The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest on record, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees across Europe. It was so bad that the European Union saw an excess of 53,000 deaths due to the tremendous heat. Through this time I became so reliant on my AC unit, which raises a lot of concerns as the heat of this summer becomes the new normal. But what if I told you that there is a new innovative solution to cooling which requires no electricity?

Israeli designer, Yael Issacharov, has introduced a natural energy-free air conditioner that uses the cooling properties of terracotta to regulate temperatures, while maintaining a stylish aesthetic that can be implemented in any space.

Issacharov’s Nave Air Conditioning System uses terracotta’s evaporative cooling abilities to naturally regulate temperatures by simply running water through an entry point in the structure. The water then evaporates, turning into vapour as the water seeps through the terracotta due to heat in the air, producing a cooling effect. This is all without the use of electricity, suggesting this new design is a sustainable solution to traditional AC systems.

Issacharov drew inspiration from Egyptian architecture and traditional Palestinian cooling systems which have been around for centuries, shielding its inhabitants from the brutal heat of the Middle East and Africa. Palestinian Jara, traditionally known as the Palestinian pot, was a water cooling system which Palestinians used for hundreds of years to keep drinking water cool. The clay used to make the pots has natural cooling abilities and was also believed to make the water taste better.

Similar designs have been implemented in subway stations and in low-tech cooler-humidifiers for small apartments. However, my personal favourite was seeing a similar design being used for both heating and AC in Mo de Movimiento, a restaurant in Madrid which aims to bring seasonal dishes to their clients in order to reduce their carbon footprint aka “miles to table”.

As a result of this innovative design, which is both sustainable as it is stylish, the Nave Air Conditioning System won the A’ Design Award this year.

Another Article You Might Like: Big Oil Is Thriving, The Planet Is Not

The post The power of terracotta appeared first on eco-nnect.

I’ve always been obsessed with design and interiors, and as I’ve moved between different houseshares, the styling of my bedroom has become a paramount project. It’s a form of self-expression, and creating an enjoyable intimate space feels like a small victory in an era that can often feel so tumultuous and disempowering, especially concerning Covid-19, the climate crisis, and more recently, the rising cost of living. But an important question, in the face of the current climate crises, is how can we minimise material waste and think more consciously about sustainable living practices?

Researchers at the University of Nairobi have found that we are seeing a societal shift to integrate environmentally sustainable practices as people are starting to recognize the link between “spaces, people and the community.” 

This thinking inspires us to hold big business and industry accountable for environmental harm and challenges the misconception that public behaviour is solely responsible for the polluted built environments we inhabit. While we can all make differences in adopting greener behaviours, change fundamentally happens in the macro fields of environmental damage as opposed to micro ones.

This is where mushrooms make another compelling case. Mycelium, an offshoot of fungus, has gained traction in recent years as a sustainable material and is being used in the construction, architecture, and interior design industries. The construction industry is developing science-led innovations that will enable the roots of mushrooms, which consist of minuscule threads called hyphae, to become adopted and widespread in building initiatives.

The key reason for this technological drive is that mushrooms are sustainable. If we grow our bricks and boards from mycelium and fill it with agricultural waste, it takes days for the mushroom spores to absorb the organic matter into a viable solid, a process that is affordable and efficient. Mycelium is highly versatile and helps replace the use of harmful plastics. Researchers with Scientific American argue that biological technology is the most persuasive direction we must take to harmonize our built relationship with Earth.

The architectural firm The Living broke new ground with their sustainably made mushroom brick tower the “Hy-Fi”, which debuted at MoMA’s courtyard space in Manhattan in 2014. When the tower was dismantled two months later, each brick was taken to compost.

Architects were first inspired to use mushroom roots by biodegradable waste packaging initiatives that used mycelium. The drawback of using mushroom root in construction is the strength of the material. Although its function is proven in interior design fields and as an insulation material, it falls short in areas where structural proficiency is the end goal. Researchers are currently refining products to enable the material to be weight-bearing, which will diversify its use. The construction industries currently contribute to around a tenth of global carbon dioxide emissions and this isn’t improving without the integration of unconventional and grown materials which will steer industries away from factory-made fossil resources.

Additional work has been done exploring the benefit of mycelium in performing health and safety roles in buildings for its natural fire retardant properties. After the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, fire cladding entered public discourse for important reasons highlighting both government and construction failures. The subsequent inquiry concluded that the use of polymers such as polyethene incorporated aluminium composite in panels resulted in hazardous smoke inhalation that was mostly responsible for the 72 lives lost. Reports and quality laboratory testing proceed to strengthen the case of mycelium as a new sustainable and fire-impeding biomaterial, which is carbon-negative, meaning it confiscates more atmospheric carbon than it releases over its lifecycle.

