CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

Following the fire that destroyed famed Catholic church, Notre Dame, the French government has launched an international architectural competition to redesign the church's roof and spire. One of the many designs that have flooded in is from Belgian Ecological Architect Vincent Callebaut. His design sees the roof turned into a garden, covered with a glass steeple. This project, known as "Palingenesis," aims to include the stone nave. It will blend in naturally as a "graft" that harmonises the roof and spire together. From the four gables, the original geometry of the 10 meter (about 33 feet) high attic would be respected.Respect the planet by purchasing eco-friendly, sustainable promotional items for your business at Custom Earth Promos. It will be constructed with cross-laminated timber (CLT) beams prestressed with carbon fibers. The new oak frame seeks to use the most minimal amount of material possible. This is to ensure a low-carbon footprint while still offering the greatest transparency possible to the cathedral.Lower your carbon footprint by using reusable bags and bottles instead of single-use plastic. The rooster statue that once crowned the building, which was found among the rubble the day after the incident, will crown it again. In its new position, it should remain the "spiritual lightning rod" and protector of the faithful. Callebaut revealed that the new design "evokes the rebirth but also the mystery of the cathedral and the resurrection of Christ." The idea is to use this new "graft" to turn Notre Dame into a positive energy building; one designed to produce more energy than it consumes. The contemporary, three-dimensional Gothic, stained glass "graft" produces all of the electricity, heat, and passive ventilation that the building may require. This is accomplished by combining passive systems and advanced renewable energies. The wooden frame will be covered with a three-dimensional crystal glass dress that will be subdivided into faceted diamond-shaped pieces. The crystals consist of an active organic layer, made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, which will absorb light and turn it into power. This energy, which will be stored in hydrogen fuel cells, will be distributed throughout the cathedral. To avoid any greenhouse effect(s), the crystal diamonds open at the acroterion of the nave and transept. This will create a natural air flow towards the top of the spire, mimicking a wind-powered chimney. The project features an internal garden devoted to contemplation and meditation. Up to 21 tons of fruits and vegetables could be harvested and distributed for free each year. A farmers market could be held each week on Notre Dame's forecourt.Start your own garden with seed paper. Once buried and soaked, this paper will turn back into a plant. "In conclusion, we advocate for an exemplary project in ecological engineering that feels true to its time and avoids a pastiche architecture that turns the ...

The dog park of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the local government for the city of Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state Telangana, is a pop of color for the surrounding area. Not only is the greenery a big contributor but also the brightly colored tiles on the pavement. If you read the information board outside of the park, you'll find out that the tiles are more than just a colorful addition to the park. They are made out of plastic waste. They are manufactured by Shayna EcoUnified, India's first company to produce HDCP tiles from plastic waste. Based in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the company was founded in 2018 after Paras Saluja took a trip to Vietnam. Speaking to The Better India, he said, "In fact, it was way back in 2015 when I did the Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek that the passion to do something useful for the country ignited in me."Shayna EcoUnified Founder & Director Paras Saluja He told the news outlet that the EBC is one of the most beautiful places in the world and attracts a lot of trekkers each year, however, the amount of waste left behind by enthusiastic travellers is shameful.Leave behind less waste by choosing reusable items from Custom Earth Promos. "At that point, I didn't know what to do. But my trip to Vietnam in 2017 cleared it. I wanted to change my career from pharmaceuticals to recycling plastic sustainably."Shayna EcoUnified Founder & Director Paras Saluja When he got back, Saluja did extensive research on waste, and how to manage and recycle plastic. While the solutions were inspiring, but one idea struck him like a tonne of bricks—plastic waste, everything from single-use shopping bags to old chairs, could be made into tiles, and the manufacturing process would emit less pollution! Saluja met with both government officials and scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Fortunately, the NPL was working on technology to compress plastic waste into tiles. Saluja jumped at the opportunity to scale up their business. "Working with the NPL, we secured a deal for a plant in North India."Shayna EcoUnified Founder & Director Paras Saluja He stated that they are working with government-approved technology that upcycles plastic while also preventing poisonous gasses from being released.Upcycle your plastic by using reusable bags made from recycled materials. Saluja mentioned that people he approached were skeptical of recycled materials. When it came to long-term projects, like building houses, people prefered using materials such as marble and ceramic for floor and wall tiles. Saluja gets around this by targeting governmental organizations and corporations; to help make their premises colorful and eco-friendly. Saluja was joined by Sandeep Nagpal, the co-founder & co-director. He and the rest of the team at Shayna EcoUnified manage plastic waste sustainably and economically. Nagpal has 25 years of experience in the field of sales and ...

