Good News, Planet Earth! - November 2020
Renewable energy thrived in 2020 like never before, with new innovations in solar power, wind power, and now… soil power!? We keep finding new sustainable alternatives to plastics that we’ll soon start seeing in our everyday lives, and soon enough stores will have machines transforming old clothes into brand new ones. Finally, if you love rainforests and know how many products use palm oil, finding an alternative that’s good for human health is incredibly good news.
When the scientific consensus warned us that we’re approaching a deadline to save the world, creators all over the globe felt inspired to find solutions. Now, we’re constantly creating new inventions that will allow us to continue enjoying comforts we rely on while also allowing life on Earth to live sustainably. I’m happy to have started sharing this good news at the dawn of this exciting new decade of change, and I feel driven to continue creating these to spread awareness that we’re now reaching for the beginning of a more sustainable era.
Renewable Energy Defies COVID-19 Downturn To Hit Record Growth in 2020
By Andy Corbley – Nov 11, 2020
A new report published by the International Energy Agency shows that nearly 90% of new electricity generation will be renewable in 2020
15% more renewable energy was auctioned-off between January and October, as compared to 2019, and 30% more energy was produced from wind and solar energy sources, even with pandemic-related disruptions
It’s expected that there will be a record setting 10% expansion in renewable energy by the end of 2021
Wind farms and PV solar panels now generate the cheapest costs of electricity in history, and are the cheapest forms of new energy to install
This Good News shows how fossil fuels are quickly becoming obsolete as renewable energy has grown to become cheaper to install and produce energy, while also steadily growing even during times of business disruption and economic uncertainty.
Natural Organisms in Soil Can Power Lights With This Bio Battery, Which May Be World’s Most Disruptive Technology
By Andy Corbley – Nov 1, 2020
Image : Bioo
Bioo, a Spanish biotech company, has created batteries that use microbes in soil to generate electricity
When irrigated or rained on, microbes and nutrients that live in soil and eat decaying plant matter enter into their in-ground batteries, and their feeding charges the battery when combined with oxygen, creating soil-power
Bioo’s goal is to scale up this technology until the soil-powered units generate enough power for an entire house, which seems possible since it doesn’t require any toxic or rare earth minerals to manufacture
Bioo is showcasing this technology through public areas where people can turn on lights, screens, and music by touching plants
Soil microbes never sleep and consistently provide energy, unlike other renewable energy sources, and the Bioo panels save water by generating extra H20 from the soil
This technology has the potential to be extremely cheap, as it only requires clean abundant resources to produce, and it wouldn’t interrupt the natural landscape above ground
This Good News shows the exciting beginnings of a new 100% renewable energy source that has the potential to make living off of sustainable energy so much more attainable in our future.
Image : Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University
Scientists designed tableware made from bamboo and sugarcane waste that is as convenient and functional as plastic tableware and containers
This eco-friendly, clean, non-toxic material biodegrades in only 60 days while still being strong enough to hold hot liquids and greasy food, outperforming many other biodegradable food containers
The manufacturing process emits 97% less CO2 than plastic containers and 65% less CO2 than biodegradable plastic and paper products
Currently, this material is 2x cheaper than biodegradable plastic and just slightly more expensive than traditional plastic
This Good News shows another example of a plastic alternative that is almost as cheap and strong as traditional plastic while also being biodegradable and much more sustainable to produce, allowing for us to be one step closer to a future that is entirely free of single-use plastics.
H&M In-Store Recycling Machine Turns Old Clothes into New Threads—A World First
By Andy Corbley – Nov 2, 2020
Image : H&M
One of Europe’s biggest and most popular clothing labels, H&M, helped to establish the world’s first in-store machine that shreds old clothes, cleans and presses them into long fibers, weaves them into yarn, then knits this into brand new clothes
Up to 5% of our landfills are made up of waste from fashion, and this fashion produces 10% of the US’ total methane emissions, so having these machines be compact enough to fit in a store or a shipping container is very important for environmental health
This machine, Looop, doesn’t use any water or additional dyes, making it very sustainable
This technology is available for any clothing brands that are interested in using it
This Good News is another great example of a new innovative technology that brings us one step closer to a sustainable circular economy, where everything we discard is either recycled into something new or returned to the Earth to biodegrade.
Photo : University of Guelph
Two Canadian food scientists created an alternative to palm oil that can hold liquid vegetable fats in a solid form at room temperature, which is the main use for palm oil
Palm oil is one of the biggest causes of tropical deforestation in the world, so this invention that can be used in anything from pizza crust to toothpaste is vital to the wellbeing of biodiversity and the health of our planet
This alternative, a mixture of enzymes and glycerin, is still healthy, containing less saturated fat than coconut oil, and low in price, allowing for it to easily be used in products currently using palm oil
This Good News is a great example of a new invention that can easily be used as an alternative to something that is used in so much of what we buy, but is destroying some of the Earth’s most beautiful ecosystems, allowing for us to move towards a future that is much more kind to our lovely planet.