In the spheres of our built world, mycelium provides hope and solutions to our pressing climate concerns. Through harnessing the powerful relationship between bioscience, innovation and design researchers and practitioners are showcasing what’s possible if we invest time and money into sustainable alternatives.

The post Making from mushrooms appeared first on eco-nnect.

Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, has just announced that he and his family will donate their 98 percent share of the company, valued at $3 billion dollars, to fight climate change. Patagonia was founded 50 years ago, in 1973, by Chouinard, a passionate rock climber with a strong enthusiasm for encouraging the preservation of the planet.

The Chouinard’s family shares will be now owned by a collective known as the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective, with the purpose of reinvesting all profits that aren’t reinvested back in the Patagonia business towards fighting climate change. The collective estimates that Patagonia will be able to contribute $100 million a year, depending on the financial health of the business. In Yvon Chouinard’s public statement about the decision he states:

‘We’re making Earth our only shareholder’

The word sustainability and all of its meanings are deeply engrained into the roots of Patagonia’s history and it continues to play an important role in the ethos of the company. The company’s vision statement literally states: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Patagonia is completely aware that they are operating in a business space where profits are prioritised with zero care for the harm done to the environment, however Chouinard has decided to take the company in another direction, highlighting quality over quantity, so that consumers are purchasing investment pieces and limiting their clothing consumption.

To further emphasise how seriously Patagonia takes their environmental commitments, the company has achieved a B-Level rating from B-Labs, which evaluates businesses on their impact on their major stakeholders: its workers, customers, community, and the environment. B-Labs also ensures that the companies it certifies maintain a level of transparency over their products and their impact.

Furthermore, Patagonia is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and 1% For The Planet, rejecting fast fashion products in favour of high-quality and long-lasting products that offer a repair and reuse program.

If there is any company in the fashion world to put on the fight for climate change pedestal it is Patagonia. Their commitment to the environment combined with the way that the company has been able to use business as a way to fight climate change is a lesson that other companies in the fashion world can take notes from. Ensuring that we only buy from businesses that prioritise the planet as part of their business model really is the only way we can ensure, that we, as stakeholders, have a greener future. Not only for us but for all generations to come.

Another Article You Might Like: How To Tackle Fast Fashion

The post Patagonia’s founder donates his company appeared first on eco-nnect.

The opposite of fast fashion is the design and creation of fashion pieces by artisans who choose minimal and quality-based practices over excessive production. Their objective is to unite maker and purchaser through mindful consumption to sustain an industry that values the natural world. The European slow fashion industry has exploded in recent years, so here are five brands to check out.

SIZ

Two sisters founded SIZ, drawing inspiration from the mountains and coasts of Portugal, mixing natural hues and dyes and sewing pieces with care and love. The latest fall/winter drop ‘beneath the canopy’ is a beautiful example of how SIZ incorporate ecological research into their design and production pieces.

COLD LAUNDRY

UK based Cold Laundry is a gender-neutral brand formed by husband and wife Ola and Cerise Alabi, who describe their love-hate relationship with fashion as the driver behind the brand. The products are minimal, with clean-cut lines and warm, earthy tones inspired by time spent in Korea, and a commitment to “putting people of colour at the forefront and a message of unity and diversity in the fashion community ”.

BUG CLOTHING

This adorable brand was founded in East London by designer and seamstress Amy Ward, who sought to “create garments by hand that reflects the ideology that we should all buy less and admire quality and consideration over quantity”. Pieces are made with natural fibres by hand on a minimal scale that creates unique items. Materials are recycled from dead-stock factory waste meaning BUG items run through a circular production process. Since Amy has become a mother, BUG has expanded into designing cute and functional sustainable items for children.

HIUT DENIM CO

The Welsh denim company’s ethos is “do one thing well”, which for HIUT means making only the best jeans for people and the planet. Unfortunately denim gets a bad rep, with fast production promoting poor working environments and releasing toxic chemicals. HIUT’s ingenious response to the water-waste involved in denim production is addressed by their NO WASH CLUB, which promotes abstinence from denim washing. They also created the Breaker Club initiative, which sees people paid to wear jeans for six months, only to return them to be sold on the market.

MIREIA PLAYÀ

“Life is our reason to exist”, explains the founder of MIREIA, the Spanish Vegan shoe company that manufactures their charming and modern footwear in Alicante. PETA approved MIREIA PLAYÀ offers a diverse range of organic, sustainable and animal-friendly shoe products, from long-lasting winter boots and comfortable city-street sneakers to breathable spring and summer sandals.

The post European slow fashion brands appeared first on eco-nnect.