We've all played a video game or two at some point in our lives—whether it was as recent as "Mortal Kombat 11"; a modern classic like "Mario" or "Sonic"; or even as old as "Tetris," "Centipede," or "Pong." In April of 2005, the first game in the popular "Virtual Villagers" series was released; and in May of 2009, "Minecraft" became available. In "Virtual Villagers," the goal was to build an island tribe and help them thrive, all while exploring the secrets of the mysterious island. "Minecraft" is a sandbox game where the player's only objective is to obtain resources to craft with and build the world around them. Enter "Eco," which combines them both. "Eco" is a multiplayer game about starting a civilization from scratch and progressing it far enough that you can stop a meteor from destroying your virtual world. During this progression, however, you can, unfortunately, have a negative impact on the environment. This includes global warming. "People, by default, will not consider the group." Strange Loop Games CEO and "Eco" Developer John Krajewski Krajewski was talking about "Eco's" players at the start of the game. At this point, each player only has a few simple tools. Everyone seems to only focus on themselves. They chop down trees to build their house with little thought to how this impacts the world around them. It does, however, impact their world. Knocking down too many trees without replacing them can destroy entire forests. Hunting too many animals can cause extinction. Producing too much carbon dioxide can warm the planet. This all mimics the real planet.Make less of an impact on your world by purchasing eco-friendly, sustainable products from Custom Earth Promos. In "Eco's" virtual world, players produce CO2 by making iron, an important resource. Just like in the real world, people don't usually band together to try to solve problems until they realize that there is one. "Eco" lets their players create governments and laws, so a player might simply limit the amount of iron being created, or they may enact government oversight by putting taxes in place that decrease demand.Create less CO2 by using recycled items, including bags, bottles, notebooks, even umbrellas! But, "Eco" is meant for more than just entertainment. Strange Loop designed the game for educational purposes. Classrooms, even entire schools, can go have an "Eco" experience together. Krajewski noted a story where one class used all the available trees for housing. The next class, playing on the same servers, found themselves tree-less. They knocked down the other class's houses to obtain lumber for their own. Studies are also being done with students playing "Eco." This includes asking them if playing this game changes their thoughts on global warming. While traditional schooling can teach kids about climate change and our impact on the environment, "Eco" lets them experience it first-hand. "Eco" isn't ...

Victoria Bowness is originally from Macclesfield, near Manchester, England, but this British mother of one now lives on a mountain in the outback. She reveals how she turned her back on her life in England to live off the grid with her 27-year-old Australian partner Johnny Clapham. The 35-year-old has swapped her modern city house for a simple dome on a 120-acre plot. It is a two hour journey for groceries, and she is almost four hours away from the nearest city of Brisbane, Australia. The family uses no taps and has no electricity bill. Victoria purifies water for washing in, and all of their power comes from solar energy. In her early twenties, Victoria lived in the fashionable neighborhood of Manchester's Northern Quarter. She worked in a successful marketing firm. She says that she was always desperate to escape the fast-paced lifestyle for something more relaxed, becoming more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious in the process.Become more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious by purchasing from Custom Earth Promos. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, "For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to know what was beyond where I was—I was always looking for something more."35-year-old Victoria Bowness After losing her mom when she was 24, Victoria was motivated to live "life to the fullest." Three years later, she moved to Australia. It was there, in Sydney, that she met Johnny, a landscape gardener. They had plans to settle down together when Victoria became pregnant six months into their relationship. The cost of housing in Sydney was at an all-time high at the time. The couple knew they'd need an alternative. When Victoria gave birth to their daughter, Anaya, 14 months ago, the family decided it was time to leave the city. With "nothing left to lose," they began to look for a plot of land far from the "urban sprawl." Eventually, they came across space in the middle of a mountain. It was three-and-a-half hours away from the nearest city and a full ten minutes away from their neighbors. "Most people come out here when they need a break, it's space for the weekend. We didn't want a life that we needed space from. We wanted to live together as a family."35-year-old Victoria Bowness With no traffic, and without the hustle and bustle of a big crowd, Victoria notes that the only noises are from their "kangaroo neighbors," among deer and other wild animals. Rather than going shopping, or ordering take-out and spending the night watching tv, they spend their time in this quiet environment sitting together, walking, and talking. Despite their off the grid living, the pair are connected to a 4G network. This allows them to keep in touch with friends and family. It is very useful for Victoria, who is a small business consultant and advises small business on how to best target their audience. "My job lends itself to this lifestyle. We want to inspire people as well. You don't have to go into an ...

