I came across this and felt it worthy of a repost as it is a great cause, and because I believe some of you would find Springwise to be of interest for reasons beyond this particular event. Here’s my entry. Any thoughts on it would be welcomed. + I would like to submit my simple idea for helping out the planet for your consideration. I wish it were bigger and held more potential for impact, but it’s the best I’ve got, at least at the moment. Thank you nonetheless for reviewing it. The planet’s populace produces quite a bit of garbage, much of which ends up in giant piles where it will remain for good. My understanding is that, aside from compaction, there are no current efforts being made to account for the fact that these dump sites are continually growing and will eventually max out in any given location. My idea is meant to counteract this by creating localized environments which are purposefully designed to accelerate the decomposition process. I don’t purport to have a specific answer for how this ought to be done as I’m no environmental scientist. I do, however, have an open-ended question which might lead to the development of one. Is it possible to chemically engineer more of the products we know end up in landfills to not only break down faster themselves, but which in some way introduce the raw materials which contribute to that process in general? This is to say that when certain consumer goods are manufactured, they would be imbued with ingredients which are not needed for the time the product spends on the shelf or while in use, but which are expressly meant to “kick in” once the item has been discarded. My thought is that, in a general sense, were humans to begin systematically sowing the seeds for more rapid decomposition in this way, future generations wouldn’t inherit a problem that is bigger than it needs to be. Regards, Kenneth Daniels Durham, NC PS - The concept doesn’t quite translate to the problem of garbage islands in the world’s oceans, but perhaps if insights are gained along the lines I suggest, that might eventually change. I can imagine a plastic-eating microbe being applied topically to these floating debris collections to similarly cause the constituent pieces of trash to break down more quickly. This is, however, probably already being planned.
📢 Calling all innovators! 📢 Do you have a solution that: 🌳 Protects and Restores Nature? ☁️ Cleans our Air? 🌊 Revives our Oceans? ♻️ Builds a Waste-Free World? 🌎 Fixes our Climate? The search for the Winners of The Earthshot Prize 2024 is well underway and Springwise is proud to be an Official Nominator! If you have an inspiring, inclusive, and impactful solution, please get in touch with matthew@Springwise.com to talk further. Find out more about the process and what Earthshot is looking for here: https://buff.ly/400kxrH #Earthshot #EarthshotPrize #sustainability #innovationthatmatters
