🦫 How Beavers Built a Dam Overnight
While Humans Spent 7 Years Planning It
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
How Beavers Built a Dam Overnight
Startup of the Week: Earth Blocks
5 Sustainable Brands I Recently Discovered
News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
3 Ways I Can Support Your Sustainability Journey
🦫 How Beavers Built a Dam Overnight
You know they say nature has all the solutions. A recent example of that was seen in the Czech Republic’s Brdy region.
Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents. They live in areas with year-round water sources such as rivers and lakes but they prefer slow-moving water. These creatures usually build their homes underwater. They do that by stacking together tree branches, rocks, mud, and grass.
Or if they are inside your house by any chance, they would do that using stuffed animals, blankets, wrapping paper and Christmas decorations 😛
Check out this rescue beaver making a dam in his house! 👇🏽
Now Czech authorities have been planning to build a dam in the Brdy region for the last 7 years! It was stuck in the planning stage and was budgeted at 30 million CZK (or roughly $1.2 million).
But the authorities recently noticed that beavers have done the work for them! For free, and that too in just 2 days.
They built the dam without any planning or paperwork.
They accomplished what bureaucracy couldn't, without any planning or paperwork.
How incredible is that!
It just shows that nature often has the best solutions—perhaps we should look to it more often for answers.
⌛ Time for the quiz of the week
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one (including me) can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the Week: Earth Blocks
This Indian startup crafts bricks from the soil, a more sustainable alternative to conventional bricks.
Dirt Does Good…Dirt is a renewable and abundant resource. Earth Blocks is leveraging it in an innovative way — it procures dust from local construction projects, mixes it with 6-9% cement for stability, and transforms it into building blocks called Earth Blocks.
Building Better Earth…This reduces cement usage in construction, which is a major source of greenhouse gases. Earth Blocks require less energy to manufacture compared to cement-based blocks. They are soundproof, fireproof, bug-proof, and mold-proof. Also, they require 20-30% less energy to heat and cool, which further reduces emissions.
Hole-y Ground…At the end of their lifecycle, these blocks naturally reintegrate into the earth, completing a full circle. Btw, the visible holes are designed for electrical conduits, making the construction process more efficient.
✅ 5 Sustainable Brands I Recently Discovered
Verthbox: Transforming corporate gifting through sustainable and conscious gifts.
Jiwya: Artisanal-led and 100% plant-based slow fashion brand.
VM Agritech: Has developed a copper-and-zinc-based fungicide that’s not harmful to humans and the planet.
Wonderfil: Solving the single-use plastic problem through a refill solution.
Circulo: Making clothing repair as convenient & easy as buying new clothes.
😹 News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
Nature's tiny warriors could be agriculture's next big solution, as research shows ants can help protect various crops through their natural antimicrobial secretions. These industrious insects have proven particularly effective in orchards, reducing diseases in apples and mangoes, though some experts maintain current biopesticides might be equally effective.
Following Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Michael Bloomberg's foundation has stepped up to fill the funding gap for U.S. obligations to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The commitment includes covering approximately 20% of the UNFCCC's $7.5 million budget for 2024, with Bloomberg having previously contributed $15 million during a similar withdrawal period from 2017-2020.
In a creative solution to urban challenges, vacant office buildings are being transformed into high-tech indoor farms. These innovative spaces use hydroponics to grow fresh produce while addressing both food security and real estate vacancy issues.
💁🏼 3 Ways I Can Support Your Sustainability Journey
If you’re a planet-friendly brand, I can help you with your blogs, newsletters, case studies, and whitepapers. Here’s some of my recent work
If you would like to chat about anything related to sustainability and climate change, you can book a free call
Do you want to be featured in this newsletter and on LinkedIn, where I write impactful stories (almost) every day? Just reply to this email and I will send you the details
Give that 💚 a little tap if this edition helped you learn something new about sustainability and climate change. I am off next week to spend time with my family. See you the week after :)
Beavers out here getting things done while humans are still debating the paperwork. Seven years vs. two days kind of embarrassing, right? Maybe we should hire more beavers for infrastructure projects😂 Absolute legend
Love this, Naman. So inspiring and insightful - nature truly is a wonder. I always appreciate your newsletters. I hope we can collaborate someday. Will DM you.