(near the north train station in Shenyang)Monday, October 22, 2007
soon....
(near the north train station in Shenyang)
"carbon laundering"
Quarter of China's Carbon Emissions Due to Exports
@ http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/- Who Owns China´s Carbon Emissions.
@ http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/- Who Owns China´s Carbon Emissions.
blogs and more blogs....cold and more cold.....
http://www.lifeclever.com/
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/
(check this: 7-little-known-ways-to-drastically-improve-your-learning)
did i mention i love Mondays?!?! ;-/
It is cold, but sky is blue.
Have a meeting with my Prof.tomorrow, but i still didn't get the data from last weeks about the waste collection. Well. I wanted/needed everything, to finish all diagrams and discuss/compare the results. But, "This is how it works, it feels a little worse...."
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/
(check this: 7-little-known-ways-to-drastically-improve-your-learning)
did i mention i love Mondays?!?! ;-/
It is cold, but sky is blue.
Have a meeting with my Prof.tomorrow, but i still didn't get the data from last weeks about the waste collection. Well. I wanted/needed everything, to finish all diagrams and discuss/compare the results. But, "This is how it works, it feels a little worse...."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Today's featured picture - from Wikipedia
This Chinese child soldier, age 10, with heavy pack, is a member of an army division returning to China following the capture of Myitkyina airfield, Burma, under the allied command of US Major General Frank Merrill in May 1944. Chinese and allied troops had earlier crossed through the treacherous jungle of the Kumon Bum Mountains Japanese troops to the south. A number of international conventions have since come into effect that try to limit the participation of children in armed conflicts. However, according to Human Rights Watch, as many as 300,000 children remain direct participants in war in over twenty countries around the world today.
Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps
i hope she does not mind....
....for a little bit of relaxing in this cold and boring Saturday night (reading stuff about landfill gas and planing the trip to Beijing), i just read some funny things from this girl website:
- Nothing supports the notion that life is serious.
- The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.
- War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left.
- Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
- Your conscience may not keep you from doing wrong, but it sure keeps you from enjoying it.
- Life is short. Don't be a dick.
- Life and everything in it. Yes, that includes the platypus.
- The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.
- Nothing supports the notion that life is serious.
- The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.
- War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left.
- Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
- Your conscience may not keep you from doing wrong, but it sure keeps you from enjoying it.
- Life is short. Don't be a dick.
- Life and everything in it. Yes, that includes the platypus.
- The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
bad working conditions.....
October is said to be the worst month in the fall/winter season, since it is still not allowed to heat, but it can be really cold, with temperatures falling to lower 0! Oh, God, it is so cold in this room, it is not possible to concentrate....
Plastic Bags
Once upon a time, in my first studies (Materials Engineering) I focused on subjects about polymers (structure, properties, characterization, production). Polymers are not only about
"plastic", there is much more involved around this class of natural and synthetic material. Polymers are, indeed, fascinating (well, all materials are fascinating...)
Their application and use is everywhere, probably many people would say, it is not possible to live without polymers.
However, there is one special kind of polymeric material causing a great damage to the environment, because of its wide use. Plastic films used for manufacturing bags, used for transporting and containing goods (mostly food). These material, because of its already low/restrict properties is, in general, not suitable for recycling (material recovery). The reuse option is given (e.g use the bags for toilet bins), but the amount generated is much higher then the demand for reusing.
Because of their low density, they are responsible for increasing the volume of waste being generated in our society. A common fact in developing countries in the large use and undiscriminated disposal of plastic bags.(So called "plastification" of landscapes). Since the environmental awareness is anyway low in this countries, people just litter these bags everywhere. The decomposition time of these films is low (hundreds of years), and eventhough
the approach of using biodegradable materials is an option (price is high, low market share), there is still a really big problem to be solved in what concerns the amount of plastic bags being generated worldwide.
