Interesting Sustainability Innovations

The concept of sustainability is now a mainstream topic, with corporations and governments taking it up to mitigate the impact of unsustainable practices and increase their positive impact. The latest resource from PC World is a fascinating selection of innovations that contribute to this dynamic concept in interesting ways.

The Smog Free Project

The Smog Free Project is a community of people who live near or work with factories and refineries and are concerned about the air pollution they have been exposed to. The lack of transparency regarding gasoline, oil, bituminous coal, and petrochemicals has led to a public health catastrophe. The Smog Free Project uses a generous list of half a dozen technologies that aid in reducing or eliminating pollution.

Zéphyr Solar Sails

The Zéphyr Solar Sails is a helium-filled, computer-controlled, and navigated sailboat. It is the first craft of its kind to cross the Atlantic Ocean, with the team traveling 6,333 nautical miles over five months. In the future, this model will be used to explore the polar regions and work towards renewable energy sources.

The Green Building Initiative

The Green Building Initiative is an organization that helps promote sustainable building practices. The building is a model incorporating environmentally-conscious designs and materials, such as using a geothermal heat pump system and reclaimed lumber. The Blue House is open to visitors and includes videos detailing the techniques used by its architects.

B-Droid

The B-Droid is a drone developed by the Bleriot Automation Center and has been used for over 40 years to improve communication during humanitarian aid missions. The B-Droid is an autonomous drone that can capture large images using high-definition daylight cameras. The drone can be equipped with a high-resolution image mapping system and retransmit the images over satellite networks. This model can cover thousands of miles without any human interaction or supervision.

The sustainability innovations are a collection of some of the fascinating applications of the concept. The Smog Free Project is a perfect example of how one community could gather together people who had a shared concern and create a solution that allowed the air pollution in their area to be mitigated. For many people living in polluted areas, this is not just an environmental issue; it is also an issue that concerns their health.

Originally published on Jose Simon Elarba’s website.