There are two equally compelling arguments for solving climate change. But, what will it actually be like? Better than today, or worse? Will we live in tents and farm some climate change created post apocalyptic nightmare, or will we have flying cars and live in a science fiction fan's dream? Comfy homes, good food, whip-smart appliances, and robots whizzing around on farms all seem pretty likely. This is according to experts queried by USA TODAY. Overall, our living standards won't change much, they'll just become greener and more efficient.Make sure you advertising is green and efficient by selecting Custom Earth Promos. This is in stark contrast to the other side of the coin; a common complaint by critics who object to making global warming-based changes to the economy. They suggest that such changes will destroy America's standard of living. It will force us all to "live in yurts and eat tofu," as one of the commenters on this NPR excerpt put it. "Every single proposed solution will simultaneously improve life and decrease carbon emissions." Professor of Climate Science at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Noah Diffenbaugh These predictions presume that the shift to carbon-neutral energy, industrial, and transportation systems happens in enough time to slow, and eventually reverse, the effects of global warming that the planet is already experiencing These include rising oceans, more flooding, worse storms, and increasing heat waves and droughts. Experts say that whatever happens next depends entirely upon how quickly we act. Many of the proposed technological and policy changes are already underway. However, they need to be sped up. Today, human pour 37 gigatons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere...annually! People must avoid those carbon emissions within a relatively short amount of time—the next 20 years—to avoid "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society," says the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Monday, April 22, was Earth Day. Let's assume that, for Earth Day, we have "solved" global warming and successfully switched to a carbon-neutral world. You, and/or your children, and/or your grandchildren, are waking up sometime between 2050 and 2100. What does this new world look like? Heating and Cooling Houses themselves won't look much different, for example, although appropriate areas will most likely have solar panels installed. This will be especially important in hot, sunny parts of the U.S. as it will decrease the pressure on power production for cooling during the day. California has a law in place, currently, that will require any new house built after 2020 to have solar panels installed. This shift is already slowly happening. Today's refrigerators are about 20 percent bigger, but they use one-quarter of the electricity those sold only 20 years ago did. The LED lightbulbs people now buy use 20 percent of ...

Death. It's an inevitable part of life. But, what to do with the body? There are plenty of eco-friendly options, including biodegradable caskets that return to the earth with the body (such as wood, cardboard, and woven materials such as bamboo or wicker), shrouds, urns designed to be buried and have a tree planted on top, sprinkling the ashes of a loved one into an artificial coral reef, and having your ashes mixed into a professional soccer field when it's reseeded the next season. But, have you ever heard of "human composting?" Washington State is expected to become the first to legalize a burial alternative that will turn bodies back into soil within weeks. A bill allowing "natural organic reduction," also known as "human composting," has passed the legislature and ended up on the desk of Governor Jay Inslee. Inslee is running for president in 2020. His campaign is all about climate change. A spokeswoman for his office has said that the accelerated decomposition process "seems like a thoughtful effort to soften our footprint" on the planet.Take a "thoughtful effort to soften your footprint" on the planet by purchasing from Custom Earth Promos. According to the bill's sponsor, Senator Jamie Pedersen of Seattle, compared to burial, the natural organic reduction process takes up less space. It could also reduce the carbon emissions emitted by cremation. Human composting creates, on average, one yard of soil per body. That's about enough to fill two large wheelbarrows. If the bill passes, relatives would be able to keep the soil in urns, spread it on public land, or plant a tree using it on their private property. Pedersen said the laws for scattering cremated remains would still remain in effect.Plant a tree and sprinkle the human soil with seed paper. Once used, this paper can be soaked and planted to create wildflowers. "It is sort of astonishing that you have this completely universal human experience—we're all going to die—and here's an area where technology has done nothing for us. We have the two means of disposing of human bodies that we've had for thousands of years, burying and burning. It just seems like an area that is ripe for having technology give us some better options than we have used."Senator Jamie Pedersen of Seattle, Washington Pedersen got the idea from a constituent, who modeled their method on the ones farmers use to dispose of livestock.Dispose of single-use plastic by switching to reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Katrina Spade ran a pilot project after studying the process for her master's thesis. She decomposed six bodies at Washington State University last year. Spade said that converting the bodies to soil took anywhere between four and seven weeks. Her company, Recompose, plans to provide "natural organic reduction" services "to all who want them." The company told NBC News that it aimed to charge $5,500 per body. Compared to a traditional burial with a funeral viewing, it is ...

