Laurence Overmire
Our individual power to effect change may not seem like much, but remember, we are all interconnected: we are One. Powerlessness itself is an illusion. Every positive action we take, no matter how small, will have an impact.
Remember all those movies that showed people struggling to survive in the wake of natural calamities? Well, fiction is rapidly turning into reality as every other day we are rocked by some natural disaster resulting in massive loss of life and resources. And climate change is no longer a phenomenon that seemed to be in far future: it’s here and we can already feel its impact. Hence, it is imperative that we no longer wait for the government or authorities to take action, and start doing whatever little we can towards saving the planet. After all “Every positive action we take, no matter how small, will have an impact.”
There are already individuals out there working tirelessly to come up with ways to save the environment, and some projects are so good that they are worth mentioning. Below are five projects on Kickstarter – an American crowdfunding platform that brings creative projects to reality – that are bound to change the world.
Sea Chair – This interesting project listed on Kickstarter is working to reduce plastic from the oceans. Marine plastic is a huge problem that poses a major threat to oceans and harms aquatic life. This project is aimed at collecting that polluting plastic from the oceans and converting it into furniture by means of a 3D printer. What’s more intriguing is the fact that the machine used for melting this plastic is powered by solar energy. Hence, it can be used anywhere and from any place to easily melt the plastic so that furniture can be made out of it. Now isn’t that an innovative concept!
Okewa – This project utilizes 100% recycled plastic bottles and converts them into luxurious raincoats. The waterproof raincoats for men and women come in various sizes and colors. It’s hard to believe that they are made from plastic bottles. The bottles are first shredded into small pieces and then melted. On melting, the material is extruded into yarn, which then is made into thread. This thread is then woven into the fabric from which ultimately these waterproof jackets and raincoats are made. One jacket makes use of around 22 plastic bottles and one regular sized raincoat uses 31 bottles. Imagine the amount of plastic that can be put to good use if more and more people start using this!
1 Million Redwoods Project – This is an initiative by an environmental organization called ‘For the Wild’ and is aimed at planting millions of trees and other species of plants. ‘For the Wild’ plans to grow a nursery, a seed bank, a fungus bank, and a forest akin to a living library. Through all this, the organization wishes to safeguard the endangered species of plants and trees and to reintroduce or grow them in areas from where they have become extinct. This is like Noah’s Ark, but only with plants. Now this project is sure to come in handy in the near future considering the rapid rate at which the environment is being damaged.
The Urban Death Project – This is a unique and useful project in which instead of burying or burning the deceased, the system utilizes the natural process of decomposition to turn the dead into soil. How innovative is that! More so in times when burning is not a very environment-friendly option, and when we are running short of space to bury the dead. Hence, this seems like a perfect solution. By turning the body to soil, we can use it to grow plants, helping the environment along with keeping our loved ones close.
FinalStraw – This is the world’s first collapsible and reusable straw. This project’s aim is to reduce the amount of plastic being used in the world. Straws might not look like items that pose a danger to the environment, but they are one of the most used items. For example, in the US alone, people use around 500 million straws in a day! Now imagine the number of straws making their way into landfills and water bodies across the world! FinalStraw is recyclable and is made from BPA free material. It is also portable, can be cleaned easily, and is perfectly safe to use. And the best point? It is zero waste.
Aren’t these some great innovations that would mitigate the damage that we have caused to the environment? What are your thoughts on these?
