13:00, 01 March 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
When you start exploring the creative ideas people have to solve social and environmental problems, it can restore your belief in human potential. We may be facing the combined threats of a climate crisis, global pandemic, and economic collapse, but we can draw hope from innovators across the world who are working hard to create radical means of transforming these problems into solutions.
A floating research station that clears up plastic waste, known as the 8th continent (pictured), won architect Lenka Petrakova a Grand Prix 2020 award. This fluid and futuristic design is both beautiful and purposeful. Hosting an education facility and recycling station, the construction is intended to reinvigorate sealife around The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific Ocean, known for some of the highest concentrations of ocean pollution worldwide. When built, the station will run 100 per cent sustainably by collecting plastic waste while running off tidal power.
Also hoping to tackle ocean plastic waste, a French crew of engineers and social scientists will set sail this summer for a round-the-world adventure in a boat that converts plastic into fuel. Along the way, the boat, Plastic Odyssey, will stop off at some of the biggest sources of plastic waste on land, encouraging and supporting local plastic recycling initiatives. The boat is home to a library of patent-free recycling technology as well as plastic alternatives that people can adopt anywhere and everywhere.
Another recent innovation for coastal communities came from up-and-coming New Zealand designer Henry Glogau. His water purifying skylight makes sea water drinkable while using leftover brine to power a ceiling light. It is designed for coastal shanty towns where clean water is hard to come by and most houses are very poorly lit.
The Spanish city of Seville is using over 5 million kilogrammes of oranges that go to waste each year by converting its juice into energy. Just one tonne of oranges that would usually get squished into the streets, is enough to power five homes for a day thanks to a new civic recycling centre that makes use of the high concentrations of fructose energy in each fruit.
When 19-year-old student, Rory Moore returned home from university due to the pandemic, he came up with a plan to keep himself busy while doing good locally. Starting by connecting young people with the elderly and vulnerable in his village, Rory’s initiative quickly expanded thanks to an app he created and through the help of international students from his course. The resulting initiative, Coronavirus Community Volunteering, helps link those in need with those who can help them in 40 different countries across six continents.