Next week is Earth Day, and the state of Virginia will be celebrating with educational events and service projects. Year round, however, environmental solutions have inspired creative businesses around Richmond. Three of them are run by women, who have successfully managed to merge creativity and entrepreneurship.Celebrate Earth Day by getting your reusable promotional items from Custom Earth Promos. Scrap RVA In the neighborhood of Northside, Richmond, Virginia, Scrap RVA Director Amy Turner is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves full of art supplies and strange craft materials. "Canvas frames, oil pastels, acrylic...feathers, googly eyes, glitter..."Scrap RVA Director Amy Turner These are just some of the materials, among them keys, bottle caps, baby crib-bumpers, circuit boards, and other forgotten machinery parts.Make your next project with seed paper. This interesting material can be planted after use. "We have the weavers, the crocheters, knitters, quilters, the jewelry people, the fine artists. It's amazing the collection of people that we can hit every single spectrum in the art world."Scrap RVA Director Amy Turner The non-profit store is donation based. This allows it to provide a wide range of supplies at a low cost. "It saves money. It keeps everything out of the landfill, keeps it moving. And it's an adventure; it's a treasure hunt and it's a win-win for everybody."Scrap RVA Director Amy Turner In 2017, Virginia generated nearly eight million tons of waste—that's about 2,000 pounds per person! According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, only about 40 percent of this is recycled! Scrap RVA is doing their part to increase that number. Last month, residents donated almost 4,000 pounds worth of supplies! "That's two tons of waste—things that are kept out of the landfill."Scrap RVA Director Amy Turner Top Stitch Mending Lisa Hutchinson started Top Stitch Mending in 2016. She works out of the foyer of her home, where two long tables hold all of her sewing supplies. Underneath, are bags filled with scraps of thread and fabric. Hutchinson uses every bit of material she collects. "I do anything from a missing button all the way to vintage restorations and alterations are always sprinkled in the mix. Anything on its last leg or in between just to keep it in circulation."Top Stitch Mending CEO Lisa Hutchinson Hutchinson utilizes her platform to promote repurposing clothing that can't be fixed. She also aims to raise awareness of the dangers of "fast fashion."Rescue your lanyards from "fast fashion" by making sure they are made from sustainable materials. "When something's damaged it's not the end of it's life. We've had a lot of disposable clothing produced in the last, well 20 or so years. And the faster it gets, the easier it gets damaged."Tom Stitch Mending CEO Lisa Hutchinson So far, Hutchinson pays a few of her friends to help her with the mending, but she hopes to ...

