As mentioned in our recent article about Earthships, water can be reused as is in some cases, including shower and bath water. Clearly this 'grey water' is not suitable for drinking without treatment, but it can be used for: 

- Flushing the toilet 

- Watering the garden 

- Washing clothes* 

If the water is to be stored and not used immediately, it may require some form of treatment to prevent the incubation of bacteria, but even in normal households it is possible to save around a third of the daily water usage. 

*In Japan, most people wash in the shower before getting into the bath, therefore the water is generally clean and free of detergents. Pumps to transfer water from the bath to the washing machine are sold in many stores throughout Japan and can significantly reduce the amount of water a household uses.

Originally submitted by Hiromi Watanabe, Hiroshima.

Questions still linger about the safety of the vehicles, and the Washington Times quotes Mike Sheldon, CEO of ad agency Deutsch LA as saying that consumers "haven't had that chance to just get through the problem and they're already trying to sell...stuff? I believe that consumers will feel a little confused, like, 'Aren't you still fixing the problem? Why are you trying to sell me so hard?'" 

It's the question of 'fixing the problem' that is splitting observers in Japan, the US and other countries. In an article in the Washington Post, Frank Ahrens seeks to explain why it's so difficult to pinpoint what the problem with the cars is, and he makes some very good points. But surely it's better for the company to show exactly what they are doing to solve the problem. This, judging by comments made on various sites throughout the coverage of the problems, is what would placate consumers and perhaps win back their trust. An ad campaign perhaps is not the best way to do it. Not yet, anyway. 

Toyota's troubles are far from over, but more transparency from the company about what it is doing to ensure that problems like this never occur again seems to be the one thing that everybody wants.

Japan Design Net is once again providing great coverage of the graduation exhibitions from some of Japan's best design schools.

http://school.japandesign.ne.jp/sotsuten/10/

ジャパンデザインネット：卒展特集2010のリポート：

http://school.japandesign.ne.jp/sotsuten/10/

R 20th Century New York is currently holding Contemporary Korean Design, an exhibition featuring works by Byung-Hoon Choi, Hun-Chung Lee, Dae-Sup Kwon, Zong-Sun Bahk and Jin Jang.

The inaugural United States collaboration between R 20th Century and the renowned Gallery Seomi in Seoul, Korea, marks the New York debut for many of these artists and will showcase never-before-seen pieces.

This extraordinary collection introduces a generation of artists whose work establishes a new visual vocabulary that combines venerated Korean aesthetic traditions, iconography and techniques with fresh, contemporary ideas and forms.

The exhibition runs until May 16.

www.r20thcentury.com/

If you're looking for a cycling computer that can do quite a bit more than calculate speed and distance, Sony may have the answer with the 'nav-u' NV-U35, which comes with the kind of GPS navigation system more commonly found in cars. Not only can the device tell you where to go, but it can also act as a compass and calculate time, distance and calories, and play music (amongst other goodies). You don't even have to worry about taking your eyes off the road as a voice will guide you along.

As it is designed to be fitted to a bicycle, the device is water-resistant - although not waterproof - and has an estimated battery life of four hours on normal mode. It comes in black, white or orange and goes on sale in Japan on March 13.

http://www.sony.jp/

今回発表の『NV-U35』は、“nav-u”シリーズでは初めて、JIS（日本工業規格）の防水保護5等級に準拠した構造により、防滴仕様を実現しました。車の外で、突然の雨や雪に見舞われても中断することなく、快適に使用できます。また、車や徒歩向けのモードに加えて、自転車走行に適したルートをガイドする「自転車ナビ」を搭載し、自転車店や駐輪場など、サイクリングに便利な地点情報も収録しました。 また、GPS情報を使って、速度や距離、経過時間、消費カロリーなどの走行情報を表示するサイクルコンピューター機能も初搭載し、自転車への配線なしでサイクリング時の走行情報を測定、表示ができます。加えて、走行時は画面をオフし、音声のみでルート案内をすることで、従来の省電力モード比約 183％、約11時間の連続使用を可能にした「スーパースタミナモード」も初めて搭載、長時間の車外での使用でも安心して利用できます。

カーナビ機能としては、8GB内蔵メモリーを搭載し、過去の統計情報から、混みやすいルートを避けたルートを案内しスムーズなドライブが楽しめる渋滞統計情報や全国1,335エリアをカバーする市街詳細地図など、3.5V型液晶のコンパクトなサイズながらPND(Portable Navigation Device)上位機種同等の情報表示機能も揃えました。 当社は、持ち運びが簡単なPNDの特長を生かした機能を充実させ、お客さまにより快適に、楽しんでお使いいただけるパーソナルナビゲーションシステムを今後も提案していきます。

http://www.sony.jp/

Shanghai, long regarded as the Oriental Pearl, will add another jewel to its glittering crown when the new Shanghai International Cruise Terminal mixed-use development, designed by international architects Sparch, is completed in May this year.

