Solar Powered Plane
On April 23, 2016, a solar powered plane called The Solar Impulse 2 completed a successful 62-hour journey around the world. The plane is equipped with 17,000 solar cells and only weighs 2 tons (note: the average commercial plane weighs 75+ tons). Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard is extremely proud of his accomplishment. The success of his efforts have helped to inspire global interest in transitioning into electric planes.
Unfortunately, our world is still a long way from transitioning to electric planes completely. The biggest challenge has been making powerful enough batteries. The current speed and weight capacities of solar powered planes are not practical yet for commercial use. However, The Washington Post predicts that large solar powered planes may be a reality in approximately 10 to 20 years!
The Infinity Burial Suit
On a much stranger note, a woman named Jae Rhim Lee has created a body suit that is lined with flesh-eating mushrooms. Now this may sound absurd, but it serves an awesome environmentally-friendly purpose. Because of the flesh-eating mushrooms, the suit is capable of breaking down human corpses. It cleanses a dead body of toxins and breaks its nutrients back into the soil. The current price though is $1500 a suit.
Lee wants to move toward a culture that accepts death as a part of life. She believes that moving towards this acceptance is a critical step that we can take to better protect our environment. The current burial practices (i.e. coffins and cremation) are dangerous for the health of the earth. Coffins contain embalming chemicals, and cremations release metals and gases back into the air.
If you’re interested in learning more about Lee’s sustainable body suit and all of its abilities, check out her TED Talk!
Edible Silverware
Another recent discovery that greatly benefits the environment is edible silverware. Narayana Peesapaty from Hyderabad, India has created “Bakeys” — which are edible forks, spoons, and chopsticks. They come in a variety of flavors that range from plain to sweet to spicy. His recommendations are using a plain or spicy utensil with soup or curry, and a sweet utensil with your coffee or tea. All of his products are made from millet, rice, and wheat flours. Narayana says he uses predominantly millet though because it takes 60 times less water than rice to cultivate. All of his products are entirely nutritious. They have no preservatives yet still have a shelf life of 3 years. Another great thing about these products is that if you don’t eat them, they decompose. That is just one more step toward reducing waste.
Sources:
- http://photos.mercurynews.com/2016/04/24/solar-impulse-2-lands-at-moffett-airfield-in-mountain-view/?nl=morning-briefing&em_pos=large&emc=edit_nn_20160425#1
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/04/27/why-solar-powered-planes-are-still-a-long-way-from-carrying-passengers/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/business/mushroom-suits-biodegradable-urns-and-deaths-green-frontier.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=0
- https://www.ted.com/talks/jae_rhim_lee?language=en
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bakeys-edible-utensils-millet-good-for-you-and-environment_us_56eafbb4e4b09bf44a9caf04