Technologies building our Sustainable Future.

henrybai091
Jul 9, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Aug 16, 2021

Some of the most challenging problems facing us humans today are deforestation and pollution. But that could change in the future, with start-up companies and entrepreneurs building new, state-of-the-art technologies to fight our growing challenges.

The BioCarbon Engineering Tree Planting Drone.

Have you ever seen drones launching missiles? No. Not the ones in the military, these are different missiles! These “missiles” fire tree seeds into the ground, helping us in our reforestation goals. Oxford-based firm Biocarbon Engineering is building drone technology that surveys different landscapes and ecosystems to plant seeds at a rapid pace.

How does it work?

By using Artificial Intelligence, data on the topography, and satellite data to the firm is able to find the right location for trees. All that information is uploaded into the drone. Then, that drone automatically plants those seeds with precision and speed! Seeds are insulated in a biodegradable pod, which also contains all the vital nutrients for the tree to thrive. Those pods are launched into the ground, where the life of the tree will begin!

The vessel could plant up to 400,000 seed pods per day, which is staggering, compared to the average 3000 seeds a person can plant per day with traditional planting methods. Biocarbon Engineering claims that their technology plants at 10x the rate and 15% the cost of traditional tree planting techniques.

Learn more about these drones:

Solving the Climate Challenges of Today.

California Wildfires.

Replanting in the aftermath of wildfires.

We have all seen the devastation caused by the wildfires of Australia and California. In 2020 alone, there were more than 58,000 wildfires, and as global warming grips our planet, that number is expected to increase year over year. Luckily, DroneSeed, another “tree missile” firing company is hoping to change that. In the aftermath of ferocious wildfires on the west coast of the US, the Seattle-based startup is hoping to use its drones to plant trees 6x faster than human hands.

Helping replant our Mangrove Forests.

A Mangrove Forest in Palau.

Mangrove trees are trees that have adapted to a saltwater environment, they are essential for our coastlines and the fish that inhabit them. They stabilize ecosystems, prevents erosion, even providing natural infrastructure to protect local populations from extreme weather events. These trees are also the foundation for commercial fishing, meaning that they protect species that are the basis of $7.6 billion in seafood costs. The deforestation of these trees is responsible for 24 million tons of CO2 emissions, according to a 2018 study.

BioCarbon Engineering is vying to change that by partnering with the Worldview International Foundation, which is focused on planting Mangrove trees. By using the same innovative processes, the project hopes to plant 400,000 trees per day, which would provide economic, local, and environmental benefits.

Rings made up of our Greenhouse Gas emissions?

Have you ever heard of air pollution that transforms into jewelry? Same with me, when I first learned about this, I thought it was fake, but it isn’t! It’s the project of entrepreneur Daan Roosegaarde, called the Smog Free Project , which aims to reduce air pollution through innovations.

The Smog Free Tower.

One of those innovations is the Smog Free Tower, which essentially is a huge air pollution vacuum cleaner! Through a process of ionization, it can clean 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour. Towers use minimal amounts of clean electricity, so it’s carbon negative! When the compressed smog particles are collected from the towers, they can be used to create the Smog Free Ring. Those rings are for sale! Buying one is equivalent to you contributing over 10,700 square feet of clean air.

The Smog Free Ring.

The tower looks magnificent and makes the area that it’s in look much more contemporary. Plus, it creates stylish jewelry! The Smog Free Project is gaining traction in countries around the world, being implemented in South Korea, China, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Poland.