Turning diapers into dwellings

An innovative solution for sustainable housing

Jun 02, 2023

An innovative solution for sustainable housing
A browser extension for conscious consumers
An app that’s simplifying sustainable spending and carbon tracking
Some good news
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🏠 An innovative solution for sustainable housing

Japanese researchers have developed a cost-effective solution to housing in low and middle-income countries

By using shredded disposable diapers in construction.

The prototype house in Indonesia can accommodate up to four people and replaces a significant portion of sand in building materials with waste diapers.

A house in Indonesia — **The prototype house under construction**

It promotes waste recycling and helps address housing shortages in urban areas.

The researchers found that diapers could replace sand in concrete for columns and beams, mortar for partition walls, and mortar for floors and garden paving.

An environmentally friendly approach that could contribute to a greener future!

✅ A browser extension for conscious consumers

No more shamp-oozing efforts…Most of us want to buy products that are good for us and the environment. But finding these products is not an easy feat. No one wants to spend their entire weekend searching for a cruelty-free shampoo that comes in plastic-free packaging. With so much greenwashing going on, it’s even more difficult to buy the right products.

Enhancing eco-ease…That’s where Finch comes in. It’s a browser extension that’s making it easier for people to compare products on different aspects of sustainability when they are shopping online. This is a great example of bringing convenience to sustainability.

It gets activated when you shop from Amazon or Target on your internet browser.
It shows a color-coded number next to the product that you are considering.
It also suggests other products in the category.

Finch's fabulous newsletter…It scores products in personal care, baby, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and laundry. I especially love their newsletter (you can subscribe to it on their website), which is focused on one category per week and does a great sustainability comparison of products in that category.

Check out Finch

💡 Simplifying sustainable spending and carbon tracking

Green gauge…Every expenditure we have has an impact on the planet. From purchasing a new piece of clothing to filling up gas in our cars. Some of these activities have a higher impact than others. But how do we track these high-impact activities and tone them down? I don’t think we have the time & patience to do that.

Carbon crunch…That’s where Commons App comes in. Available in the US and Canada, you can connect your bank account with it. It then goes through all your expenses, clubs them into different categories, and estimates the carbon footprint of each category. It does so by studying the type of payments and amounts.

It then suggests how you can cut your emissions.
For unavoidable expenses, it gives you the option to offset them.
For a small fee, you can offset a part or all of your emissions (You could get $30 off by using the code NOTMYPROBLEM30).

Excel-lent evolution…Founder Sanchali began tracking her carbon footprint in an Excel spreadsheet 10 years ago because she couldn't find any good tools to help align her life with the world she wanted to live in. It can be difficult to be as committed as Sanchali, so having an app like Commons makes it much easier.

Check out Commons

😹 Some Good News

Jungle jolt- Brazil’s president returns 800 square miles of Indigenous Iand to its original caretakers.
Charging on the move- Sweden is building the world’s first permanent electric road that charges moving EVs.
Tree-mendous- A map of every tree in Africa will help monitor deforestation.