What’s Going On Here? On Tuesday the UK government announced that it is implementing a drinks bottle and can deposit scheme, in which consumers pay more for single-use drinking vessels but can recoup that money. In theory, consumers would put bottles and cans in ‘Reverse Vending Machines’ in supermarkets and receive their deposit back, forming a tighter closed-loop recycling process What Does This…
What’s Going On Here? Demand for ethical investment is rising, with research showing 42% of Britons would choose an ISA that has a positive impact on society and the environment. The topic is HOT this week as savers look to utilise the £20,000 ISA allowance before the end of the tax year on 6th April. 💷 What Does This Mean? An Individual Savings Account…
The Future of Sustainable Beer? Here at curious.earth Towers we like beer. Not too much beer. Just a bit of beer now and then. We want to share with you something beer-related that we’re interested in. That thing is genetically engineered yeast. Let us explain. Beer needs hops. And hops need loads of water, which for the eco-conscious is – ironically –…
What’s Going On Here? The falling costs of wind and solar energy will soon make UK renewable energy viable without subsidies. ⚡️ 2011: 1 UK Solar Megawatt typically cost £2.5m2018: 1 UK Solar Megawatt typically costs £0.7m The falling cost of UK renewable energy means that between now and 2030, an extra £20bn of investment is forecast in alternative energy projects in the UK…
What’s Going On Here? A year since announcing their partnership with Parley, Adidas has now sold over 1 million pairs of trainers made from 95% recovered ocean plastic, near the Maldives. Each pair is made from 11 plastic bottles. What Does This Mean? Back in 2016, only 50 pairs of plastic prototype trainers were available, but this had been scaled to 7,000 as…
What’s Going On Here? The most popular exhibit at Ecobuild 2018 was the new two-storey one-bed ZEDpod. The zero-carbon, factory-built home can be built in two-and-a-half weeks and could help solve the problem of overpopulation. What Does This Mean? Off-site or factory-built homes, like those from the ZEDfactory are on the rise. They generally offer higher quality products while reducing construction waste and inner-city…
What’s Going On Here? The star of the show at Ecobuild 2018 was Airlite photocatalytic paint which improves air quality both inside and outside buildings. What Does This Mean? To start with: Photocatalytic = Photo (light) + catalytic (speeds up a reaction) So… by activating natural antioxidants in the air, the paint helps to capture and destroy pollutants like nitrogen oxides (using light). Lab tests suggest 100m2 of…
What’s Going On Here? Could water, one of the world’s most abundant resources, ever be more expensive than one of its rarest, oil? The short answer: Yes, it already is. The average price of unleaded petrol in the UK is around £1.20 per litre. With the average price of bottled water at a petrol station (gas-station if you’re 🇺🇸) being around £2 per…
What’s Going On Here? 2017 saw UK CO2 emissions drop to 1890 levels… yes Eighteen Ninety, back when the population was half the size and Queen Victoria was still strutting her stuff. The drop in CO2 emissions is the result of a 19% cut in COAL usage from 2016 levels. WoooWooo (or not in the case of train travel). Less coal use has seen an increase in the use…
