Tag: Environment

Ships at anchor can generate electricity. Now, a London-based designer wants to equip narrowboats with a special bumper to help clean up British canal waters. The plastic bumper, which hangs from outside the boat, has holes in its lower half, and is filled with coconut fibres and microbes. As the canal water flows into these openings any oil it...

Mushrooms can play a vital role in computer technology. And are equally good at dealing with noise pollution. They also form part of an underground network which supplies trees with nutrients, helping them to grow. If trees are felled and uprooted, however, these networks also disappear. Now, an Edinburgh-based startup is restoring this ecosystem by preparing individually-tailored pellets containing...

People can grow sustainable vegetables from their sofas and know exactly where they come from. The same cannot be said for supermarket-bought food, even organic produce. Which is why an Argentinian startup is developing solutions to verify the agricultural supply chain’s sustainability. First, NASA images of the production area are analysed. This helps determine whether areas were created through...

In Italy, tomatoes have a life after dinner. Chocolate is another cherished Italian staple. Yet, instead of using cocoa, a regional startup began looking to carob for a more sustainable alternative. Sweet and high-in-fibre, the legume also works against free radicals in the body. The carob tree thrives in the dry, southern Italian climate. If used, 2,400 litres of...

Anomalies in network traffic can be detected musically. Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) can be devastating too, turning entire coastal areas red and tourists away in the process. Enter a university lecturer in Florida and her data on coral diseases and the impact of HABs on coastal economies. Not for her publishing a series of dull tables and reports. Instead,...

Sugar cane makes life sweeter for its natural surroundings. Beetles, likewise, make plants happy and offer protection against parasites and pesticides. Ladybirds, too, have an increasingly important role to play in agriculture. Enter a female US researcher investigating why aphids avoid the polka-dotted insects like the plague. Turns out it’s the unique smell ladybirds emit. This is produced by...

Deciding on a foreign university is easier with first-hand information. Those wishing to practise a sustainable lifestyle away from home, however, often spend a long time looking for the right shops and restaurants. Now a Munich-based startup is making the process easier thanks to its new digital platform. It contains an index of firms and businesses that offer sustainable...

Banana paper can protect potato seeds from pathogens. But soil bacteria provide vital nutrients for plants’ healthy growth. Making them a good replacement for chemical fertilisers. If only they were less sensitive to heat, humidity and freeze-drying... Now, thanks to a US-based research team, the bacteria can be given a protective coating. It’s made by mixing metal ions -...