households in Dallas or San Diego, each week.
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What made you such an avid environmentalist? In other words, did something happen that changed the course of your life to create JUCCCE and improve the environment? I’ve always been an environmentalist, a believer in Gaia*, an avid organic gardener. I’m now a mother of two young boys, and the pollution in Shanghai makes me worry about their health. But JUCCCE is not about treehugging, it’s about bringing private and public sector interests together to make sure it makes economic sense for everyone to go green as fast as possible. JUCCCE was a challenge presented to me by US and Government representatives at the MIT FOrum on the Future of Energy in China, April 2007 in SHanghai. Although I’m working harder than I prefer to, the opportunity to create JUCCCE was a gift. I’m glad I can use all the skills I’ve picked up in my varying careers to do something meaningful. I think this was my calling in life. If someone were to choose one thing to do to be more environmentally responsible, what would you recommend it be? Individual actions and technologies won’t make a visible difference. Rather, a change in mindset where you look at everything as having a lifecycle and understanding energy use along the way, is the key. When you flush the toilet, how did they pump the water to the city, through the pipes to get to your
house, to flush solids back to the waste water treatment facility, to treat the water, to release the water? How much energy did it take to mine the materials to make the pipes, the toilet, etc. A holistic view of energy use is very eye-opening.
returns on emissions reductions and energy savings. Why? Because we’re putting in legacy infrastructure at a frightening pace. Because we’ll have 9 billion people by 2050. The next few years will determine how livable the earth will be for our children.
Do you have an indulgence, for example, a long hot bath once a month?
learning Everyday I’m honored to spend time with leaders in the field who are pushing the envelope. I get to go to school everyday. I get to see an overall picture of the energy landscape that very few people see.
My biggest non-value-added uses of energy probably come from indulging in gourmet food. I try not to think about the energy used in shipping imported food, excess packaging, wasted food materials, heat for hot water to wash dishes. That could be a real downer when I’m sipping my Velvet Noir hot chocolate. I have, however, cut out most of the beef and milk in my diet as cows are a major producer of methane, which is much more harmful than carbon dioxide.
What ‘visible change’ would you like to see occur in China’s environment in 10 years? To make a visible change, every company must view themselves as an energy company. Every job must be a green job. ::
What keeps you doing what you are doing? Where do you feel rewarded? progress The momentum that JUCCCE has with its programs is incredible. In less than 2 years, we have figured out some key programs that will really change the way China creates and uses energy. Now we are executing. fear If you listen to climate scientists and McKinsey, you’ll hear the same message. We’ve got 5-8 years to really invest everything we’ve got into green solutions. Once we pass that we’ll have vastly diminishing
* The term “Gaia” comes from Greek mythology, where it is the name of the Goddess of the Earth. In the late 1960s, independent ecologist and environmentalist James Lovelock used the name in his Gaia hypothesis, which posits that the earth is a superorganism. This theory has gained much support in the environmentalist movement (source: wikipedia).