The Cruise Terminal mixed-use development sits in the North Bund, offering spectacular views of Shanghai's famous historical Bund to the south and the skyscrapers of Pudong on the opposite side of the Huangpu River. The first phase of the development was completed earlier in October 2009.

The centerpiece of the mixed-use development is a structure nicknamed the ‘Shanghai Chandelier’, pictured above. With its 40m-high glass-clad portal, the Chandelier overlooks the public park and waterfront where city dwellers and tourists can congregate in an open space for festivals and events. Looking up from the ground, a spellbinding view greets you in the form of several floating cafes, restaurants and bars suspended on cables beneath a seven-storey steel truss in an extraordinary three-dimensional composition. This is the very first suspended cable construction of its type in the world, and stems from the Shanghai authorities’ desire to create more ‘breathing spaces’ in the crowded municipality.

This development also represents a first in Shanghai for sustainability, incorporating ‘River Water Cooling Technology’ – utilising water from the Huang Pu River as a refrigerant to cool and thereby greatly reduce the buildings’ energy consumption during the summer months.

Sparch’s vision for the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal mixed-use development adheres to the theme of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 – ‘Better City, Better Life’ – as the project site forms part of the green corridor along the Huangpu River, extending as far south as the Expo venue between the Lu Pu and Nan Pu Bridges.

Offering an eclectic mix of business and entertainment, the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal mixed-use development will further entrench Shanghai’s status as a key commerce and tourism hub. When fully operational, the cruise terminal can accommodate up to three 80,000-tonne cruise ships at any one time and handle an expected passenger flow of over 1.5 million people annually.

“Shanghai is undoubtedly the main driver of China’s fast-growing economy. Sparch is honoured to play our part in designing and developing the new Shanghai International Cruise Terminal commercial and entertainment site, which will provide another gateway for people on business or leisure to experience this thriving metropolis,” says John Curran, project director in Sparch’s Shanghai studio.

Sparch was appointed the master planner of the Cruise Terminal mixed-use development in 2004. Occupying a total floor area of more than 260,000 sqm with half of it underground, the development comprises 80 percent commercial use, and 20 percent public facilities, entertainment and retail outlets.

A friend of ours, Clotilde Gimond, is running a marathon to support the charity Malaria No More, which is aiming to end malaria deaths by 2015.

Did you know that every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa? Yet malaria is a totally preventable and treatable disease. Clitolde should know; she contracted malaria in Madagascar. You can read all about that story in her guest post on the Malaria No More website here.

To sponsor Clotilde, please visit her donation page. Every little helps, but please hurry - she'll be running on March 21st.

Malaria No More website.

 Solar panels are becoming an increasingly familiar sight on houses as people seek a more energy-efficient way of heating, cooling and powering their homes, but very few homes use solar energy as their main power source. Even fewer still are built out of old tyres, bottles and cans, but what may seem like a hippy dream to many is turning into a genuine green alternative for some. 

Renewable Energy 

The first Earthships were designed and created by architect Mike Reynolds in the 1970s, who wanted to create a home that met three requirements: it should be sustainable, using recycled materials and other materials which could be found anywhere, it should rely on natural energy sources, and it should be economically feasible for the average person with no specialized construction skills. For the building materials, Reynolds chose old tyres which are packed with dirt for the main walls. Not only have these proven to be strong, insulating and surprisingly fire-resistant, but the raw materials are pretty much ubiquitous. Other walls may be constructed using bottles and cans set in concrete, adobe or sand, which can absorb solar heat throughout the day and release it during the night. 

