According to Hanneke van Veghel, soon we won't have to glue ourselves to the Girl with a Pearl Earring or the A12 in Utrecht. In fact, one of the solutions to climate change is coming from a completely unexpected place. Especially for MASTERS, the author and agricultural consultant lists a number of sustainable initiatives.
"Soon we won't have to glue ourselves to the Girl with a Pearl Earring or the A12 in Utrecht. One of the solutions to climate change comes from a completely unexpected source: sustainable diamonds. These are not pulled out of the ground by children's hands under degrading conditions in overgrown nature, but made in the lab - and with CO2. British multimillionaire Dale Vince is working with his company SkyDiamonds to bring the world's first zero-impact diamond to market. Using green energy and captured rainwater, carbon (CO2 - 99.95% of which normal diamonds in the earth are also formed from) is transformed in labs into sparkling stones. In the sustainable gems, 20,000 kilograms of CO2 can be transformed per carat. And where you normally have to wait 1 to 3 billion years for a diamond to be formed, these diamonds roll off the assembly line in a matter of weeks. What a sparkling solution this is. Let's not just ask our sweetheart with this climate solution to stay with us for the rest of our lives, but let's extend it even further. Let's build houses, swimming pools, cars and skyscrapers out of diamonds. Anything for a better world."
- Hanneke van Veghel, Agricultural Consultant and author of the book Diet for a Better Planet
TUI Group presented its sustainability program in February. The mission: to reduce the ecological footprint and maximize the positive socioeconomic impact of tourism at vacation destinations. To this end, TUI Group will raise 10 million euros annually through the TUI Care Foundation. Among other things, this money will be used to preserve the natural environment of destinations and help local communities move forward. The main pillar is the reduction of emissions. TUI Airline flights account for about 80% of the group's emissions. COâ‚‚ emissions per kilometer per passenger have already been reduced by 18% in recent years, this will be further reduced by 24% by 2030. For TUI hotels, the group aims to reduce emissions by at least 46.2%, while additionally eliminating all unnecessary plastic packaging and items by 2025. And by 2030, TUI will offer climate-neutral cruises and emissions at TUI Cruises will be reduced by more than a quarter. 2030 is an important milestone but also just an intermediate step towards the final ambition: by 2050 'Net-Zero-emission' at the latest.
How beautiful would it be if we could weave renewable energy into our daily lives? That's why Studio Pauline van Dongen, in collaboration with innovative design firm Tentech, has developed solar textiles - with flexible organic solar panels woven into them - that lend themselves to lightweight architectural constructions. The goal is to combine the tactility and design freedom of textiles with the energy-generating potential of solar energy. The smart textiles will open opportunities to create tents, pool enclosures, umbrellas and facades, among other things, that can harvest solar energy while providing sun protection. "Entire facades can be dressed up with this fabric," Van Dongen believes. "We can create a completely new look for buildings." The fabric can have different colors and patterns, so variety assured in the streetscape.
Paulinevandongen.nl | Tentech.nl
To produce one kilogram of cheese, you need six to ten liters of cow's milk. And one liter of milk in turn requires nine square meters of land. In short: cheese has quite an impact on the environment. That's why Willicroft developed a planet-proof variant. To match the taste of cheese, the Amsterdam-based vegan cheese brand works with ingredients such as white beans: they use less water and extract nitrogen from the soil. Nutritionally, white beans are similar to milk, giving them a dairy-like texture when ground. Willicroft has now launched five plant-based products: a fondue cheese, a cheese sauce, Italian spread cheese, a feta variety and Young Dutch. According to the makers, they are "just as tasty as the original but with six times less CO2 emissions. You can find recipes using Willicroft's cheese at the url below. Think Spinach Greek White Rolls, Asparagus Tart With Italian Aged and a Young Dutch Toastie.
With the launch of a climate-positive Nature House made of straw, Ballast Nedam Development aims to unleash a materials transition in the construction world and introduce the "new normal for living" in the Netherlands. By using prefabricated straw panels, construction can be done on a large scale. In addition to straw, a range of other bio-based materials will be used. In doing so, this house saves as much as 90 tons of CO2. On top of that, the Nature House is energy-positive, producing more energy than it uses. Another important aspect is nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive building. The design seeks the connection with nature. For example, the facade and roof are largely covered with greenery, which acts as a buffer for water management and prevents heat stress. The winning design in the competition held by Ballast Nedam Development was created by architects|and|en, construction company Van Herpen and Strotec. The first pilot project will take place in the North Brabant town of Heeze, and construction of the first Natuurhuis is expected to start in mid-2023.
© 2024 MASTERS EXPO. All rights reserved.