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: : fashion
more than just a pretty face sustainable summer fashion modeled by some of Shanghai’s green entrepreneurs photography by barefoot portraits at URBN hotel
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shopping : :
::liu huili journalist at O2 magazine, wearing light yellow gown by Shanghai Trio, black bamboo tank and leggings by Nuomi::
“O2 magazine wants to provide the mind oxygen, for those dwelling in cities. My favourite ‘green spot’ in Shanghai is a vegetarian restaurant I like, named Wu Guan Tang in Xin Hua Road. ”
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: : shopping
::jules kwan managing director space development at urbn hotels and resorts, wearing organic cotton shirt and organic jeans by h&m::
“urbn is the first carbon neutral hotel in China, so my favourite ‘green spot’ in Shanghai28 is urbn hotel! ”
shopping : :
::mengmeng cui enviromental consultant & partner at Seal Carbon, wearing white organic cotton skirt and tank by Icicle, bamboo scarf by Nuomi::
“Seal Carbon is the first l0cal
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Chinese carbon consulting company that helps businesses an individuals to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality. My favourite ‘green spot’ in Shanghai is Nest”
: : shopping
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shopping : :
::ping zhou eco-audit program coordinator at Roots and Shoots wearing bamboo white dress by Nuomi::
“Shanghai Roots and Shoots provides environmental education programs for the youth. Fuxing park is my favourite green spot in Shanghai”
::zeezee zhong operations director at Roots and Shoots, wearing bamboo mandarin sweater and pants by Stella Chen, bamboo tank by Nuomi::
“My favourite green spot is the Roots and Shoots office” ::meera singh international schools coordinator at Roots and Shoots, wearing raw silk dress by Icicle::
“The Shanghai Roots and Shoots office is my favourite green spot in Shanghai. And the stretch of canal behind my compound, lined with willow trees, where I like to walk and bike.” 31
: : shopping
:: ben zhang contractor at EMCC, wearing wool jacket and natural dyed black pants by Urban Tribe::
“E=MC2/EMCC are the only contractors in Shanghai to have developed an expertise working with green materials. EMCC is also responsible for co-developing stabilized, insulated, rammedearth construction (SIREWALL) in China.”
:: lamm sp contractor at EMCC and [Wi:], wearing reversible bamboo hoodie by Stella Chen and natural dyed brown Thai pants by Urban Tribe::
“At EMCC we basically build stuff. 32
I don’t have a favourite green spot in Shanghai”
shopping : :
::trine targett owner & designer of Jooi, co-founder & curator of Nest, wearing beige stripe yak down hoodie and beige yak down lounge pants by Shokay, Reuse bag by Jooi for Gecko project by Greennovate::
“Jooi brand creates contemporary products for home and living. It is part of the Nest Design Collective. Nest is my favourite green spot in Shanghai, because people can buy great designed products with a good 33 concience.�
Rachael wears an organic cotton reversible 6-in-1 dress by Wobabybasics
shopping : :
PURE
baby and kids outďŹ ts made from organic cotton, yakdown and silk scraps photography barefoot portraits, www.barefootportraits.org
Riley wears a yakdown knitted dress by Shokay
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Rachael wears a silk patchwork dress by Nuomi, Riley wears a yakdown knitted dress by Shokay, Luca wears an organic cotton longsleeve by Pikku*Poika, Ava wears an organic cotton reversible 6-in-1 dress by Wobabybasics
shopping : :
37 Luca wears an organic cotton longsleeve by Pikku*Poika and organic cotton reversable shorts by Wobabybasics
: : shopping
38 Tessy wears an organic cotton reversible 6-in-1 dress by Wobabybasics, Riley wears a yakdown knitted dress by Shokay
Ava wears a yakdown knitted tunic dress by Shokay
: : baby’s go green
bamboo bites Feed your baby her first bites from safe and natural bambu KIDS utensils – they are uniquely designed for small mouths and hands and are free from dyes or chemicals. Get ready for fun and messy action as your toddler will love to use these easy to handle forks and spoons to feed himself!
sensitive skin More and more natural and organic products for our babys’ sensitive skins have become available in Shanghai. New at Lollipop, organic products from California Baby, including a ‘no fragrance’ spf 30+ sun screen. Also fragrance and preservative free, is spf 30+ sun screen by Australian brand UVNatural Baby, at Shanghai Toy Club. Another favourite are products – like Bubbles for Bub – from Cherub Rubs.
available at Nest, Taikang Lu Lane 210, Studio 201 (2F) International Artist Factory
Shanghai Lollipop, 3211 Hongmei Road, Suite 605; www.shanghaitoyclub.com.cn; Cherub Rubs through limcandy@hotmail.com
construction site This do-it-yourself chair is made of recycled card board and makes a fun project for the entire family. Put it together first and then decorate it to make it your own personal treasure! available at Nest, Taikang Lu Lane 210, Studio 201 (2F) International Artist Factory
pretty in prints Baby boys and girls are ready for summer in these fun and cute printed onesies from wobabybasics and Kit+Lili. Both brands offer organic cotton babywear for ultimate softness. wobabybasics is a Shanghai based brand, produced locally and ethically in China. Kit+Lili is imported from Europe. Both brands available at Lollipop, 3211 Hongmei Road, Suite 605 wobabybasics also available at Nest, Taikang Lu Lane 210, Studio 201 (2F) International Artist Factory and www.wobabybasics.com.cn
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what is fun to do, good for your body and good for the environment?
