This Indian school is beating the heat and illiteracy
Shining bright in the desert
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
A sustainable masterpiece in the Indian desert
Startup of the week: Plantible
5 brands that sustainably stand out
Some good news from around the world
3 ways I can help your planet-friendly brand
🏰 A sustainable masterpiece in the Indian desert
I love solutions that lie at the intersection of societal and environmental problems.
A great example of that is this building-
The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, located in the Thar desert in northwest India, is a unique elliptical building designed by New York-based architect Diana Kellogg.
It is a sustainable masterpiece that doesn't require air conditioning, despite the blistering 45-degree temperatures outside.
It is constructed by local builders using local sandstone.
A large exterior wall wraps around the perimeter of the building, while an interior wall encloses the school's classrooms.
The building is powered by rooftop solar panels and cooled by a geothermal energy system. Lime-plastering on the inner walls keeps the structure insulated.
Jalis, or perforated lattice stonework, protect students from sandstorms while allowing natural sunlight in.
Water harvesting systems collect and recycle rainwater throughout the school.
The school hosts over 400 students between the ages of four and sixteen and hopes to improve the alarming statistic that just over a third of women and girls in the area can read and write.
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the week
Plant-Based Protein Predicament…A majority of the food we cultivate is used to feed livestock, which we then consume to fulfill our protein requirements. People are moving to vegan and vegetarian diets, and alternative protein options are becoming popular. However, the appeal of eggs, dairy, and meat hasn’t faded as plant proteins don’t taste the same as animal proteins.
Rubis-cooking…US-based Plantible is solving that by using a plant-based protein called Rubisco. Plants use Rubisco protein to perform photosynthesis. So every plant has this. It’s one of the world’s most versatile proteins. It can take the forms of egg whites, meat, milk, or steak. It can bind, emulsify, foam, or gel making it a perfect replacement for eggs in baking.
It is easily digestible and contains all 9 amino acids. This is not the case with other plant-based proteins.
But here’s the problem- it gets spoilt as soon as it comes in contact with the outside world.
And that’s what Plantible has been working on for the last 5 years.
Rubisco Revolution…Plantible has successfully extracted Rubisco from Duckweed, a nutrient-dense and sustainable aquatic plant, and has prevented it from going bad. As an experiment, Plantible has also made plant-based macarons using Rubisco. If this process can scale, Duckweed could become the 5th major world crop after wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans. This could potentially shift the world towards a more plant-based diet.
✅ Brands that sustainably stand out
🇮🇳 Qudrat: Disposable tableware that goes back to the soil at the end of its life
🇬🇧 Oxwash: World's first sustainable commercial laundry cleaning services
🇺🇸 Plus: A zero-waste body wash that dissolves completely while you take a shower
🇨🇦 Goldilocks Goods: Plastic-free personal care and household products
🇺🇸 *Scrapp: A mobile app that helps you recycle more effectively
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😹 Some Good News
Wilderness Relief: Canadian oil company pauses controversial drilling in the Namibian wilderness
Fuel Breakup: Dutch creative agencies choose to no longer work with fossil fuel companies
Renew-rail: This high-speed train could be the first to be powered entirely by renewable energy
🌎 3 ways I can help your planet-friendly brand
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Wow, I have to admit that I'm excited to see a use for duckweed. It's a cool plant, and a prolific grower in aquatic ecosystems.