The Christmas Cheer has started. Some love it, some hate it, and many people indulge in it. In my case, Christmas reminds me of my childhood-“that sweet innocence of waiting for the end of the year to arrive.

To enjoy unwrapping presents, hanging lights, seeing cousins, singing songs, eating cookies, and feeling on vacation.

Santa Claus eventually left my heart, the presents turned into a single gift, and family time became tedious. My Christmas spirit dwindled. But this Christmas, I had a change of heart, I proposed to keep it eco, hopeful, and joyous in a different way. Encouraging with my inner conscious child, without indulging in the marketing traps.

It all started with books. This year literature has been my closest companion, my partner, and my most loyal escape. Whenever I felt like traveling to a different time, to be seduced by words, I found a cult inside the pages of 23 books. My muses inspired me to create the ultimate solution to the Christmas Tree debate: instead of buying a fake or real tree, I made a tree with what had already been a tree that was transformed into different universes: my books.

I first started creating a conscious circle representing social justice and sustainability, the tree’s base. The base was composed of second-hand books from my degree in International Relations. These I got from previous students that wanted to make an extra buck from those theory-heavy textbooks. Reading about Constructivism, Peace Theory, and Sustainable Development pushed me into adapting a more conscious lifestyle in which my mind can settle for hope rather than pessimism.

The following books that started to give height to my nerdy Christmas tree were about social justice, anthropological studies, and psychological literature that have allowed me to reflect on my identity, adding perspective on my surroundings and diverse struggles and identities.

Once I’ve had created a strong base of the tree consisting of non-fiction books that add reality to my life and understanding, the rest of the books were filled with parallel universes of fantasy, love, inspiration, lust, womanhood, and escapisms. My best friends, lovers, and joyous companions make life easy, fresh, and a rollercoaster.

Although I’m not religious, I esteem literature and knowledge; they keep me hopeful, joyous, and happy to live in a world with writers, thinkers, and artists. So, my Christmas tree represents in what I believe: the power of education, introspection, sustainability, social justice, imagination, and the unbearable lightness of being.

The post My Bookworm Xmas Tree appeared first on eco-nnect.

Viron is the most recent brainchild of Parisian designer Mats Rombaut, blending his iconic futuristic design with practicality and sustainability. Viron’s beliefs: for the planet, the animals and people, makes his brand 100% vegan/PETA certified and his supply-chain fully circular —all the materials are recycled.

The name itself is inspired from the French and English word “environment”—viron.

“WE LIKE TO THINK OF THE EARTH AS OUR HOME, AND TREAT HER JUST LIKE THAT. WE USE AS FEW NEW MATERIALS AS POSSIBLE AND CREATED A SYSTEM WHICH IS BASED ON REPURPOSING THE WASTE OF OTHERS”

The Materials

Unlike any other boot brand, Viron’s footwear is almost entirely made from upcycled, recycled or natural materials.

• Upcycled army bags and tents from a military overstock factory: for combat boots
• Wax Pet suede: from recycled PET bottles, up to 13 bottles per pair of shoes
• Apple skin: vegan leather from food waste from the apple juice industry in Northern Italy—up to 60% bio-based.
• Corn leather: made from corn husks, a by-product of the food industry
• Recycled rubber & canvas
• Natural plant dyes

Closed Loop

Viron will take your old pair of shoes back and recycle themselves the sole, closing their own loop in their supply chain.

Transparency

Viron is striving to manufacture products with the most innovative bio-materials currently available. As well as showing their customers the people behind their production process.

Viron is making sustainability young and cool.

The post Viron: Combat Boots Made from Apples appeared first on eco-nnect.

For 170 years, World Expos have provided a platform to showcase the most remarkable innovations that have shaped the world we live in today. The famous Eiffel Tower and the Space Needle have been historical landmarks conceived for the Global Expos.

Expo 2020 will continue that tradition with the latest technology from around the globe, showcasing sustainability and the need for innovations in architecture and urban development.

This year’s Expo is held in Dubai, unveiling a self-sustaining enormous futuristic “sustainability pavilion” named Terra. Residents and tourists will explore the relationship between nature and humans, enabling them to reflect on their actions on the environment.

Terra has a large solar canopy on top of the pavilion with over 4,912 solar panels, generating 5.5 megawatts of renewable energy to the Emirates peninsula. Around the structure, you can find 18 “energy trees” that rotate following the sun’s path.

Plus, the architects and engineers found a technology that transforms air into water, making it a self-sufficient building in the middle of the desert, demonstrating that sustainability is possible wherever there is intention. Terra also has a greywater recycling system that aims to reduce water use by 0.

This new landmark will inspire a new generation of sustainable infrastructures.