kids go green : :
save the world! Lola is cleaning up her room and wants to throw away all the things she doesn’t need anymore. “Why don’t you recycle it?” says Charlie. And Lola says, “Recycle it? What is that?” ... read how Lola learns to recycle. Find out how you can recycle too and play the recycle game online http://www.charlieandlola.com/planet/planet-game.html available at charterhouse booktraders
paint paint paint! This paint in bright colors is safe to paint with – use your hands, a brush, make stamps out of potatoes, just have fun! If you don’t feel very creative you can take inspiring workshops and classes at Flying Start. paint and workshops (18mths to 9yrs) at www.flyingstart.cn
your first chopsticks With these cool chopsticks you can practise how to eat with ‘kuaizi’ like a real pro! A fun tip for practising: try to eat m&m’s with the chopsticks and have a contest with your friends: place 5 (or 10) m&m’s in a row for each contestant, place an empty cup in the middle of the table – ready, steady, go! The first to have all the m&m’s in his mouth and the chopsticks in the cup is the winner! my first chopsticks by karen spencer, shopkarenspencer@hotmail.com
: : food
Imported organic baby and toddler biscuits are over priced and over packaged and cause earth damaging carbon miles. So make your own instead! Buy local (organic) ingredients and keep your ‘food miles’ low.
theo’s favourite nibbles This recipe is for yummy and relatively healthy biscuits that Theo loves, and they are a great treat for stroller rides. They’re really easy and fast to make, taking around 30 mins from weighing the ingredients to out of the oven and ready to eat! ingredients 100g organic wholemeal flour 25g organic porridge oats 1/2tsp baking powder pinch of salt 2 tbsp organic honey 50g butter instructions 1 mix all the dry ingredients 2 stir in the honey and rub in the butter to form a soft dough 3 pat the dough on a floured surface into a 5mm flat shape 4 cut out your nibbles and place then on a lightly greased baking sheet 5 bake for about 10 mins or until golden in 180ºC/350ºF oven Cool for 5 mins and enjoy! I normally use a very small cutter (or a 125ml baby milk bottle neck) which makes coin sized nibbles of about 2cm in diameter. Create your own special variations by adding a little something to the mix: raisins, dried cranberries or chocolate chips. text and pictures by bettina regolini
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food : :
ruohan’s favourite cookies ingredients 1 cup organic wholewheat flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar or red date sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup organic oats 1/2 cup raisins/coconut/chocolate 1/2 tsp. spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mixed, etc.)
shop local! the basic ingredients in chinese organic wholemeal flour 有机全麦面粉 youjı qúanmài miánfen baking powder
发酵粉
fajiàofen
salt
盐
yán
butter
黄油
huángyóu
sugar
糖
táng
organic porridge oats
有机燕麦片
youjı yánmài piàn
honey
蜂蜜
fengmì
vanilla
香草
xiangcao
raisins
葡萄干
pútáogàn
cinnamon
肉桂
ròuguì
instructions 1 mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together 2 in seperate bowl mix butter, sugar, vanilla, eg 3 mix dry ingredients (step 1) with wet (step 2) 4 add oats, spices and anything else tasty 5 drop batter in one tablespoon dollops onto baking tray. 6 cook 8–10 mins in 175ºC oven Cool for few minutes and let’s eat! recipe by sherry poon, picture by rui pestana
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: : environment
1 million trees
Go carbon neutral and buy a tree (or two) in the Inner Mongolian desert. Clear your conscience and help local farmers fight desertification at the same time.
