Turning wind turbine blades into bike shelters
Denmark is giving a new life to old wind turbine blades
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
Blade biking: Turning wind turbine blades into bike shelters
Startup of the week: Notpla
5 brands that sustainably stand out
Some good news from around the world
3 ways I can help you on your sustainability journey
🔄🌬️🚲Turning wind turbine blades into bike shelters
Concerns about climate change are leading many countries, including Denmark, to shift their power consumption to renewable energy sources such as wind energy.
In Denmark, wind turbines are a common sight. However, the sustainability of wind energy is challenged by the difficulty of recycling decommissioned wind turbine blades, which are made from a composite of non-biodegradable materials.
These blades, with an estimated lifespan of 20-25 years, will soon be a significant source of waste, with about 40 million tons of waste material expected from the global wind industry by 2050.
To address this, several companies and research groups are exploring more sustainable ways to recycle and repurpose these blades.
One such innovative approach includes transforming these decommissioned wind turbine blades into bike shelters, demonstrating a circular economy approach to sustainable energy consumption.
What an innovative way to pedal forward!
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: Notpla
Plastic pandemic…Most food orders involve a significant amount of plastic, from the plastic-lined boxes providing grease and water resistance to the plastic sachets for dressings and sauces. Many of these plastics, even if sent for recycling, end up in landfills.
Seaweed solution…Notpla’s answer to this issue lies in their use of seaweed, a plant that is abundant, fast-growing, and does not compete with food crops or require fertilizers or freshwater. They create alternative packaging options that maintain the convenience of plastic without the environmental cost.
Notpla's products include pipettes that replace dressing sachets.
They are natural, biodegradable, home-compostable, vegan, and edible.
It also makes food delivery boxes coated with seaweed, making them home-compostable, recyclable, and still grease and water-resistant.
Wavevolutionary packaging…Notpla also uses seaweed to create Notpla paper, which can be converted into packaging boxes for a variety of products like cosmetics, accessories, candles, and skincare. The brand's name, Notpla, stands as a constant reminder of their mission as it’s an abbreviation of 'not plastic'.
✅ Brands that sustainably stand out
🇺🇸 Carbon Smart Wood- Millions of trees end up in landfills every year. This startup prevents and upcycles them into wood products.
🇨🇭 DePoly- This startup has cracked the code to keep hard-to-recycle plastic out of landfills.
🇩🇪 Rhinopaq- Replacing disposable cardboard boxes with reusable ones.
🇺🇸 Blue Frontier- Resolving the paradox of needing more ACs as the world warms, despite their contribution to greenhouse gases.
🇹🇷 Gozen- Revolutionizing the leather industry with a vegan and plastic-free alternative.
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😹 Some Good News
🏆 Timber firm Samling barks up the wrong tree
Indigenous activists in Sarawak, Malaysia, have been battling timber company Samling. Recently, Samling withdrew a lawsuit against local NGO, SAVE Rivers, and lost certification for a disputed forest unit, marking a significant victory for Indigenous land rights.
🛑 EU puts a glittering cap on microplastics
The European Commission aims to cut 74% of plastic pellet pollution by 2030, targeting the microplastic source. This follows the glitter ban and addresses small plastic pellets in products that leak into the environment and become harmful microplastics.
🚰 MIT engineers make waves in solar-powered desalination
MIT engineers have created a cost-effective, solar-powered desalination system that turns seawater into drinkable water. Avoiding salt-clogging issues, the device can produce 4-6 liters of water per hour and is ideal for off-grid, coastal communities.
🌎 3 ways I can help you
📞 Interested in chatting about sustainability and climate change? Book a free call here
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Have a great weekend and see you next week😊