Chinese people also would say they cannot live without polymers, especially plastic bags. For me the most striking situation here is to see people carrying their take-away food inside this bags, all the time, everything, even soup. At the university restaurant first they take the rice in one small bag, then each of the dishes in another one, then the bread, and so on. (if you ask why there are no other more appropriate plastic recipients for transporting the food, the answer is, it is because it is expensive, and its ok so, since its use would also mean more resources use and, at the end, resource waste as well). So, after a first sorting analysis of the waste generated by the students, it is estimated that, by volume, at least one third of the amount comprise plastic bags.
What to do about it?
One option would be the energy recovery, but for that bags would have to be source separated and some additional steps (cleaning/drying) would be need before they could be used, e.g, as RDF, or even recycled.
The waste hierarchy is clear - reduction! That is what i do everyday:
- Use my trendy fabric bag for carrying supplies. People at the supermarket always look at me as if i were from another planet, when i refuse the plastic bags. The tellers at the counter always talk about me, and they even call other people to show "the girl who does not like plastic bags". I just wish i could explain them why i do this, but at least they get the chance to think about it.
- I always have some Tupperware with me, especially when i know i will get some take-away food. The same happens here, people staring and laughing at me when i order and give them the recipient.....
What else could i do, more than giving my example? My plan would be, actually, if I was to prepare a Waste Management Concept for the entire university, propose some changes. Everybody should just pay maybe 0.1 Yuan for plastic bags (this is the selling price for the bottles), everywhere. Unfortunately it is the only way to achieve some changes: to make people think about ways of saving money. The university could merchandise
fabric bags, Tupperware and cups. Corporate identity! There would also be a visible reduction in waste amount/volume to be disposed of, meaning economical and environmental benefits.
And everybody would live happy forever! ;-)
"plastic", there is much more involved around this class of natural and synthetic material. Polymers are, indeed, fascinating (well, all materials are fascinating...)
Their application and use is everywhere, probably many people would say, it is not possible to live without polymers.
However, there is one special kind of polymeric material causing a great damage to the environment, because of its wide use. Plastic films used for manufacturing bags, used for transporting and containing goods (mostly food). These material, because of its already low/restrict properties is, in general, not suitable for recycling (material recovery). The reuse option is given (e.g use the bags for toilet bins), but the amount generated is much higher then the demand for reusing.
Because of their low density, they are responsible for increasing the volume of waste being generated in our society. A common fact in developing countries in the large use and undiscriminated disposal of plastic bags.(So called "plastification" of landscapes). Since the environmental awareness is anyway low in this countries, people just litter these bags everywhere. The decomposition time of these films is low (hundreds of years), and eventhough
the approach of using biodegradable materials is an option (price is high, low market share), there is still a really big problem to be solved in what concerns the amount of plastic bags being generated worldwide.
Chinese people also would say they cannot live without polymers, especially plastic bags. For me the most striking situation here is to see people carrying their take-away food inside this bags, all the time, everything, even soup. At the university restaurant first they take the rice in one small bag, then each of the dishes in another one, then the bread, and so on. (if you ask why there are no other more appropriate plastic recipients for transporting the food, the answer is, it is because it is expensive, and its ok so, since its use would also mean more resources use and, at the end, resource waste as well). So, after a first sorting analysis of the waste generated by the students, it is estimated that, by volume, at least one third of the amount comprise plastic bags.
What to do about it?
One option would be the energy recovery, but for that bags would have to be source separated and some additional steps (cleaning/drying) would be need before they could be used, e.g, as RDF, or even recycled.
The waste hierarchy is clear - reduction! That is what i do everyday:
- Use my trendy fabric bag for carrying supplies. People at the supermarket always look at me as if i were from another planet, when i refuse the plastic bags. The tellers at the counter always talk about me, and they even call other people to show "the girl who does not like plastic bags". I just wish i could explain them why i do this, but at least they get the chance to think about it.
- I always have some Tupperware with me, especially when i know i will get some take-away food. The same happens here, people staring and laughing at me when i order and give them the recipient.....
