search  current discussion  categories  books & magazines - books 

seeking info for book

updated tue 15 aug 00

 

Earl Brunner on thu 10 aug 00


Greg, unless you are really careless, probably the biggest
pollutant we use/ is our energy consumption and the
pollutants from it and that would include most sources of
electric generation.

Gregory D Lamont wrote:
>
> Dear Clayart friends,
> I received the following E-mail, the purpose of which is pretty
> self-explanatory. I imagine others of you have received it as well, but
> just in case you haven't and are interested in replying, here's the
> original message:
>
> From: Jixapose@aol.com
> :
> Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 14:30:25 EDT
> Subject: Questions
> To: gdlamont@isunet.net
> :
> :
> :
> X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 107
> :
> :
>
> Hello,
> My name is Alex, and I'm putting togeather a book on alternative products
> that are safer for the environment. I was wondering if you could answer a
> couple questions for me.
> 1) What pollutants does making pottery produce, and how much?
> 2) How much raw material does the process take vs. finished material?
> 3) How many in home items that are harmful to the environment can be replaced
> with clay products?
> 4) What products does clay products compete with?
> Thank you for taking the time to review this letter, and please send your
> company's name, address, and phone number so I can write you into my
> achknowledgments.
>
> Respectively,
> Alexander Hay
>
> I find question #1 especially thought provoking just now as I'm in a
> glazing frenzy getting ready for a big show at the end of the month. What
> contributions are we as potters adding to the pollutant load with our raw
> materials and processes--the glazes washed off our brushes, buckets and
> tools, what goes up the chimneys of our kilns, etc. I'm going to have to
> think about the others as well. Food for thought.
> Greg
>
> E-mail address:
> gdlamont@isunet.net
>
> See my pottery at these web sites:
> http://www.ourwebpage.net/greglamont/
> http://www.milkywayceramics.com/cgallery/glamont.htm
>
> Mailing address and Phone:
> Greg Lamont
> 3011 Northwood Drive
> Ames, IA 50010-4750
> (515) 233-3442
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.

--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
mailto:bruec@anv.net

Gregory D Lamont on thu 10 aug 00


Dear Clayart friends,
I received the following E-mail, the purpose of which is pretty
self-explanatory. I imagine others of you have received it as well, but
just in case you haven't and are interested in replying, here's the
original message:

From: Jixapose@aol.com
:
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 14:30:25 EDT
Subject: Questions
To: gdlamont@isunet.net
:
:
:
X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 107
:
:

Hello,
My name is Alex, and I'm putting togeather a book on alternative products
that are safer for the environment. I was wondering if you could answer a
couple questions for me.
1) What pollutants does making pottery produce, and how much?
2) How much raw material does the process take vs. finished material?
3) How many in home items that are harmful to the environment can be replaced
with clay products?
4) What products does clay products compete with?
Thank you for taking the time to review this letter, and please send your
company's name, address, and phone number so I can write you into my
achknowledgments.

Respectively,
Alexander Hay

I find question #1 especially thought provoking just now as I'm in a
glazing frenzy getting ready for a big show at the end of the month. What
contributions are we as potters adding to the pollutant load with our raw
materials and processes--the glazes washed off our brushes, buckets and
tools, what goes up the chimneys of our kilns, etc. I'm going to have to
think about the others as well. Food for thought.
Greg

E-mail address:
gdlamont@isunet.net

See my pottery at these web sites:
http://www.ourwebpage.net/greglamont/
http://www.milkywayceramics.com/cgallery/glamont.htm

Mailing address and Phone:
Greg Lamont
3011 Northwood Drive
Ames, IA 50010-4750
(515) 233-3442

Martin Howard on mon 14 aug 00


To really answer this question about pollutants caused by pottery production
we would need to produce a spread sheet showing what goes in and what goes
out at every stage of pottery production.

Fuel is one obvious thing to include; but to do the job properly each potter
would need to analyse how he/she obtained the raw materials used at that
pottery; and at the other end of production, the ins and outs of the selling
process.

I did this for intensive broiler and turkey production, but only for the
activity on the site of the broiler houses themselves. Still, it had to
cover a lot of materials, including all that the birds take in and all that
they excrete.

Only a really large pottery could, I think, undertake to fully answer this
question, and most should have produced the bare bones of the answer while
dealing with the planning and environmental health authorities in the form
of an Environmental Impact Assessment.

For the rest of us, we should just be aware of what we send up into the
atmosphere; what our RMs have caused during mining, collection and
transportation; and how much travelling we do, needlessly; then try to
reduce to a reasonable minimum.

Martin Howard who has just returned from the East Anglia Potters camp at
Shotley where we had a Soda kiln, a Woodburning kiln, a Salt kiln, a Roman
kiln and a Pit firing, as well as a lot of Raku. A wonderful weekend; lots
of smoke; and some beautiful pots.

Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk