Saturday, July 21, 2012

In Lebanon: Building Resource Recovery Capabilities and a Prefab House

by HOWARD J. BROWN on JULY 17, 2012



At dMASS.net, we generally focus on resource input reductions rather than resource recovery or pollution and waste prevention for several reasons:
  • Recycling and waste reduction efforts are widely reported elsewhere.
  • Recycling often makes resource waste more economical. A variety of businesses and public entities become dependent on maintaining a flow of resource wastes in order to survive.
  • Ultimately, the only way to dramatically reduce waste is to reduce resource use in the first place.
Yet there is no question that using resources mined above grade uses significantly fewer resources than manufacturing products with virgin resources. And once in awhile a project comes along that is so outstanding it merits our attention. For example, Cedar Environmental of Lebanon, founded and headed by Ziad Abichaker, developed Eco-Prefab 1.0, an extraordinary prefabricated house constructed with 100 percent recycled materials.
Eco-Prefab 1.0 was built using 146,000 plastic bags. (Photo: Ziad Abichaker.)

I met Ziad last year when we were co-presenters at the Eco Meda conference on waste management in Barcelona.  Ziad has been building the social enterprise Cedar Environmental by engaging the citizens of many small Lebanese communities in resource recovery. No such efforts have ever been undertaken in these communities, and there is little or no waste management or industrial infrastructure to support such an enterprise. Yet he and his colleagues are creating a viable and growing business based on a commitment to the environment. Moreover, they’re transforming resources into products that meet the needs of the citizens of those communities. Ziad, an engineer, is designing the technology for an entire local resource ecosystem.

Lebanon’s Waste: Another Man’s Treasure

The first prefab house made from recycled plastic bags. (Photo: Cedar Environmental)



Published Monday, July 9, 2012
Landfills in Lebanon are close to overflowing and as the government’s plans for incinerators are met with protests from municipalities and environmentalists, a new solution to the growing problem is vital.
Beirut - Those passing Ain al-Mreisseh on Saturday, July 7, might have been surprised to notice a small house parked by the side of the road. Those who approached for further inspection will have marked upon the unusual multicolored and sometimes glittering marbled texture of the structure, aspects lent to it through its being built entirely of waste plastic, largely plastic bags and candy wrappers.
The house is made of Eco-Board, a material made from ... [Read More]





Tuesday, July 10, 2012

One Designer One Object segment about GEOM Coffee Tables Collection on Lamassat Program


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More on GEOM Coffee Tables Collection made from recycled plastic bags here