The main energy sources are solar and wind power, collected using photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. Not only did Reynolds want the energy sources to be sustainable and, as far as possible, non-polluting, he also sought energy that was less susceptible to natural disasters and free from the electrical and water lines that he considered unsightly and wasteful. Anybody living in an urban area surrounded by power wires can surely relate. It is possible, using these energy sources in an Earthship, to power most modern appliances, including TVs, computers, washing machines and dryers. Living naturally need not mean lving like cavemen, it seems. Aside from electricity, the other resource that we tend to use the most of - many would argue that we waste it - is water. As Reynolds wanted his Earthships to be independent from centralized sources, water is harvested from rain, snow and condensation. The water is filtered and used for drinking water and bathing and, to ensure minimal wastage, water from bathing (so-called 'greywater') can also be reused for other purposes such as watering plants or for a toilet - if the Earthship is not using a composting toilet. 

Aesthetics 

It has to be said that an Earthship would not exactly go unnoticed on your average street, which is perhaps why most of them have been built in areas of low population density; although that could have as much to do with their owners' desires to be free of suburbia. If the tyres are left uncovered on the outside walls, your energy-efficient, ecologically-sound abode may look as if you've thrown it together by scavenging local dumps which, in some cases, may not be far from the truth. All is not lost, however, as an Earthship is as customizable as you want it to be and, as the photograph at the top of the article shows, a little imagination and thought can produce the kind of house that architects like Antoni Gaudi or Friedensreich Hundertwasser would be proud of. Who knows, they may become a more common sight as the price of oil continues to rise and nuclear power continues to be controversial. One thing is for sure, word is spreading: Earthships are not confined to a few hippies in the New Mexico widerness, as they have been built in England, Scotland, France, South Africa and Swaziland. 

They may have their drawbacks, but Earthships could just become the house of the future. 

For more information: http://earthship.org/

Richard Knobbs

The women's figure skating has dominated the news in Japan over the last few days, and this is bound to ensure it will continue to do so. Hasn't something also happened with some car company?

 As Toyota continues to take a beating in the world's media and, no doubt, in its showrooms throughout the world, one question looms large: where do they go from here? 

It has been a spectacular fall from grace for the world's biggest carmaker, made even worse by some appalling business and public relations decisions. First, and most serious, is the disclosure that the company put growth ahead of safety. Suddenly, it is not only the owners of Toyota cars that were part of the massive global recall, but owners of all Toyotas who are possibly now questioning whether or not their cars are safe. This is a very real problem that the company has to face: how to win back trust from consumers. 

It has to be said, the PR disaster of the last few weeks is not the best way to go about it. After seemingly avoiding the media like the plague for a couple of weeks, Toyota president Akio Toyoda finally attended a press conference in Japan on 5 February, during which he offered a perfunctory apology and a slight bow. Surprisingly, the Japanese media laid into him, calling his bow flippant and his apology too little, too late. He appeared again four days later looking as though he could quite happily strangle everybody in the room. He is clearly not happy in front of the cameras, but somebody should really tell him that pulling faces and answering questions with the attitude of a teenage schoolboy is not the best way to behave. In Japanese companies there are very few people who would dare say anything of the sort to the president. And therein lies the problem. 

There are no doubt many people within Toyota who believe that the company has handled this crisis in a poor way. It is the world's largest automaker - for the moment - therefore it is nonsense to try the tired excuse that Japanese companies work differently to western ones and that their way of dealing with things has been misinterpreted. If Toyota was only operating in Japan, it wouldn't be such a problem, but it is not: it is a global company and it is time it started acting accordingly. This includes public relations exercises. The reaction of the Japanese media demonstrated that they were not prepared to accept a short bow and apology, so it goes without saying that western media, consumers and politicians surely wouldn't. 

Toyoda did himself some favours by agreeing to appear in person before the US Congress, but many people cannot shake the feeling that he did so under duress. He made his opening address in English, but answered subsequent questions in Japanese through a translator. This, in itself, is not a problem - it is clearly easier for him to communicate in his native language, but when being pressed for straightforward answers he gave long, technical ones. The questioners could hardly contain their impatience with the meandering from the Toyota representatives, at one point demanding a straight 'yes' or 'no'. Later on, however, facing Toyota staff in America, Toyoda did a lot to improve his image when he said he believed "that Toyota has always worked for the benefit of the United States. I tried to convey that message from the heart, but whether it was broadly understood or not, I don't know." He also showed that he seems to now fully grasp the extent of the problem, adding that "[w]e at Toyota are at a crossroad. We need to rethink everything about our operation."

It remains to be seen where the company goes from here. One thing is for sure, however; safety must become the priority once more and the company must take a serious look at how to handle its PR in future.