Trees in a desert? How will they survive? And who takes care of them? What Roots and Shoots does in Kulun Qi is reforestation. The land has not always been desert; the previously lush grassland degraded to its current desert state mainly because of improper use, such as overgrazing and over-farming. We plant poplar trees, which are native to Inner Mongolia and grow well with little water. In addition to not requiring much water to grow, the trees survive in large part because of our planting methods. We use a bulldozer with an attached trencher to dig trenches that are 50 cm deep and then the tree planters use a shovel to dig another 50 cm deep before planting. Because we go so deep into the land, the saplings are actually planted in moist soil. This provides a healthy foundation from which a tree can grow. The Inner Mongolia native hybrid poplar trees have historically grown successfully in desert climates. We purchase one year-old saplings from a local nursery in Kulun Qi. Capacity building such as working with the nursery is key to our project. We provide the nursery with both income and technical knowledge (from our forestry expert in the United States). This year, we are also going to plant Xanthoceras, which is a biofuel. The government in Kulun proposed planting these because they have historically grown well in the area, and because the oil will bring economic benefits to the farmers. The local government in Kulun divides the land amongst local farmers. Each farmer and his/her family
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is then responsible for trees on their plot. A hybrid poplar reaches maturity in 10-15 years, and the local law prohibits farmers from harvesting the trees before they are 20 years old. Farmers must receive government permission before harvesting, and must replant a new tree immediately in its place. Enforcing this law is the responsibility of the government, not Roots & Shoots. The Xanthoceras trees that we will plant this year will eventually be harvested for their oil, which can be used for both cooking and industrial purposes. All reforestation areas in Inner Mongolia must, by law, be fenced off so that cattle do not have access to the trees. When arable land degrades, you can no longer plant on it. Then, when the desert expands, sandstorms strike. Sandstorms are dangerous because, among other things, they make it hard to open your eyes and hard to breathe. Sand pollution fills the area. If we don’t deal with the problem of desertification, sandstorms will get increasingly severe. We can’t simply run away from environmental problems, especially ones that were caused by human
environment : :
The Million Tree Project: improve your environmental impact! The Million Tree Project is a Shanghai Roots & Shoots project intended to improve the ecological and humanitarian conditions of Kulunqi, Tongliao municipality, Inner Mongolia. The Inner Mongolian desert is expanding due to a combination of the greenhouse effect and unscientific exploitation of the land such as overgrazing and over-farming. Desertification causes serious sandstorms, destroying local homes and forcing many people to flee their native land. The Million Tree Project gives individuals and organizations an opportunity to fight desertification and global warming by planting oxygen-producing trees in the Inner Mongolian desert. The local population is intimately involved with, and benefits from, every step of planting, maintaining, and monitoring the trees. Every April, Roots & Shoots staff, volunteers, and sponsors help the local farmers plant trees in Kulunqi. Shanghai Roots & Shoots aims to plant one million trees in the Inner Mongolian desert by 2014. After this year’s planting trip, the running total will be 200,000 trees. We encourage everyone to rethink their habits and actively choose to reduce waste and energy consumption. For those actions that harm the environment but are unavoidable, buying trees is a perfect way to give back. You can reduce, or completely offset, your or your company’s carbon footprint through the Million Tree Project. Each tree costs rmb 25 and clears the air of 250 kg of carbon dioxide over a period of ten years. For information about the Million Tree Project, buying trees and offsetting carbon emissions, visit: www.jgi-shanghai.org, or send an email to: heather.wigmore@jgi-shanghai.org
actions. Because Roots & Shoots is ultimately all about sustainability, we wouldn’t want to encourage the locals to simply flee to the city where we’d then hand them charity money. Instead, we aim to improve lives and raise environmental awareness in ways that will have useful, long-term effects. Rehabilitating the desert lands of Kulun Qi has sustainable benefits. Since our project’s trees revitalize the soil, farmers plant their own vegetables in the increasingly healthy soil. This improves the farmers’ livelihoods and quality of life. Another component of our sustainable approach is educating the local farmers and students about the reasons the land got to this terrible state. We hope to help them realize the importance of caring for their land and dealing with it in scientifically and environmentally sound ways – meaning, no longer overfarming and over-grazing. The reason why The Million Tree Project is located in Inner Mongolia rather than Shanghai for instance, is because planting trees in or around Shanghai is expensive and there isn’t much available land. In Inner Mongolia, where there is an abundance of land, reforestation efforts have been going on since the 1970s. Rather than starting a new project, Roots & Shoots decided to help develop this already existent, very important initiative. The Million Tree Project approaches tree planting with a focus on sustainability and tree survival. Working together with the local government, farmers, and nursery, we make sure that trees are not just planted, but that they stay alive. ::
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: : travel
Grown from a piece of mudflat, Chongming is the third biggest island in China, and the first one to bubble up in our mind when we decided to try a round-the-island ride. We started from a harbor named Bao Zhen. What lay ahead of us was a two-day ride full of peace and quiet–both for our ears and also our minds. The sea around Chongming is yellow, the colour of the sandy land of this island, and one of the many colours of the Yangtze in which it sits. After a rain, the yellow sea blends with the silver skyline, an image of mildness, especially when mixed with the sound of the sea tide and the slowly rolling bicycle tyres. The fresh moist air begins a thorough and much-needed cleansing process for the body and the mind. The views of the endless farmland and trees, mmmm, so nice. Without the crowds of people, cars or any chaos whatsoever, it is so easy to relax and enjoy the abundant scenery. Besides a few cars, you might encounter an old man walking his sheep, or some women heading for the seaside with their fishing gear. Life on Chong-
ming is simple and uncomplicated and a welcome respite from the big city. On Chongming one buys vegetable from the farmers who sit by the road in front of their homes. They sell whatever they have too much of. It is easy to trust the food from a farmer who will eat the same as you from his table. There are many places to view the wide variety of birds who migrate to the wetlands of Chongming. The best season to see the birds is autumn, but spring is also mild, beautiful and incredibly green. The farmers told us that hundreds of years ago, the islands of the Yangtze were constantly changing due to the power of the river, and many small islands simply disappeared. So the people of Chongming built the embankment that exists today in order to protect their village. When you need a tranquil getaway that is close to Shanghai, visit Chongming. :: text and images by O2 magazine
shopping : :
Quiet... and Peaceful Enjoy a Round-the-Island Ride in Chongming
Tips
: : there are regular boats to Chongming Island in Baoyang Harbor and Wusong Harbor, however they don’t run during bad weather conditions : : bring your own bicycle : : the road condition is good so any bicycle will do : : the suitable seasons are spring, summer and autumn : : suggested route: Bao Zhen Harbor to Chen Jia Zhen(35km), Chen Jia Zhen to East Ying Fishing Village(5km),East Ying Fishing Village to Dong Tan Bird Appreciation Site(18km), Dong Tan Bird Appreciation Site to the East Sea (5km),the East Sea to Chen Jia Zhen(7km),Chen Jia Zhen to Forest Part along the north public road(40km), Forest Part South Gate Harbor(20km). : : Chen Jia Zhen is a middle site, 20RMB for meal, 50-100RMB for accommodation 47
: : shopping
Soap nuts are the ultimate sustainable way to clean basically anything in the house. They are natural, environmentally safe and economical. The easiest way to start is using them as washing ‘detergent’ in your washing machine
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are you
green at home : :
what is a soap nut?
