When I was asked to write the opening blog post for Version 2 of the Pharos Project, I realized there were several avenues I could take.  While I could talk about the large amounts of new data, new product categories, increased usability, rapid development environment, and improved workflow of our new features all day, ultimately I felt it would be a better use of this space to reintroduce you to the spirit of the Pharos Project. And really, how many times can we all read "cloud hosted,” "workflow management,” "unprecedented depth,” and "scalable" before those buzzwords become a snooze.

I love food and that’s why when I explain my role in Pharos, I often say I am the chef. It just describes what I do better than information architect, engineer, or coder.

The environment that architects and designers find themselves working in is not that different from the world of chefs.  These professionals find...

My primary work here in the Pharos Project is to figure out what's inside building materials. Often this research takes me into unexpected territory. A recent look into the manufacturing process of flooring finishes brought my attention to the compound stannous octoate. Examining its life cycle chemistry led me into a virtual tour of a very bleak place: the artisanal cassiterite mines of war-ravaged Congo.

Stannous octoate is a substance that can contain materials mined from hell on earth. It is based on tin, and tin comes from the smelting of cassiterite, some of which originates from mining operations that fuel conflict in eastern Congo. Some of this tin winds up in cell phones, car parts, and yes, building materials such as spray polyurethane foam insulation and PVC flooring. Organotins are also used in anti-microbial...

A manufacturer of PVC pipe, vinyl siding and other building and consumer products is now reportedly the number one source of dioxin releases in the country. A recent assessment of the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, by the Institute for Southern Studies identified Westlake Vinyls in Calvert City, KY as the worst dioxin polluter in 2010, reporting releases of over 14,000 grams -- more than 31 pounds -- of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds to surface waters in 2010 alone. Dioxins are among the most potent toxicants known to science, very persistent and bioaccumulative with health concerns including cancer and reproductive toxicity. Current European exposure limits range as low as 1 picogram per kilogram of body weight per day - one-trillionth of a gram. The EPA is expected to suggest even lower limits in its long awaited upcoming dioxin reassessment.

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Kaiser Permanente has made a major step in its program to reduce its use of chemicals of concern, announcing this week that it will switch to IV bags that do not use PVC and DEHP and IV tubing without DEHP. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) plastic and the phthalate DEHP (di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate) used to make it flexible are both widely used in medical products and have been shown to have a wide range of harmful effects on health.  Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the US, purchases almost 5 million IV tubing sets and over 9 million solution bags each year totaling nearly 100 tons of medical equipment.

This move is only the latest in ongoing work by Kaiser Permanente to address the chemical content of the products it uses. Kaiser...

The compartmentalization of environmental policies can create escape valves for pollution.  Regulations that do not reduce toxic inputs lead to a transfer of hazards. We have seen this, for example, with solid waste regulations. In the 1980s, when new regulations forced major disposal practice changes, waste generators took advantage of a lack of export controls.  They followed the path of least resistance and tried to ship waste to Africa, Haiti, and Bangladesh.

We are seeing a similar story unfold with pollutants generated by coal-fired power plants. The EPA took a huge, and long-awaited, step toward controlling toxic air emissions from coal power plants last month.  It released rules that, when fully implemented by 2016, will limit the air emissions of toxic contaminants of coal, such as mercury, arsenic, chromium, and sulfur dioxide.

Since coal fired power production is going to continue, these contaminants have to go...