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positive pointers<br />
Dutch artist and innovator<br />
Daan Roosegaarde has<br />
created an award-winning<br />
world-first with his smog<br />
vacuum cleaner. The<br />
tower (7 metres tall) takes<br />
in polluted air, cleans it<br />
through ionization, and<br />
then releases it again – and<br />
is able to clean up to 30,000<br />
m3 of air each hour!<br />
5<br />
8<br />
A piece of plastic can only<br />
be recycled two or three<br />
times, which prompted<br />
Nzambi Matee to come up<br />
with a longer-term solution.<br />
She started a social enterprise<br />
called Gjenge Makers, which<br />
turns waste plastic into<br />
bricks, able to withstand<br />
twice the weight of concrete<br />
blocks. And the best part?<br />
Every day her factory recycles<br />
about 500kg of plastic,<br />
producing 1,500 bricks, and<br />
providing jobs to those from<br />
marginalised communities.<br />
In 2020, Waitrose began<br />
using a fleet of eco-friendly<br />
delivery vans, which run on<br />
biomethane (a sustainable<br />
alternative to fossil fuels).<br />
Given the volume of carbon<br />
emissions delivery vehicles<br />
are responsible for, these<br />
green machines could gear us<br />
up for a brighter future.<br />
6<br />
7<br />
Coral reefs are a natural, sustainable way to protect coastlines from<br />
erosion, but rising water temperatures and bleaching due to acidity<br />
are killing off this protective ecosystem, with 50% of the world’s<br />
reefs already destroyed.<br />
To counter this, CCell Renewables is utilising wave-generated<br />
electricity to grow artificial reefs faster than they would naturally,<br />
to protect vunerable coastal communities and support marine life.<br />
A 3D mesh, called CloudFisher,<br />
is capable of converting fog into<br />
safe drinking water, or water<br />
to irrigate agriculture. Able to<br />
withstand high wind speeds, the<br />
mesh can be made in various sizes<br />
depending on the need, and could<br />
be a game-changer for those living<br />
in coastal areas or the mountains.<br />
Solar glass technology might be the next big thing, with several<br />
companies developing their own versions. One start-up from San<br />
Francisco claims its transparent solar cells, which layer over glass,<br />
convert ultraviolet and near-infrared light to electricity, while<br />
allowing visible light through. Efficiency is being worked on, but it’s<br />
believed this tech could be cheaper than solar panels, with a range of<br />
applications – from the windows of our homes, to car windshields.<br />
9<br />
10<br />
<strong>happiful</strong>.com | September <strong>2021</strong> | 41
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