Action to preserve the planet needs to be taken now more than before. The future of the Earth depends on the decisions we make in our daily lives.
Be it implementing a proper recycling program at home, not purchasing and using plastics, adopting a plant-based diet or vegan lifestyle or creating a compost heap from food waste: there is so much we can do from home to protect our planet.
With the world on lockdown, drastic drops in hazardous air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide above major cities have been recorded.
Inventors from around the globe are seeking to make a lasting and impactful difference to the way the world operates. These creations will help sustainably protect our planet for future generations. Here are 12 ingenious inventions that will help save Earth.
1. Liter of light
This invention turned old plastic bottles into overhead solar lights. Volunteers from Liter of Light travel around the world to teach marginalised communities how to use recycled plastic bottles and locally sourced materials to create lights that will illuminate their homes, businesses, and streets.
2. Edible packaging
A sustainable packaging start up, Not Pla, has invented packaging that can be consumed. Plastic water bottles and other single-use packaging could soon be a thing of the past. Not Pla creates ‘advanced packaging solutions that disappear, naturally’.
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3. Mr Trash Wheel
Mr Trash Wheel is situated in Baltimore, Maryland in the USA. It is a sustainably powered trash interceptor. The invention was created by Clearwater Mills, LLC.The device is semi-autonomous and is situated at the end of a river, stream or other outfall. It combines solar and hydro power to extract hundreds of tons of trash out of the water each year.
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4. Nohbo Drops
Single-use plastic is the number one pollutant destroying the oceans at an almost irreversible rate. Shampoo bottles, soap bottles and all things toiletry are more likely to come in plastic packages than any other material. For exorbitant prices one can purchase these products in sustainable packaging. Nohbo Drops has bridged this gap, by developing the world’s first single use, water soluble Drop for personal care products, like shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shaving cream.
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For home or on the go, our drops can conveniently be stored in any reusable jar ♻️💧
5. Waterotor
Waterotor is what the future of renewable power looks like. This device is the first technology to economically and affordably harvest electricity from slow moving water.
6. Shipping container pools
Repurposing an object is the new recycling. Shipping containers have been popularly converted into container homes and now into swimming pools. Functionality and sustainability have never looked so good.
7. The Seabin project
Seabins are like land bins, except in the ocean. ‘The world’s marinas, ports and yacht clubs are the perfect place to start helping clean our oceans. With no huge open ocean swells or storms inside the marinas, these relatively controlled environments provide the perfect locations for Seabin installations.’
8. Edible six pack rings
The Saltwater Brewery had the ocean and its inhabitants in mind when creating their edible six pack rings. Rather than pollute the ocean, these rings nourish those who happen upon it.
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9. Portable river turbine
Idenergy is a portable river turbine that creates renewable energy. According to the website, one turbine can provide a constant energy supply, 24 hours a day, meeting the electric needs of residential homes ‘by generating, at maximum capacity up to 12 kWh daily. The reliability of the turbine offers a good alternative to gas generators. Engine noise, gasoline smells, round trips to gas stations, fuel expenses will be problems of the past.’
10. A plastic bottle cutter
This handy device will help lighten your recycling load and can be created from home. The shredded bottle can even be repurposed.
11. Toothpaste tablets
Bite Toothpaste Bits have invented the future of toothpaste. Rather than environmentally harmful toothpaste tubes, Bite Toothpaste Bits are bite sized and pill-like. Simply pop one in your mouth, brush your teeth and voila! Saving the planet with a fresh, chemical-free smile.
12. Cassava starch bags
Resembling plastic bags, these shoppers are biodegradable, dissolvable and even safe to drink. Created in Bali, these bags could be the solution to the world’s plastic bag crisis.
Read: An easy guide to recycling
Image: Instagram/ seabin_project
