“Music is many ways is very political and talks about change.” In an interview with BeatPort.com, musician Richie Hawtin talks about his innovative way of communicating with young people in order to inform them about important and current topics, such as the environment.

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Richie Hawtin has always been an innovator in the field of music. His career as a DJ started in the local electronic music clubs in Detroit, when he was still young and was known as Plastikman. Since then, his success has grown exponentially, and he has become a famous artist on an international level. He is a point of reference in the entire electronic music scene. His success comes mostly from his ability to create original and creative sounds, and his knowledge of music technology. Since the 90’s, he has been the director of two record labels: Plus-8, created in 1990; and Minus, with which he produces his own musical creations. With the collaboration of other international DJ, BeatPort.com was born, a website where both independent artists and fans of electronic music can meet, in order to share music and ideas.

“I have always been interested in the future, in the future of music and technology”, explains Hawtin in the interview. Today, however, Richie Hawtin looks at the future with greater understanding. Through the eyes of a man who has experienced much more of the world than most people, he sees the problems and uncertainties that are arising. He asks the questions that most people don’t want to bring up: what kind of world are we leaving to future generations? How can we fix, or at least contain, the complex environmental problems that we now face? There are already many groups and organizations that work to promote awareness, but Richie is convinced that the most important and challenging aspect of awareness is reaching the younger generations. These children are the true protagonists of the future, and it is up to them to promote a concrete and enduring change.

Richie Hawtin’s dream is to utilize electronic music as an instrument for spreading ideas in order to educate and promote awareness about the environment. He believes that electronic music is the best way to reach people on a global level. Since there are no vocals and can be enjoyed and performed by any person, regardless of culture, electronic music is the most global music scene in the world. The objective of the project, therefore, is to give international artists the ability to speak out about environmental problems. In this easy and interactive way, the message will be broadcasted worldwide: the solutions to these problems can be accomplished by everyone, through small gestures throughout the day. A “green” future is possible, and could arrive much sooner than we think, thanks to electronic music.

More Info:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ8qjV21aZs

Washing clothes by barely using any water? As impossible as that sounds, a system has been put in place where environmental friendliness meats cleanliness. In the future, doing the laundry won’t be nearly as wasteful for our limited and precious natural resources, and it doesn’t include going to the lake and washing clothes like they did centuries ago.

The first ever washing machine was patented in 1858 by Hamilton Smith. This rotary machine accomplished the simple deed of washing away dirt from clothes. As the years rolled on, washing machines became more and more effective, being able to use detergents as well to make clothes smell like new, while also washing away stains. Now, theses machines are used in most households all over the world. But the environmental consequences are noteworthy, namely: the millions of gallons of water needed for washing machines to operate at optimum capacity.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have developed a washing machine that uses an astonishingly low amount of water. It only consumes a mere 2 percent compared to any other conventional washing machine. This technology is already being dubbed as the “virtually waterless washing system”. The process uses plastic granules that are mixed with the clothing and have the power to remove stains singlehandedly. This process is capable of removing virtually any type of dirt or build up, and when the clothes are taken out, they are almost dry.

The process being developed will have beneficial effects for the earth and water usage. Each washing cycle will lead to less build up at industrial sites such as wastewater treatment centers. As this technology spreads around the globe, fresh, usable water will be available for other services, rather than wasting by the gallon as it washes clothes.

More Info.:

• http://www.leeds.ac.uk/media/press_releases/current/washing_machine.htm