soap nuts instructions Basic daily warm/hot wash use Place 4 or 5 nuts in an old sock or cotton draw string bag. Tie bag shut and toss into washing machine with clothes. Run the cycle as normal. No need to remove the soap nuts until the end of the cycle – only the warm or hot water will cause the saponin (soap) to be released, the cool/cold rinse water will not. After using put soap nut bag aside to “air out”. You can reuse this soap nut bag 4 to 6 times. For heavily soiled loads use 6 or 7 soap nuts. Be sure not to over load the machine so the clothes have plenty of room to “swish” around. Cold water washing & hand washables Place 4 or 5 soap nuts in a large bowl or bucket, run warm/hot water over the nuts and allow them to soak until a weak tea is made. Let the “soap nut tea water” cool a bit and pour it into the washing machine water, add the clothes and run on cold cycle as normal. You can reuse these nuts 3 to 4 times. For hand washing: once the water cools
to a temperature safe for the fabric, add hand washing items to the bucket and hand wash as normal, rinsing with cool water. Note if not using the “soap nut tea” within a day or two keep refrigerated to maintain freshness and use within 2 weeks even if refrigerated. Liquid soap (multi-purpose cleaner) In a large pot on the stove, combine 8 to 10 cups of purified water. Add 10 to 15 soap nuts and bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Discard these soap nuts. • Use 1/2 measuring cup of liquid as liquid laundry soap • Use 1 – 2 tbsp for hand washing clothes • Use 1/2 cup mixed with 16 ounces (1/2 liter) distilled water or vinegar for household cleaning For a calming fresh scent add lavender essential oils. Add tea tree oil for added disinfecting properties. Safe for all fabrics including: silk, wool, cotton, and synthetic blends. ::
nuts?
Instructions by Pamela Pour, image by O2 magazine
Technically the soap nut isn’t a nut, but a fruit – the dried fruit of the Indian Rittha tree. After falling from the tree, the soap nuts are collected, the fruits are removed and the soap nut shell is put to dry in the sun. No chemicals or other ingredients are involved and after drying the soap nuts are ready to use.
how does it work? The soap nut shells contain saponin, that is released from the nuts when brough in contact with (warm) water. The saponin acts as a soap and is cleansing and hypoallergenic. The soap nuts work just like commercial laundry detergants, but without the chemicals, added fragrance and other irritating toxins. This makes them safe and suitable for people with very sensitive skin. After use the soap nuts are fully biodegradable. You can also use the soap nuts as window and glass cleaner, liquid hand soap and shampoo, plant wash and pest repellent, you can use it in the dishwasher and for cleaning jewelry!
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: : beauty shopping
1
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beauty : :
2
3
: : 1 : : you can almost eat it
: : 2 : : personalized
: : 3 : : organic camomile
With a little bit of bees wax, this smells fresh and clean, and becomes soft and mild when in water. It’s so natural and fresh, abundant with nutrients – you cannot help but want to eat it. Wait – it’s a soap! Use it to wash your face and body, without any regret.
How cool is this – Essex County Naturals offers an online service to create your own ‘brand’ of soap and other skincare products. In four simple steps you can select your own products, labeling and packaging. Their cold crafted organic shea butter soaps come in lots of inspiring scents and are oh so soft, rich and creamy. All soaps are enriched with moisturizing shea butter and infusions of organic herbs and essential oils. While some of the ingredients are imported, the actual soap is made here in China.
Other locally produced soaps are available from The Herb Store. They have several types for different skin. We tested the Organic Camomile for sensitive skin – it’s a huge bar of soft and shiny soap. The gentle chamomile smell really gives you the ‘back to nature’ feeling. It’s almost too bad the bar is so big: it will take for ever before we can try another soap. Cute detail: all packages look handstamped!
Available at O2 shop, 3F, 60 Xinlelu. Text and image by O2 magazine
Available at The Herb Store, 152 Fumin Lu.
www.essexcounty.ca – website under construction, but can download product overview and place orders.
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: : shopping
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Thank you!
to all volunteers and sponsers who helped make the Ecodesignfair a success!
