On recycling, graduating, and projects
I started this blog a month before I started my first year of design school (the first year in my program is a Fine Arts foundation course, which really has nothing to do with design). Those first days are well documented in this blog; the day before the first day, the first day, the second day and the realization that design students have to take their classes in the I.T. faculty (something I hate to this day, but that’s still much better than the physics faculty), the first post asking for project help, the day I started learning about local design companies (today, I’m seriously amused by my past thoughts), my first week, and of course, my first project, in which we weren’t even allowed to use a computer (and that was the STUPIDEST decision anyone ever took, I mean, what the hell?).
It’s been a long way since then.
Today, I’m starting to work on the very last project I’ll do for my bachelors degree; my graduation project, which I decided will be designing a recycling system for Amman. The graduation project is year-long, and 12-credit hours worth. During the first semester, we have to write a “thesis” with really weird requirements (one of them is “Conduct your research in all the available libraries in Amman”). The second semester is dedicated to working hands-on design-wise on the project, so that should be a lot more interesting, but for now, I need to be doing researches, surveys, and all the other stuff that should make the actual project more “real” next semester.
So, just like I started my design program here, I will start my graduation project here too. This is the first survey I do for it. Please take a few minutes to answer this survey for me, it’s quite precise, mostly with radio buttons so it won’t take you over a minute or two. I would really appreciate it. I even disabled cookies so that if anyone around you wants to take the survey they too can too (and it would be great if you asked your little kid sibling or your older parents for different generations).
I will probably also put some surveys up on behalf of my friends later on.
If you live INSIDE of JORDAN, please only answer the FIRST survey. If you live OUTSIDE of Jordan, please only answer the SECOND survey.
If you have any information about recycling in Jordan, please let me know too.
Thanks, I really appreciate your help!
Iman
November 21, 2006 @ 6:25 pm
Nice Project … I submitted and made a comment
Is there a recycling system in Amman now? (aside from locals disposing of ALL their trash on the streets, corners and sidewalks)
Roba
November 21, 2006 @ 6:32 pm
Thanks Iman :) As far as I know, there’s none. You can drop off your stuff at RSNC, but there isn’t any official system.
Nimer
November 21, 2006 @ 8:59 pm
Actually, there is a sense of a recycling system in Jordan. I recall back in ‘94-’95-’96, the NES (school)l had a separate bin for paper, which was used for recycling collection. I don’t know of any further information regarding this, and hadn’t seen it elsewhere, but I do remember it existing. I guess perhaps limited marketing on behalf of the company if it still exists, that used to pass by the school and collect the paper.
Mr. Tea (aka your Mad Tutor)
November 21, 2006 @ 11:00 pm
Good going Roba! great set of questions for the Jordanian’s bit, you’ve covered everything, although a bit skimpy on the foreigners bit.
I suggest you devise questions about the means of disposal/recycling, the frequency in which the reader engages in recyling (whether collection or disposal) and also the frequency and availablity of the collection of these wastes and the availability of the bins (in every house, street or district…)
Come up with a way to get the most info without boring the reader with ‘write comments’ fields, these clues might help you in the future while creating your project and also will give you clues as to which countries’ systems you should research more thoroughly.
(I know this is not the perfect place to give you these comments, but we all know you read these posts more often than my emails ;P)
I hope you asked your blogging friends to link to these surveys to enlarge the circle of data collection! Good luck…
Roba
November 22, 2006 @ 1:12 am
LOL Mr. Tea, thank you very much for your input :P I added the questions you proposed in the foreigners survey.
Roba
November 22, 2006 @ 1:12 am
And I do too read your emails.
Iman
November 22, 2006 @ 1:46 am
Which means I have to retake it!
Alright, I’ll do that later this evening!
good luck! and hope to see this project into action one day - soon!
KeKo
November 22, 2006 @ 2:02 am
Wallah hatha il post bedo qa3deh o finganeen qahweh not a comment :)
I’ll try and get to the juice straight away thou:
If you really want to achieve anything significant in the area of recycling! Follow the money not people’s conscious and attitude.
So I would start with the municipalities annual accounts not their environmental policy :) then onto how their budget relates to the various taxes paid per household then 100 more levels ah and stop for a break get a coffee and a CPA :) then figure out how the whole framework can be changed to bully people into proclaiming they have seen the light. Then pat yourself on the back you have reached the start line and its time for politics.
Switzerland and Germany have great recycling because of stealth taxation (i.e. good governance) thou branded a tad different of course. So as a branding guru maybe you can also do something on how such a policy can be tailor branded for Jordanians.
Saned
November 22, 2006 @ 8:34 am
You got it roba! Good luck!
Firas
November 22, 2006 @ 9:49 am
Hi Roba,
Good luck with you project.
I had this post about one year ago: http://iheartamman.blogspot.com/2005/09/towards-sustainable-amman-reduce-reuse.html
The document contains some links, such as a UN report about Jordan’s recycling.
I think our main challenges are as follow:
1. Public awareness
2. No serious governmental support (lets hope the new environment ministry would do something)
3. No recycling facilities are available, for example Magdi home and such got recycling 7awyeh’s and bin, but most of the time they are either huge or expensive for no reason.
Roba can I have some suggestions please :-) ?
I’ve always thought that all bookshops near UofJ should save their used or unwanted paper for students to use them for practicing and stuff. Computer labs which got printers should have a bin to put all the unwanted papers inside it so students could use them for practicing. I’ve once asked one of the shops in Bawabeh Shamaleyeh area to save me papers, he agreed, but he gave me that look (man you are weird) never went there again.
Anyways, you know the bookshop in front of the main gate? Near the Shawerma place? He’s open minded and very cooperative you could have a little chat with him, he knows lots of other bookshops in town.
The best method is to find a group of active students that will distribute these bins to local bookshops and every week they’ll take its content and put it in faculties lobbies.
I wish you good luck on your project, you could always start actual work now and not waiting till second semester, no one will know :D
I know this guy bellem Bebsi for Hawyat, he got lots of info, smells like Pepsi, interested?
Eman
November 23, 2006 @ 12:43 am
Survey completed!
I’m a BIG FAN of environmental activities and I try to update myself as much as possible. I’ve also worked with non profit organizations assisting in environmental projects in Amman. Anyway, below you’ll find a list of very useful links to environmental associations and projects in Jordan. And a few of my blog posts involving environmental activities and issues in Jordan.
http://www.rscn.org.jo/
http://www.jes.org.jo/news.asp
http://www.foe.org.jo/home.html
http://www.gtz.de/en/presse/675.htm
http://aquacool.subzeroblue.com/2005/05/05/environment-friendly-jordan/
http://aquacool.subzeroblue.com/2005/01/04/jordan-bans-the-use-of-petcoke/
http://aquacool.subzeroblue.com/2004/05/31/global-water-management-conference/
http://aquacool.subzeroblue.com/2003/10/13/environmental-issues/
If you need more environment-related info I’ll be more than happy to help, you know my email. And hey, good luck :)
Roba
November 23, 2006 @ 8:52 pm
Thanks a lot for the tips guys, I really appreciate it.
Shaden
November 27, 2006 @ 3:59 pm
Done.
Good luck : )