What else could i do, more than giving my example? My plan would be, actually, if I was to prepare a Waste Management Concept for the entire university, propose some changes. Everybody should just pay maybe 0.1 Yuan for plastic bags (this is the selling price for the bottles), everywhere. Unfortunately it is the only way to achieve some changes: to make people think about ways of saving money. The university could merchandise
fabric bags, Tupperware and cups. Corporate identity! There would also be a visible reduction in waste amount/volume to be disposed of, meaning economical and environmental benefits.
And everybody would live happy forever! ;-)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Procrastination
Some time ago I was indeed planing to write about this word. It sounds bad, but somehow i like it. Ok, but i do not like the meaning. Anyway, i know i am not the only person in the world procrastinating right now...
And by the way, i found a really interesting blog entry about it:
how-to-unschedule-your-work-and-enjoy-guilt-free-play
And by the way, i found a really interesting blog entry about it:
how-to-unschedule-your-work-and-enjoy-guilt-free-play
Monday, October 15, 2007
Blog Action Day
Today is Blog Action Day, and before i finish using the internet for today while sitting here in this really cold office room, i think about what should i write about.
Where should i start? Let´me see.....I will just let words come out....
I am 28 years old, born in Brazil but living in Germany for the last 5 years. Currently i am spending some time in China, as a part of my studies/research on my second graduation course ("Master" in Infrastructure and Environment). After studying Materials Engineering and working with research and development in the area of Materials Science, i decided i wanted to do something different, where i could use my skills to work with something related to environment protection.
One thing I am quite sure is that we, human beings, are changing this EARTH we live in, and that was given us for free, in such a way (not sustainable!) that probably the great children of my great children will never get to know anything of this planet as it once was.
Oh, maybe I am being to fatalist and pessimist. But i do believe things are unfortunately changing too fast, and that some changes (climate) are REALLY serious!
Well, what else, I do also, thou, believe in these human beings, I believe we can change, we can make thing happen, we HAVE to. Maybe sometimes I do doubt on that, but at
least I really want to believe. And the thing is, I want to change somethings, and I am doing my part. I have been doing what i can in my daily life to help protecting this planet since i realized how important IT is to me. And I want to work with this topic, especially with Solid Waste Management issues.
Being in the most populated country in the World is quite an experience. Many issues i could talk about but the most impressive one: ya, there are soo many people. And they are generating sooo much waste. Despite a relative low per capita generation, when compared to developed countries, at the end of the day, the amount is huge anyway. And this challenging situation will become even more difficult by 2050, when, according to estimatives, 70% of the Chinese population will be living in cities. There is a lot, but really a lot of work to be done here, for sure not only in this area, but, in providing infrastructure in general, water and energy and tranportation.......
Well, I am cold and hungry, I need to go.....
Last words: I don´t know what the future has planned for me, but i just know I have to continue having faith in the human beings, and especially in myself, I want to be good enough in my work and with my good examples for people around me, to help CHANGES to take place!!
We only have this Earth, do you part, take good care of it!
Where should i start? Let´me see.....I will just let words come out....
I am 28 years old, born in Brazil but living in Germany for the last 5 years. Currently i am spending some time in China, as a part of my studies/research on my second graduation course ("Master" in Infrastructure and Environment). After studying Materials Engineering and working with research and development in the area of Materials Science, i decided i wanted to do something different, where i could use my skills to work with something related to environment protection.
One thing I am quite sure is that we, human beings, are changing this EARTH we live in, and that was given us for free, in such a way (not sustainable!) that probably the great children of my great children will never get to know anything of this planet as it once was.
Oh, maybe I am being to fatalist and pessimist. But i do believe things are unfortunately changing too fast, and that some changes (climate) are REALLY serious!
Well, what else, I do also, thou, believe in these human beings, I believe we can change, we can make thing happen, we HAVE to. Maybe sometimes I do doubt on that, but at
least I really want to believe. And the thing is, I want to change somethings, and I am doing my part. I have been doing what i can in my daily life to help protecting this planet since i realized how important IT is to me. And I want to work with this topic, especially with Solid Waste Management issues.
