We are always talking about the pollution we create. The carbon and methane emissions, water purity, and so on. There are many innovations on how to reduce these, but what if we could use the pollution we are creating to create something useful and safe for the environment. Carbon sequestration is a natural process that we take for granted. It is the earths ability to absorb Carbon before it reaches the atmosphere. With the damage we have caused to the natural cycle the earth is unable to compete with our emissions of carbon. Carbon sequestration is the storage and hardening of carbon emissions before they hit the air we breathe. To reverse this cycle some savvy humans are thinking of ways for humans to make up for their mistakes.
A new innovation created by New Light Technologies allows for the
everyday household use of our pollution. Most plastic is made from
fossil fuels which are a main issue of our pollution problem. AirCarbon
named by the company takes the pollution and makes the plastic.
Eliminating the need to use untapped resources and also allowing for the
possible reversal of some of the carbon flow we create. The production of the plastic takes three steps. First the capture of
the carbon, second isolate the carbon and third polymerize the carbon. After these steps a strong durable plastic is made.
AirCarbon is classified as a carbon negative resource.
What does carbon
negative mean?
With this product and the studies they have done, AirCarbon actually reduces the amount of carbon added into the atmosphere. Essentially they created a carbon sequestration system that is man made.
This is a good step towards reversing out unhealthy impact onto the earth. Focusing on eliminating the use of fossil fuels is important however it is equally important to innovate on ways we can use the destruction we have created in positive ways. This technology embodies our future. As generations face the idea of Global Warming it is important to keep in mind that the systems we were given by previous generations may harm the earth, but those systems can be restructured to benefit us as well as heal the earth and prevent further damage. Here is the CEO to give you some insight on the products New Light Technologies in creating.
Resources
New Light Technologies. From Green House G
as to Plastic. http://newlight.com/. Web.
The need for more sustainable and clean water sources is a subject on most people's minds. With a fair amount of earths water sources drying up the idea of where and how to get water it becoming a large area of research. Countries all around the world have limited access to clean water. Many places around the world are even facing circumstances of no water availability. With the growing fear of water loss a lot of new technology is developing that is astonishing and may save our Earth's most precious resource.
A company recently developed a water bottle that is self filling. That may seem confusing but it is just as it sounds. This water bottle is literally making water from thin air. It was created by Austrian industrial designer Kristof Retezár, it was created to provide a simple way to obtain water in water scarce areas. It is portable and available for purchase. Assuming the air is clean the water quality is clean as well. The company is working on developing a purification system to combine with the existing invention. This product can create a way to get clean water to everyone without straining to much of the worlds resources. It is also solar powered which makes is usable everywhere. Who knows if the next step could be to create a large scale system that could supply a neighborhood or even a town. Here is a video above on how the system works.
It does not always take a person with scientific knowledge to create a ground breaking technology sometimes all it takes is someone who cares. Waves for Water was started by a man named Jon Rose who travels around the world to visit many surfing destinations. As he was visiting these places he realized the lack of clean water available. He began to wonder what he could do to make a differnece thus the filter emerged. It is similar to a dialysis system and is easy to use. He paired up with Hurley known surfing company to then distribute the filters. Now surfers looking to surf in remote areas of the world can do so with a charitable goal in mind. The company has distributed over 100,000 filters worldwide. It is a wide impact to it is not just going to help individuals but entire villages and towns. Not only was he aiming to focus on the purity of the water but on the actual distribution of the filters. There are many technologies out there that improve living and often they are not available to everyone. A video above shows the impact and technologies
These are just two technologies that are out there. There are many more being invented every day. The amazing part is that the focus seems to be in equal distribution of the water. This is so important especially in the eyes of scarcity. People should not have excess if others have none. It is important that everyone have clean water. With these new technologies it is possible to create a world where everyone does have clean water.
Resources:
http://www.techinsider.io/the-fontus-self-filling-water-bottle-2016-1
Imagine being able to grow plants that also supply energy for your house? Or better yet supply energy for an entire community?
In 2007 there was an experiment done by Waginigen University. It studied plants and the use of them as a power source. With sustainable and renewable energy being a vital part of the modern science world, this idea took of by storm. Plant-e is the name of the organization based in the Netherlands.
How did this idea come to be? Well some scientists noticed that plants only use part of their energy they create to grow, the rest gets consumed by the plants microorganisms and generates unused electrons, which Plant-e converts to power (Schrama). Here is a video to help understand the process more in depth.
This is a great step towards a more sustainable world. Not only is there ability to generate power with no environmental damage but there is the ability to help the environment. This can be a way to increase the amount of vegetation and the amount of plants that are providing us with oxygen. Currently the project is being implemented in various ways. There are limits to what can be generated however the Plant-e organization is working on developing a larger more applicable system. However right now it is already being used in Netherlands for outdoor lighting, small scale WI-FI set ups, and green roofs helping to partially power and fully insulate a building (Schrama). It is amazing to think what the future will look like if this idea is embraced.
This type of power provides humans with a reason to think sustainable.
Not only will it provide us with power but also make tangible the cyclical
relationship between plants and humans. Our care of the plants would provide us with instant gratification, which may help restore peoples conception of the earth and how it is used. If this was implemented on a wide scale there may be a paradigm shift towards the environment. Plant-e is a way to show humans how powerful and important our earth is. Working together with the earth will provide more benefits then to strip earth of all its resources. If you would like too experiment with Plant-e yourself there is a DIY box available here.
Sources
Schrama, Nanda. "How to Generate Electricity from Living Plants". World Economic Forum; Innovation, 15 August 2015.
Plant-e. Living Plants Generate Electricity. Plant-e.com
The wolves of Yellowstone had been absent for upwards of 70 years (Stewards). Until the 1990s when they were introduced back into the ecosystem. Seventeen years later changes have been made since the reintroduction.
The ecosystem starts to give back or take to what has been given or removed. It can be called a Trophic Cascade as Stephen Carpenter of Britannica Encyclopedia describes “an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of toppredators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through afood chain, which often results in dramatic changes inecosystem structure and nutrient cycling.”
Photo Credit: Rolf Shutenhelm, Development of various species numbers after wolf
reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park.
They were brought into help with the rising elk population but had a dramatic effect on the rest of the ecosystem. Most shockingly is the change in the river beds and landscapes. (Farqhuar). The Beaver population escalated along with a rise in the health of the willows surrounding the river beds. “The presence of wolves triggered a still-unfolding cascade effect among animals and plants-one that will take decades of research to understand” says Smith a Biologist that was part of the article by Brodie Farquhar a writer for Yellowstone. The entire health of the region has been supported by the wolves reintroduction. The cascade effect helps restore healthy habits of an ecosystem back into place.
Here is a video that is from Sustainable Human on Youtube it helps show the impact visually. Hopefully this will show people the effect of taking a species out of environment and how devastating it can be.
It took years for the restoration to begin in Yellowstone and many places are past a helping point. This is an amazing effort and effect of the reintroduction of the wolves but it should also be an example of what happens when a species is removed. We as humans should want a consistently flourishing ecosystem all around us and in order to do that we need to respect the food chain and help avoid ruining it. It was humans who aided in the disappearance of the wolves in the first place. It is humans who aided in the reintroduction, and most importantly it is humans who can help prevent these extinctions and endangerment's before they take place.
References:
Carpenter, Stephen. “Trophic Cascade”. Britannica Encyclopedia, Ecology.
