Rodrigo Alonso

Rodrigo has created masterpieces and i have shown some pictures about his art. If you would like to buy some of his work you will have to contact him as he creates them hand-made and each work is different. If you would like a link it is http://ralonso.com/?lang=en He has many works, from tables, stools, lamps, plates, and many other works of art.

 Crystal Glass Cup:Watt











Vitrac




Jewels



There are many more, check the website if interested.

More of Rodrigo Alonso

These stools are differently styled and are more decorative and unique. I just love them.


Alonso's tables. Just beautiful art pieces. Some of his work can be seen in museums as it is viewed as art.


These are lamps that are simply gorgeous. Not only does it have distinct patterns, but they are also bright. Rodrigo is an amazing designer and eco-friendly.

Electronic Furniture!!

As you can see, there is a block that is made up of scraps and pieces. Well what are those scraps and pieces you ask? Nothing more than those old gadgets that you used to have. That is right, electronics have shifted to furniture making and actually i kinda like it. The blocks of electronics have been molded into a pentagon prism and has been carefully polished got rid of any sharp material that might have poked out. But don't these little cubes look cool?! I want one know and not only that it shows how recycling does work! They come in many colors and shapes even tables! And yes, they are safe they are carefully made and took measure of health risks. The designer, Rodrigo Alonso called this new style of furniture N+ew Seats and N+ew stands for No More Electronic Waste. Rodrigo states how we throw away so many electronic materials, from plastics and kilometers of cables. He simply came up with a stylish, amazing eco-friendly idea. He also says, "[The] endless mountains of material without use end up occupying big spaces [around] our grounds and seas make it extremely important we think of using this garbage as a new material or raw material, to generate new objects that can be re-inserted between us in a useful and aesthetic way." ( courtesy of http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/furniture-made-encapsulated-e-waste-perfect-geeky-abodes.html) These stools are also in shapes of tables and come in many colors depending on the electronics involved. This is just a step closer to the crumble of the growing mountain.

The Results of the Survey

The results of my survey are in!! And I first want to thank anyone who took it and it is time for some answers for those questions in my survey. I looked at the responses and results, for the first question:
1.Do you recycle? Most of the people responded with a yes, and i am glad you guys recycle, it is a great way to clean our Planet, it is our responsibility to take care of our home.
2. Do you own a cell phone? If so what do you do with old cell phones? Old cell phones, according to my responses, are kept in drawers mostly, which is not a great thing to do, as only a few number of cell phones get recycled compared to the 500 million cell phones that get manufactured. Next time you see your old cell phone, recycle it. There are stands in Best Buy or any cell phone company and I'm glad for those who responded with recycling.
3.What do You do with old devices? Here, once again i see storage of old appliances, in the attic, or garage but there are better ways to dispose of them. The park Discovery Green downtown has weekends where they accept these appliances and recycle them plus you get to go to the park, so next time try t recycle them in Discovery Green or go to centers that accept electronics.
4.Do you have faith in recycling centers? Many people responded yes, and i also believe in them, but some of them are not trustworthy. Most common recycling centers do their jobs but for recycling electronics it is a bigger problem. As only around 75% of the electronic recycling centers actually "recycle". If they do not recycle they ship them off or just throw them in a dump where they leak chemicals. Next time you give away your appliances to recycling centers make sure they do recycle by asking or doing research. Discovery Green does accept these and is honest in the job.
5.Do you know what electronic waste is? Most of the responses were no or not really. Well electronic waste is old appliances, gadgets, devices that hardly or not work at all that are thrown away. Even though people don't see this as a big deal, it is the fastest growing garbage disposal we see today. Not only that it is extremely hazardous and even deadly. When the appliances get thrown they release chemicals sitting in the dump or even worse, get shipped away to developing countries, where they poison the environment and destroy the setting by piling up.
6.Is it okay to shop off our old electronic devices? some said yes, to help them advance or aid in any way. Well its funny because that is the exact response the core countries all said to the poor countries who accepted it as a new opened window for advancement. The countries believed they were receiving thee electronics to help them advance in any way, but they were hardly working and only around 10% were working, the rest were junk. But then the trading begins, the electronics do have something in value; minerals deep inside, and the mountain of electronics pile up creating a trap for the countries. After they get import of electronics, more and more pile up and no more place is around and the devices lay in streets and this is all done from core countries to get rid of our own junk. Yes OUR JUNK, those devices we throw away go to them since we do not what to do, we figured shipping them off was the easiest and cheapest way to deal with this problem.
7. What rank do you think America is out all the core countries? sorry for the terrible wording here, i meant what rank is America in electronic waste exportation. And true enough, it was #1. We are the largest e-waste exporter in the world, which is a terrible thing, e-waste is dangerous and takes advantage of the countries as the countries get trapped in the system since their government has little or no regulations to stop this. Clearly, it is an advantage core countries are taking to get rid of their problems the easy way.
8.Which of these is the largest e-waste producer? Once again America, don't be surprised, we easily replace our devices, with new gadgets ad inventions everyday, it is clearly easy to tell why we are #1 in e-waste exporter.
Thanks to everyone who took my survey again i appreciate it

Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F3SFCWM

Please take my survey :)

Cell Phones and the Growing Trend

I think almost everyone has a cell phone right? I for one, recently got mine last November for my birthday, but i was curios, what ever happens to all those old cell phones? I mean with all those new smartphones and Iphones they do get recycled right? Or at least re-used? Well I did some research and turns out, cell phones don't get as recycled as i thought. The article, "Old Cell Phones-Where do they GO?" by James Monsieur in ,http://www.cellforcash.com/free-articles/old-cell-phones-where-do-they-all-go.asp, mentions how every American has easy access to an upgrade or replacement for a cell phone which leads to 500 million un-used old cell phones just lying in your drawer. Well not only is it a bad thing, but statistics show not many cell  phones get recycled as the amount that are manufactured and sold. Only around 10 million get recycled and I think we can all agree and do the math as Monsieur clearly says it " it doesn't take a rocket scientist." In reality, cell phones are a neat gadget, i for one love mine, the browsing, the texting and the enjoyment i get, but i also know i can at least correctly recycle my old cell phone instead of just leaving it in my drawer where instead i can feel great about cleaning up the earth. Cell phone companies even have boxes to throw in your old cell phone. So instead of just tossing your old cell phone around, go to a cell phone company and dispose of it correctly, where you can safely and environmentally friendly say goodbye.

The Ugly Truth Behind Our Old Devices

Everyone at home has that one appliance that is never used or too old. Maybe an old DVD player, an old computer, an old printer and then what happens? They get shipped off and everything is okay right? If only it were true like we all believe. Those old appliances that you just threw away, maybe an old cell phone because it is ruined by the water, or your old iPod, all those devices do not end up in a local dump or get recycled, but rather they get shipped off in developing countries, where they shall lay for years and poison the environment. See, those devices that are amazing to us are not so amazing to the environment in the country, as the device has toxic chemicals within, that ruin the vegetation and pollute the surrounding. These appliances take, literally, a trip around the world, as most of them end up in China, India or Africa. Where workers must retrieve valuable materials by soaking the circuit boards in hot acid that melts the circuit boards away. Now i don't know about you, but hot acid? And that is not the worst part yet, the boiling acid has these toxic fumes that can lead to serious health problems. Due to little or no air ventilation, the workers inhale all those toxic fumes, poisoning their lungs which in years leads to cancer or major health problems. Oh did i forget to mention they do not have any sort of health regulations or support? That is right, the governments of these developing countries are not strong enough to create these regulation therefore the workers suffer the onslaught of inhaling venom everyday. The chemicals soon reach the surroundings and destroy any living ecosystems and any bodies of water. The city has now been taken over by electronic waste or e-waste as it is more known as. So those old appliances are not magically gone, but shipped across the globe to some other country where it is slowly being taken over by e-waste. Through the years e-waste creates a poisoned environment, creates major health problems and creates a dangerous black market. Next time you think about throwing your old device, think, you know where it will end up, you know the consequences. Instead throw it in a correct recycling center or tech stores. Best Buy recycles for free many appliances, old cellphones, music players and any other electronics. As well as cell phone companies have stands that accept your old cell phones. There is no magical dump out there, but instead a growing mountain side is being created by our old electronics waiting to tumble.