Being in the most populated country in the World is quite an experience. Many issues i could talk about but the most impressive one: ya, there are soo many people. And they are generating sooo much waste. Despite a relative low per capita generation, when compared to developed countries, at the end of the day, the amount is huge anyway. And this challenging situation will become even more difficult by 2050, when, according to estimatives, 70% of the Chinese population will be living in cities. There is a lot, but really a lot of work to be done here, for sure not only in this area, but, in providing infrastructure in general, water and energy and tranportation.......
Well, I am cold and hungry, I need to go.....
Last words: I don´t know what the future has planned for me, but i just know I have to continue having faith in the human beings, and especially in myself, I want to be good enough in my work and with my good examples for people around me, to help CHANGES to take place!!
We only have this Earth, do you part, take good care of it!
so true.....
"But pleasures are like poppies spread—Robert Burns
You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river—
A moment white—then melts forever."
"If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this."
------------------
Album of the month: Spoons - Wallis Bird.
-
-----------------
Nobel Peace Price
Nobel Peace Price 2007 shared by the IPCC and Al Gore.
"for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change"
"for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change"
already some time ago.....
Picture at Dolphin´s Place, for the occasion of the moon (mid autumn) festival.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Autumn
The Autumn has arrived now for sure. September was great, some warm days....
After the rain, here we are, sunny weather with min. of 2°C and max .of 14°C.
Hands were freezing while biking work today, and it was hard to get out of the warm bed...
After the rain, here we are, sunny weather with min. of 2°C and max .of 14°C.
Hands were freezing while biking work today, and it was hard to get out of the warm bed...
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Waste Management at the SYIAE
First thing, sorry for the fact that the pictures are dated. I don't like the date on pictures, and even more if it is the wrong one. Well, i have a new digital camera, and in the beginning i forgot to shut this feature off.
Both pictures are a very common situation of the waste management here: everyday there is people taking/buying the plastic and glass bottles or papers/cardboard. Everybody takes this materials, which are, in fact, not waste, from the waste stream, and sell them for recycling. Well, not the foreign students, there the cleaning ladies take them from their waste, and i think she might be very happy with the many plastic and beer bottles and cans.....
The other picture show this blues house i mentioned before, used for waste storage. This is the one near the dormitory building.
Social life.....
Working is good, especially if you like it, but there is so much more than that, isn't it? So, i take myself the time to go out, meet people, for dinner, karaoke, even discos.....
It is raining.....
....cats and dogs here, it is now only a drizzle, but, well, water coming from heaven the entire day.....
And this is just the perfect weather for the last preparative procedures all around the campus. :-S
The evaluation kick off meeting is tomorrow. What is really impressive is to notice the changes taking place everywhere. What was all unfinished and unready, is now almost perfect...and they did most of the things really last week, and i wonder, if there was no pressure because of the evaluation, how long would it take, for them to finish everything.....
Well. Not of my business anyway. There is one thing i might learn here: don´t try to understand Chinese people, and the way they do things......
My situation is quite strange, time is passing by so quickly, and i see that i wont finish everything, and i even got an idea of starting another project, something more concrete. But i am leaving in one month, and i still have also to plan our trip.....well, let´s see. Damage control.
In order to relax a bit right now, Katie Melua. There are nine million bicycles in Beijing....
And this is just the perfect weather for the last preparative procedures all around the campus. :-S
The evaluation kick off meeting is tomorrow. What is really impressive is to notice the changes taking place everywhere. What was all unfinished and unready, is now almost perfect...and they did most of the things really last week, and i wonder, if there was no pressure because of the evaluation, how long would it take, for them to finish everything.....
Well. Not of my business anyway. There is one thing i might learn here: don´t try to understand Chinese people, and the way they do things......
My situation is quite strange, time is passing by so quickly, and i see that i wont finish everything, and i even got an idea of starting another project, something more concrete. But i am leaving in one month, and i still have also to plan our trip.....well, let´s see. Damage control.
In order to relax a bit right now, Katie Melua. There are nine million bicycles in Beijing....
