There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.Aristotle

Inner Life Directions

Expanding Reality

Ggids

  • Phytomining

    Extracting minerals from plants may lessen the impact of mining and help the environment.

    Phytomining means extracting minerals from plants. Some plants it turns out can suck up metals from the earth, 700 of them as it turns out. It is usually done through their roots which absorb the metal from the soil. Nickel is the one metal that has proven to be effectively harvested in this way, but others it is hoped can also be, such as zinc and rare earth minerals. Mining nickel in a traditional way is hard on the environment, as all mining is. It is also expensive and requires equipment. Growing plants as has been done in Malaysia and Indonesia is not. The plants take about 6 months to grow, and then the neon blue green sap  that oozes can be harvested. Nickel is used in making steel, and increasingly in the making of batteries for electric vehicles and for renewable energies. Nickel is expensive and harvesting instead of mining it reduces the cost. More importantly it provides livelihood for many farmers. It can not only help the environment by avoiding mining, it can also help clean up areas harmed by the deposits of mining and other industries. The plants can extract the minerals from that soil and in time make that soil usable again. Unlike the devastation of the rain forests in Borneo or the Amazon, the plants which extract the minerals grow in grassy areas, so the consequence of destroying natural resources can be avoided. The idea of Phytomining is actually 500 years old but it took a while for it to be rediscovered and for it to become practical,  and as can be expected, it took many years for the patents to be obtained. Now that all that is behind, the process can go forward. It’s promising and it’s fascinating.  For one, the whole notion that plants can extract minerals from the soil is one of nature’s amazing  traits.

  • 3-D Homes!

    With the help of robots, 3-D homes may be one answer to affordable housing.

    We have 3-D printers, guns and machinery, so why not 3-D houses! They’re here and it is hoped that they will help with  3 existing challenges, the affordable housing crisis, the shortage of skilled labor and the rising costs of materials. It’s a tall order but so far it looks up to the challenge.  They are built by robots squeezing cement mixtures the way industries like dental implants do, but on a larger scale. Two companies are pioneering it. That is moving beyond the pilot program stages. The first is in Texas, Austin based ICON. They print homes on site using their Vulcan system which lays down their secret formula cement layer by layer. The homes are energy efficient and withstand extreme weather and earthquakes.  Their competitor is Mighty Buildings in California. They produce cement panels in a factory and then assemble them on site.  In this case they are synthetic stone made from a polymer composite. The kits include steel frame, insulation and gypsum boards for interior walls. A robotic tool can  create a desired look like stucco or siding. The company is now marketing 3-D home kits for $349,000. It is partnering with a developer Palari Group to build 2 subdivisions in California, one in Rancho Mirage, a well to do area outside Palm Springs. The 15 units neighborhood will be the first net zero community. With solar panels and storage batteries, the owners will not have to spend anything on electricity. Construction is a contributor to climate change, so it is possible that 3-D homes would lower the carbon emissions of the industry. The only unknown right now, is how will these homes fare 30 or 40 years from now? Still 3-D homes sound like a promising answer to affordable housing.

  • Art Classes and Bachelor Degrees in Prison

    Programs in several California prisons are showing that inmates are more than their worst deed.

    Prisons are not nice places, they’re harsh and violent. And yet the inmates are humans like the rest of us and respond to opportunities. In California, 25 inmates recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree as part of California State University Los Angeles. They each received their degree in communications, thus being able to better have a job and create a better life once they are released, what Dara Yin, one of the graduates called the freedom to create better lives.

    There’s another program in 12 California prisons, where known artists teach various aspects of art. There are 15 guest artists for the 15 weeks program offered by the PAC, the Prison Arts Collective, a university-based program offering  arts curriculum specifically for prisons, and a global talent agency, Huxley. Wilo Perron and Brian Roettinger, two of the artists, will teach logo design for example, taking the PAC logo and redoing it going through all the steps that are involved.   There will also be classes in photography, cartooning, screen writing, illustrations, collage making, and even creative mindfulness. The program is aimed to “show the transformative power of art and the redemptive potential of self-expression.” The  offenses of the  inmates in this program do not matter, some have minor offenses some are lifers. Perron and Roettinger say  “We don’t ask them why they’re there or what they’ve done because really the focus of our program is about shifting identities and not having people only be known by the worst thing they’ve ever done. It’s to experience being in a collaborative, inclusive community and experience themselves as artists and students and collaborators and peers.” We need to recognize inmates as people, and programs such as these remind us to.

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