Six Things to Help Save the World
Most of us have seen the endless pictures of plastic pollution and have heard about the Great Pacific garbage patch the size of Texas floating in our biggest ocean. We are aware the coral reefs aren't doing that well and forests are disappearing at an unimaginable rate. More often than not, we are scared to act, or simply scared, but there's another approach as well.
Underneath I've gathered some great projects and innovations that need our attention and support to make the critical change for all of us:
1. A new fully biodegradable packing material by Sulapac made out of wood to compete in the same exact market as plastic
Two Finnish female scientists with background in medicine and biomaterials, Suvi Haimi and Laura Kyllönen, are the founders of Sulapac, a company producing biodegradable packaging materials. Their innovation is making this particular packaging material one of the greenest options in the world.
The company is currently negotiating piloting projects with four global brands and is aiming to take a piece (if not the entire) cake in the world's 800-billion-euro packaging market in the future.
2. Marine biologist accidentally grows coral at faster rate than ever before
About a decade ago Dr. David Vaughan from the Mote Tropical Research Center in the Florida Keys accidentally broke a piece of coral, which turned out to be his eureka moment. He expected the coral to die or the very least to be stressed, but instead it started to grow rapidly. Soon enough Dr. Vaughan realized he could plant the coral back into the ocean and start restoring the coral reef. Coral Restoration program was born.
3. Going against deforestation with livestock
An ecologist Allan Savory's research about using livestock to save the environment from deforestation seems like the eco-activist's nightmare come true. Savory's ideas are controversial to many activists who battle against the growing numbers of livestock, but the results have so far been speaking for themselves.
4. Getting rid of water bottles by producing edible balls of water by Skipping Rocks Lab
It's called Ooho and it's a ball of water packaged in a plant-based material that is safe to eat or compose. You can either peel it or just munch away! Producing an edible ball takes only a ninth of energy compared to the old-fashioned plastic used in bottles. The eco-friendly Ooho blobs of water are targeting endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, and big public events such as festivals. It will be available to the public within a year.
5. Ocean Cleanup taking over the garbage floating around in big bodies of water
This might be the most viral one on the list. A young Dutch scientist Boyan Slat came up with the idea of creating an artificial coastline in the middle of an ocean current to catch all the floating debris and so The Ocean Cleanup was born. Within a decade this one project alone could potentially eliminate about half of the Great Pacific garbage patch. The best part? It's all naturally powered as ocean currents will simply do all the heavy lifting.
6. Biodegradable plates and serving bowls by Leaf Republic
Leaf Republic was founded after getting inspired by the notion of indigenous communities using leaves for serving food. By stitching together leaves with palm tree fibers, the company has managed to avoid using any unnatural binding components such as glue. The plate has a shelf life of approximately 18 months, but when used it decomposes faster than an apple core. Want to learn more? Go here. Where to get them? Click right here.
As great as all of these ideas are, some of them are still crowdfunding and trying their hardest to become the next viral thing. You can help by circling the word by sharing these ideas with your friends.
Underneath I've gathered some great projects and innovations that need our attention and support to make the critical change for all of us:
1. A new fully biodegradable packing material by Sulapac made out of wood to compete in the same exact market as plastic
Two Finnish female scientists with background in medicine and biomaterials, Suvi Haimi and Laura Kyllönen, are the founders of Sulapac, a company producing biodegradable packaging materials. Their innovation is making this particular packaging material one of the greenest options in the world.
The company is currently negotiating piloting projects with four global brands and is aiming to take a piece (if not the entire) cake in the world's 800-billion-euro packaging market in the future.
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| Image: pixabay.com |
2. Marine biologist accidentally grows coral at faster rate than ever before
About a decade ago Dr. David Vaughan from the Mote Tropical Research Center in the Florida Keys accidentally broke a piece of coral, which turned out to be his eureka moment. He expected the coral to die or the very least to be stressed, but instead it started to grow rapidly. Soon enough Dr. Vaughan realized he could plant the coral back into the ocean and start restoring the coral reef. Coral Restoration program was born.
3. Going against deforestation with livestock
An ecologist Allan Savory's research about using livestock to save the environment from deforestation seems like the eco-activist's nightmare come true. Savory's ideas are controversial to many activists who battle against the growing numbers of livestock, but the results have so far been speaking for themselves.
4. Getting rid of water bottles by producing edible balls of water by Skipping Rocks Lab
It's called Ooho and it's a ball of water packaged in a plant-based material that is safe to eat or compose. You can either peel it or just munch away! Producing an edible ball takes only a ninth of energy compared to the old-fashioned plastic used in bottles. The eco-friendly Ooho blobs of water are targeting endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, and big public events such as festivals. It will be available to the public within a year.
5. Ocean Cleanup taking over the garbage floating around in big bodies of water
This might be the most viral one on the list. A young Dutch scientist Boyan Slat came up with the idea of creating an artificial coastline in the middle of an ocean current to catch all the floating debris and so The Ocean Cleanup was born. Within a decade this one project alone could potentially eliminate about half of the Great Pacific garbage patch. The best part? It's all naturally powered as ocean currents will simply do all the heavy lifting.
6. Biodegradable plates and serving bowls by Leaf Republic
Leaf Republic was founded after getting inspired by the notion of indigenous communities using leaves for serving food. By stitching together leaves with palm tree fibers, the company has managed to avoid using any unnatural binding components such as glue. The plate has a shelf life of approximately 18 months, but when used it decomposes faster than an apple core. Want to learn more? Go here. Where to get them? Click right here.
As great as all of these ideas are, some of them are still crowdfunding and trying their hardest to become the next viral thing. You can help by circling the word by sharing these ideas with your friends.
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