Friday, October 5, 2007
coincidence
Hello World! I am doing fine, pretty much to do here.....but after staying in front of the computer the entire day, in the evening i decide to change a bit, and stay in front of TV, watching movies.. Yesterday watched Painted Veil, great movie, and i could even understand Edward Norton speaking Chinese....Naomi Watts is really one of my favorite actress. Then decided to watch another one: October sky (with Jake Gyllenhaal- Donnie Darko). So, the coincidence is the fact that, the launch of the Sputnik I, which was the inspiration of the whole thing, is this memorable event that happened exactly 50 years ago, October 4, 1957.....
And since is October, i have a perfect song for this moment.
( I'm moving in circles, I'm trying to come in)
And after enjoying it with coffee, staring the gray sky outside, work starts.
And since is October, i have a perfect song for this moment.
( I'm moving in circles, I'm trying to come in)
And after enjoying it with coffee, staring the gray sky outside, work starts.
Monday, October 1, 2007
by the way....
....talking about the National Day. So, millions and millions of people are "moving" these days. They say it is worse than "hell" to travel, what i could imagine, and, lucky me, that don't have to do so. Someone mentioned the fact, for example, of people having to travel by train 2 days without sitting! dude, can you imagine that? without sitting would also mean without really being able to move! You stay inside the train as, literally, sardines in cans......well, maybe this is not worse than hell, but it is bad enough.....
National Day
On this day....
1949 – Chinese Civil War: Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
It is a holiday in all China, but here at our University they had to postpone the free week because of an important evaluation (i think it is because they are supposed to be granted a higher status) taking place next week. It seems everybody should be more worried about this fact, but i have heard the opinion of someone (foreign teacher living here since 4 years) that people is really very relaxed. So, maybe the results of the evaluation are now already decided, so that is why they don't worry.....(i wonder if someone will think i shouldn't be writing this here, the big "Big Brother".....)
Anyway, did i mention that the there are no more students walking around with their camouflage clothes?! I think i have to correct some previous statement, the freshman were not being "domesticated" by the senior students. That was a military training they are obligated to do when entering the university, to be in condition to serve their country in the case.....well, the 3 weeks training provided are, as i was told, not really a help if they really have to put hands in gun or somethings like that. But at least, none of them has to worry about their military obligations anymore. It was, anyway, very interesting to observe the "troupes" marching and singing some songs....
Did i mention that sometimes life here seems like a video game? Or something called real time strategy games, or whatever.... It is funny to see the masses moving to here, than there, all at the right time, time to wake up, to go to classes, to go to lunch, to take hot water, to go for a walk, time for music or advertisements to be transmitted in the entire campus through the speakers all around. Indeed, things are different here.......just different.......
1949 – Chinese Civil War: Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
It is a holiday in all China, but here at our University they had to postpone the free week because of an important evaluation (i think it is because they are supposed to be granted a higher status) taking place next week. It seems everybody should be more worried about this fact, but i have heard the opinion of someone (foreign teacher living here since 4 years) that people is really very relaxed. So, maybe the results of the evaluation are now already decided, so that is why they don't worry.....(i wonder if someone will think i shouldn't be writing this here, the big "Big Brother".....)
Anyway, did i mention that the there are no more students walking around with their camouflage clothes?! I think i have to correct some previous statement, the freshman were not being "domesticated" by the senior students. That was a military training they are obligated to do when entering the university, to be in condition to serve their country in the case.....well, the 3 weeks training provided are, as i was told, not really a help if they really have to put hands in gun or somethings like that. But at least, none of them has to worry about their military obligations anymore. It was, anyway, very interesting to observe the "troupes" marching and singing some songs....
Did i mention that sometimes life here seems like a video game? Or something called real time strategy games, or whatever.... It is funny to see the masses moving to here, than there, all at the right time, time to wake up, to go to classes, to go to lunch, to take hot water, to go for a walk, time for music or advertisements to be transmitted in the entire campus through the speakers all around. Indeed, things are different here.......just different.......
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