Dubai, responsible for this innovation, demonstrates how despite its oil-based economy it has encouraged young entrepreneurs to develop sustainable innovations.

This year’s Expo showcases new models of urban development, hopefully paving the way for a regenerative economy.

Check out the video of the Expo to immerse yourself in the experience of the futuristic Terra.

The post Global Expo 2020: Terra appeared first on eco-nnect.

Naifactory is a Barcelona design startup developing bio-based and circular materials.

Their “Reolivar” material reinvents discarded olive pits turning them into lamps, toys and kitchenware. Olive pits are made of cellulose and lignin, two of the most abundant organic materials in the world. In Spain olives are ubiquitous, which is how founder Catazine became inspired in repurposing the pits.

Olive pits if not discarded are usually crushed and burnt to produce biofuel, however biofuel still emits GHG emissions when burnt. Whereas Naifactory aims to crush the pits and create a variety of economical and moldable textures.

The bio-compostable materials are unique and compostable. The designers hope to eventually produce a line of furniture and eventually launch their store

The post Lamps Made from Olive Pits appeared first on eco-nnect.

Notpla is an innovative packaging solutions company based in the UK. Their packaging is made entirely from seaweed and it disappears naturally within days.

The Notpla team is a combination of designers, engineers, chemists and entrepreneurs. Together they’re constantly finding solutions for wasteful single use plastics.

Why is it called notpla?

PLA is “bio-plastic” or “compostable plastic” or sometimes even written as “biodegradeable plastic”—even though it does not compost, or biodegrade naturally. PLA is deceiving, it is complete greenwashing and confuses consumers into thinking that the packaging is somehow better than normal plastic…Yet it still takes over 500 years to decompose.

PLA is legally dubbed as compostable or biodegradable because it biodegrades in large industrial facilities at over 90°C heat, of course in nature this would only occur in the crater of the volcano. Therefore, we’re back to square one, nobody recycles plastic, and nobody recycles PLA.

Soo, we introduce you to: NOTPLA!

You might recognize their campaign Ooho that went viral in 2013. Ooho was a water packaging solution fully edible because it was made from seaweed. Since then the founders have attracted funding and set up other packaging solutions with the same material and changed the company name to Notpla.

Notpla Technology

Notpla is a revolutionary material made from seaweed and plants. Having heavily invested in R&D their machines turn brown seaweed into packaging for liquids.

Why seaweed?

Seaweed is one of nature’s most renewable resources. It grows up to 1m per day, it does require land, freshwater or fertiliser to grow and actually de-acidifies our oceans.

Manufacturing & Scaling

The main invention is also a bespoke manufacturing machine that produces Oohos sachets from 15-100ml. Their idea is to lease the machine, sell cartridges of the materials to food manufacturers, co-packers and event organizers, and enable them to contain their liquids themselves.

Currently, the machine is still in development.

Products:

• Oohos:
  • for sports —water
  • for cocktails
• Sachets
  • for condiments and sauces: think ketchup from delivery companies

Future Products:

• Heat sealable films:
  • From wrappers to packets of powders and dry food
  • both water soluble or insoluble films depending on the application.
• Sachets
  • Sachets for non food products such as screws, nails or hardware.

The post Notpla: The Edible Plastic Alternative! appeared first on eco-nnect.

The MET Gala is an annual fundraising gala to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.

According to the annual theme, the world’s top luxury designers dress celebrities during the gala to showcase their fashion pieces. If the mainstream public wants to participate, the tickets cost around US$40,000

The MET Gala shows us how humanity needs to revere and worship celebrities as escapism of daily and global struggles. This pop-culture event demonstrates the public’s hyperawareness of celebrity gossip and the absence of social consciousness the event portrays.

Thankfully, some celebrities and public personas used their invite and privilege as a political platform to make a strong statement through fashion.

The Democrat Senator, Alexandra Ocasio, made a big statement by wearing a dress that spelled “Tax the Rich.” A controversial message that we can tie to the need to have a financial reserve for environmental and sustainable development can lead the American nation to reduce carbon emissions through clean energy and waste management. Yet, at the same time, she spread the message at the biggest elite gala, giving a double standard of where she stands and where she belongs.

The model and actress Cara Delevinge showed up wearing a bulletproof vest spelling “Peg the Patriarchy” to end the pillar that sustains capitalism, hyper-consumerism, and misogyny.

Finally, the singer Billie Eilish agreed to be dressed by Oscar De La Renta if the designer would stop using fur in their garments, impacting wildlife conservation.

These women used their platform to dress a political statement with elegance, sass, and social awareness. Props to them!

The post Celebs go political at the MET gala appeared first on eco-nnect.