The issue of sustainability is present now more than ever before. It seems people have finally woken up from their deep, consumerism-induced sleep and realised sustainability must be taken seriously. From this realisation, a lot of great ideas have been implemented. Recycling and renewable energy are believed to be the most important sustainable inventions but today we are focusing on equally promising and imaginative creations.
Tent That Collects Rainwater And Solar Energy
This amazing invention was designed together with refugees and people displaced by war having climate change in mind. Materials and ideas used for constructing tents can be found all around, in nature, say, like snakeskin, or within the nomadic lifestyle. The materials are light but strong, capable of providing shelter and a sense of security to the new proud owners.
The dual-layer tent structure has the ability to collect water at the top of the tent and filter it down the sides to avoid flooding. Also, it allows cold air in and hot air out in the summer. There is a way to turn it into a shower, too! The water stored in the side pockets can be drawn upwards through thermosyphoning (no need for a mechanical pump) system so, it does contribute a lot to the welfare of the population.
Straw That Turns Dirty Water Into Drinking Water
We couldn’t believe it either but it’s true! You can drink rainwater with this straw and you will be perfectly fine. The company LifeStraw took water filtration to the next level. Namely, they use a hollow fibre membrane system that does not require chemicals such as chlorine. When drinking water narrow fibres are trapping the contaminants which are then flushed out by backwashing. The fact it removes up to 99.9% of bacteria and reduces the muddiness almost entirely speaks great volumes of its efficiency.
Edible Cutlery
There are more than 40 billion plastic utensils used and thrown around the world. That’s a big number! We all know the negative effects plastic has on the environment. Since the cutlery is one of the most important pieces of utensils we use, it needed to be portable, thus, plastic. However, we came to realise we do not have to make a plastic fork, but the fork we can use to eat and then eat it, too!
You heard it well. You can eat the fork and the knife after you are done with your lunch. Pretty cool! If you are not up for eating, it will biodegrade in a few days. Just like the regular cutlery, it comes in different shapes and sizes, depending on the purpose. As for the flavours, they vary from plain to salty and sweet. There are also vegan options, and the best part is they are zero waste and 100% eco-friendly.
Smog Free Tower
The Smog Free Tower is a genius invention designed by the Dutch professor, Daan Roosegaarde. It is basically the world’s first smog vacuum cleaner, aiming to reduce air pollution. Not only is it able to clean 30,000 m3 of air per hour, but there is also a ring that you can wear made of the smog particles it collects. The Smog Free Ring manages to provide clean air to over 1000 square meters of space! This project caught the eye of many countries like South Korea, China, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Poland. But this was just the beginning for professor Roosegaarde and his team of experts. Besides the Smog Free Ring, the Smog Free Bicycle and the Smog Eating Billboard projects have also been implemented, making the quest for clean air a successful mission, as in the professor’s words was his main goal.
Breathing Buildings
The company EcoLogic has produced algae panels designed to filter out the pollutants out of the air and release the photosynthesised oxygen in the buildings or the nearby surroundings.
The way it works is that they are attached to a building, sucking the air from the streets and rising it up through the panels. The preparation for this endeavour includes adding special gel to the algae, which optimises their performance. The algae are known as naturally efficient in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen and due to the process of photosynthesis, they manage to release it. In fact, it is thought that one of these panels is equivalent to a fully grown tree! After they fulfil their purposes, the algae can be used to produce fertilisers or bio-plastics. However, in order to make any meaningful impact, these panels would have to be adopted on a global level.
It seems the sustainable inventions are within our reach, we just have to make the effort to implement them.
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