#11 Why don't we invest in designing relationship models rather than only products to close the damn loop?
Cross Change Curated:Issue 11
If you think you can stop the climate crisis by carrying a water bottle, not using a plastic straw, or eating less meat, you are missing the big picture, my friend!
A few months ago, I came across the concept of the Carbon Tunnel Vision article by Dr. Jan Konietzko. It made me realize we are falling for the same trap! Yes, we need to pay attention to millions of things daily; even every minute, new ones are popping up around us. It is hard to keep on track, I must admit. Therefore, a laughter voice within that global challenge pool makes it easier to recognize and pay attention to. Remember, the human-centered design turned to planet-centered; first, the most crucial topic was sustainability; now, it is anything related to carbon emission. I think we are missing the big picture again!
Watch: The Biggest Little Farm
For the ones who can't internalize the concept of what big picture or what the interrelatedness is in nature, here is a simple to understand but hard-to-implement example.
Almost every city person I met once considered moving to the suburbs, having a farm, a garden, and living close to nature. Is it familiar to you? Well then, you'll love this; Meet The Biggest Little Farm. It is a documentary film directed by John Chester. He and his wife, Molly, are the stars of it.
They show how they made the urban legend of moving to the village and opening a farm a reality. The film helps us understand how holistic ecosystems and circular systems work on a smaller, digestible scale in real life.
It is a great reminder of the role of humans in the ecosystem we live in, especially in the era when we are ashamed of the destruction caused by our exploitative relationship with the planet. No more words to not spoil:)
Meet Circ
The Circ has a groundbreaking (I mean literally breaking) technology on a mission to end waste in the textile industry. Their approach doesn't focus on mono material waste, as you may guess. Their hydrothermal pressure technology works on polyester-cotton blends, the most common textile produced by the global fashion industry. Until recently, any recycling process that preserved the polyester polymers would degrade the cotton fibers and vice versa. This has led to a significant buildup in fabric waste. Every second, a garbage truck's worth of clothing and textiles gets incinerated or tossed in a landfill, according to a 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Circ's process involves a combination of water, heat, pressure, and chemicals, which break down and purify the textile fibers, recovering 90% of the original materials.
*Recently announced, Circ has raised $30 million in a Series B funding round led by Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Meet Green Fluidics
Meet Green Fluidics and their Intelligent Solar Biopanels.
The company makes solar panels utilizing microalgae, sunlight, and a touch of nanotechnology to produce energy for your houses and offices.
The panels are named "Intelligent Solar Biopanels" not only because their exciting technology that gives another function to algae but also because they clean the air while creating energy. They help its users save energy, capture CO2 from the air, generate energy, and decorate walls in your house and facades.
Besides all the awards, they won such as 30 Business Promises, Forbes Mexico Magazine, 50 World Youth Solutions for the SDGs, Youth Solutions Report SDSN 2020, and Lead2030 Global Challenge Winner for SDG 13 supported by Deloitte, One Young World 2022; we think they deserve your attention too!
*BONUS
The Green Fluidics reminded me of the lamp project "Electric Life" by Dutch designer Teresa Van Dongen at the 'it's our f***king backyard' exhibition urges people to rethink climate crisis and justice in The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. The lamp hosts certain micro-organisms that continuously excrete electrons in their metabolism. The light installation is entirely powered by micro-organisms with electrons as a waste product. A future owner of this living light installation will have to feed and nurture it; a bit of tap water with some additional nutrients and a teaspoon of vinegar a week will do. How crazy is that!?