At a time where poverty and unemployment are at an all-time high, it becomes critical that we start coming up with innovative ideas to support our economy.
Environmentalists are often thought of as being against development, however, it is often in these realms where the most exciting innovations are happening.
Sustainable or ‘conscious development’ is not just about the environment, it is also about your business.
It is about doing the most with the resources available to you. Producing innovative ideas to ensure your longevity.
Necessity breeds innovation. Regardless of the theories of the causes of climate change, the fact remains it is happening.
This is forcing us to start thinking out the box. Plastics are some of the worst pollutants and most plastics are not recycled, as little as 10% of plastics may end up being recycled. But there is an alternative, without compromising the convenience. I would like to point out some of our local commodities.
The biomass of sugar cane for instance can be broken down into biodegradable bioplastic, an almost identical replacement for the current milkshake cups supplied by take-aways.
The seeds of avocados can be used to make a similar bioplastic, to make take-away cutlery which is completely biodegradable. The avocado skins can be used to make natural dyes and paints that can be used for printing packaging.
The construction industry is one of the greatest polluters. However, conscious architecture marries nature’s principles of design and technology to produce ‘living’ buildings constructed from locally sourced natural material that interacts with its environment and contributes toward a cleaner more sustainable environment, while pushing the limits of architecture and design.
These include living walls, grey water filtration and circulation, solar windowpanes, natural air-cooling systems, and various other green technologies to reduce the carbon footprint and create a clean environment for those that live in these buildings.
These innovations, while being remarkably effective, are often quite simple and easy to replicate and reproduce. This will provide opportunity for the many unemployed people in our district as this has the possibility to uplift women and the youth into entrepreneurship.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
