Tag: Environment

Farm stubble, sawdust, and corn flakes are valuable resources for packaging material. Now, a Ukrainian startup is turning to nature’s other gifts to help lower CO2 emissions. Why fell 17 trees to make a ton of paper when you could use 2.3 tons of fallen leaves instead? After being collected from parks, sidewalks and residential developments, the leaves are...

Goal-setting can motivate people to undertake climate action. So too entertaining tips. Now with its new IT solution, a startup from Norway is helping companies to bring climate action directly to their clients. Integration into software or apps means offsetting measures can be initiated upon purchase. During the buying process the resultant carbon footprint is calculated and clients can...

New machines can filter miniscule smog particles from the air; an attachment catches lead in tap water. Now a Bristol-based startup is aiming to remove microplastics from washing machines before the artificial fibres wind up in the ocean. All that’s required is an easy-to-use attachment which can be placed on top of the washing machine, connected to the waste...

Documenting fish stocks makes commercial fishing more sustainable. But certain organisms such as fast-growing algae create havoc for aquatic ecosystems. They deprive fish of their basis for life. Water fleas feed on algae, however, and thus have a positive impact on the natural order of things. Selecting four different genotypes of water flea, a female student from Canada examined...

Self-driving electric haulers could soon be hitting railway tracks. Meanwhile, an American startup has developed a system which removes CO2 from the atmosphere during rail traffic. Air flows in through an aperture on top of a container car stationed in between track vehicles. The CO2 is extracted and stored within a chamber, with clean air flowing out through the...

A breakfast omelette made from sweet lupins? That’s possible. Now, a German research team is upping the ante with a sustainable palm oil substitute, which could also be used to produce vegan cheese. The main ingredient is corn scraps, mixed with a single-celled fungal strain. Fermenting the combination produces an oil which is almost identical in composition to palm...

Gin leftovers and sawdust can be used to make furniture. Should it, or other flammable liquids or gases catch fire, a new patented, certified and sustainable solution from a Canadian startup is on hand to douse the flames. Instead of foams made from polymer or PFAS containing respiratory irritants or cancerous substances (tip: the film Dark Waters) the fire...

Plastic for building blocks, coffee grounds for football strips, and chopsticks for furniture. Now a New Orleans startup is recycling glass and converting it to shingles and sand. Glass bottles are dropped off by volunteers or collected by the team against a fee, before being broken up and ground. Perfect for new glass products such as tiles or jewellery....