ďŹ fty:ďŹ fty
greenermagazine@gmail.com
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eco design fair spring 2009 unique sustainable retail and education event date Saturday, April 18 2009 time 10am – 5pm place ANKEN Green, 668 Huai An Road (near West Suzhou Creek Road)
The Eco Design Fair Spring 2009 will be held at the newly completed ANKEN Green, a sustainable warehouse office/commercial space adjacent to the Suzhou Creek. The Eco Design Fair exists to advance the sustainable design movement in Shanghai, to create awareness about environmental issues, and to make it easier for everyday people to make everyday sustainable lifestyle choices. The fair will be the only place in the city to see and buy well-designed sustainable, organic, natural, nontoxic, recycled, ethical, energy-saving, and environmentally aware products all in one place. Over 30 eco-conscious businesses and groups will be showcased with products including organic and eco clothing, home accessories, bags, furniture, natural health products, stationary, toys, building materials, organic food products plus more information on developing a more sustainable lifestyle. In addition, solution-based, family-oriented, interactive activities are available throughout the day, including a Greening Your Home Exhibit,
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ecoDesign Student Competition Exhibit, organic farmer’s market, ecoFashion Show and workshop/ lectures. Net proceeds will be donated to Shanghai Roots & Shoots and their Million Tree Program in Inner Mongolia. The proceeds from previous events have donated over 270 trees to Shanghai Roots & Shoots. Organizers and partners The first Eco Design Fair in Shanghai was held in April 2008 and organized by Sherry Poon. As the owner of Wobabybasics, an organic apparel company based in Shanghai, she discovered that people were interested in organic and eco consumer goods but did not know where to find them in the city. Sherry started the Eco Design Fair to be a starting point for the general public to easily access expert advice as well as sustainable design products and services in Shanghai. A00, GIGA and NEST are also sponsors and organizers of the event. The first Eco Design Fair was held in April 2008 at URBN Hotel and
was attended by over 400 people, including foreigners and Chinese nationals. Main Sponsors Wobabybasics, A00 Architecture, GIGA, NEST, VOX Media Group, Tian Yi, LiveGreen Venue Sponsors ANKEN Green, URBN Hotel Media Sponsors That’s Shanghai, O2 magazine Vendors A00 Furniture @ NEST ANKEN Green Arabica Roasters Bambu @ NEST Bebemamie Biohouse c-cedille Directway Biotechnology Dragonhorse Design Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique GIGA Greendotdot.com Hape Helekang IQ Air Jethro Chan JOOI @ NEST
info : :
LiveGreen Eco Motherwear Naked Retreats Naturally Knotty O2 Magazine Organic Valley Paper Tiger @ NEST Raffles Design Institute Rap. @ Nest Rocks and Wings Roots & Shoots Shanghai Rose’s Milk Carton Bags Shanghai Miande Shanghai Organics Shanghai Toy Club Shanghai Trio Shokay Simplify Fashion SISU SJTU Green Friends Association Stella Chen Stream Source Studio Maki The Herb Store Urban Tribe URBN Wagas Wobabybasics @ NEST Yogavive www.ecodesignfair.cn nihao@ecodesignfair.cn contact Sherry Poon
ecoWorkshop Schedule @ ANKEN Green free of charge
ecoWorkshop Schedule @ URBN Hotel, 4F, Green Room free of charge
10:00 How Can Life Cycle Management Guide the Business Sustainability Bill Kung of Ecovane
17:30 URBN Hotel Tour Raefer Wallis of A00 Architecture
11:00 We Save More Than Pandas Linnet Kwok of WWF China
EcoKIDS Corner @ ANKEN Green free of charge all materials provided
12:00 Intro to Eco Design Fair & Million Tree Program Eco Design Fair / Roots & Shoots Shanghai / ANKEN Green 12:30 eco Fashion Show 13:00 Greening Your Home and Eco-Home Audit including Greening Your Home Exhibit Walk-through GIGA/Roots & Shoots Shanghai
10:00–16:00 Worm Composting Workshop Roots & Shoots Shanghai, Eco crafts, NEST 10:00–12:00 Plastic Bag Weaving Rainbow Bridge International School 13:00–15:00 Recycled Spring Flowers Kidtown
14:00 Product Design and How It Changes Our Daily Life Jaime De Vizcaya of Raffles Design Institute
worksho fo r
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15:00 Carbon Neutrality Amanda of Seal Carbon
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