Two mechanical engineers have created an eco-friendly razor. It's plastic-free and incorporates the simplicity of an old-fashioned safety razor with the technology and comfort of a modern cartridge razor. The product is called Leaf Shave, an all-metal razor with a pivoting head that can be customized with up to three blades. It was invented by Adam Simone, of Mystic, Connecticut, and Adam Hahn, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and launched through a $100,000 Kickstarter campaign back in July 2016. "It's customizable so if you have sensitive skin, you might only put two blades in and if you have tough hair, you might put in all three. When you close it up, suddenly it's a multi-blade pivoting head. Take care of it and it will last forever. It's a really simple mechanism."Leaf Shave Inventor Adam Simone Simone said that he and Hahn saw how much success companies like Dollar Shave Club and Harry's were having, but their goal was to create a plastic-free razor that would stay out of landfills.Are you looking for something plastic-free that will stay out of landfills? Try a reusable water bottle. "The clubs were using the same kind of razors that Gillette was using—a plastic disposable razor—and we thought if we could invent a new kind of razor we could make something really interesting for the industry so that's what we set out to do. Also, the EPA estimates 2 billion disposable razors are thrown out annually in the U.S. alone and there is really no need for that."Leaf Shave Inventor Adam Simone Simone mentioned that while all-metal, double-bladed safety razors had their advantages, they were difficult to use. "Those were quality tools and they've been around for many years and they cost pennies, which is awesome, but safety razors are kind of challenging to use. It's easy to cut yourself, there's a learning curve, and some people don't want to take that time, which is why we have these pivoting heads and modern cartridge razors."Leaf Shave Inventor Adam Simone Simone and Hahn met while working at Blue Belt Technologies. Blue Belt is a medical device startup in Pittsburgh that builds medical robots for orthopedic surgery. Hahn was in charge of the mechanical engineering group, and Simone ran the marketing group. However, Blue Belt was acquired by another company in 2016. This gave Simone and Hahn the capital they needed to split off and build their own business. "Adam specialized in developing small, mechanical instrumentation and that lends itself really nicely because these are small and precision. He and I have compatible skill sets. He handles engineering, design, and manufacturing; and I handle sales, marketing, and customer services and operations here."Leaf Shave Inventor Adam Simone Also working in their Stonington, Connecticut, warehouse is Adam Simone's wife, April Collier. She is the company's fulfillment manager.Collier grew up in Pawcatuck and North Stonington, while Simone grew up in Canterbury and Norwich; ...

Skipping rush hour traffic by hopping into a flying taxi may seem like a long shot dreamt up by science fiction authors, but a number of corporations and startups are currently working on prototypes. In October, Cora, one of the aforementioned companies and startups, partnered with Air New Zealand in a step towards commercialization. Boeing tested out their own self-flying taxis in January. Uber even has plans to launch a flying rideshare service by 2023! These prototypes may be electric and give off no greenhouse gases, but mining and producing the electricity to charge their batteries still has an environmental cost to it. But the flying taxis of the future may be greener than they seem—provided everyone carpools and only uses them for long-distance travel. This comes from a study done by University of Michigan scientists, and published in Nature Communications last Tuesday, who recently considered the cost of the futuristic vehicles compared to ground-based cars. "I was surprised by how competitive the flying cars were in these scenarios that we explored because of the energy intensity to lift the vehicle."Study Author and Director of University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Systems Gregory Keoleian Flying cars rely on distributed electric propulsion. This is essentially a series of small propellers on the vehicle's wings. By using this, they can avoid runways, moving much more like a drone, with a vertical take-off and landing. To understand the necessary energy, scientists used data from other scientific and industry reports. the model they considered had one pilot and four passenger seats, flew at an altitude of 1,000 feet, and could travel up to 150 miles per hour. This was compared to two cars: one gasoline-powered vehicle that gets 34.1 miles per gallon; the other an electric vehicle that, based on its energy use, got a whopping 108.5 miles per gallon! Efficiency was compared at distances anywhere from 3 all the way up to 155 miles. For short trips of 22 miles or less, both of the cars beat the sky taxi in efficiency. Most of Americans only make short trips, the average distance being around 11 miles. This would leave the taxi mostly hovering, using up a lot of energy. Over long distances, the taxi's efficiency improved. for a nonstop, 62-mile trip, use of the taxi led to 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the gasoline car. Compared to the electric vehicle, unfortunately, the taxi had 28 percent more emissions. However, this scenario ignores passengers. If you load all four people into the taxi and compare it to cars with average occupancy, 1.54 people, to be exact, it looks even greener. On the basis of emissions produced per passenger across the same 62 miles, the taxi has 52 percent fewer emissions than the gasoline car and 6 percent less than the electric!Produce less emissions by producing less waste, by purchasing reusable items from Custom Earth Promos. This implies that these vehicles ...

In this modern era of glass and steel, wood might seem like an old-school material. However, researchers say that they have given wood a makeover. It is not only a sturdy materials but transparent and able to both store and release heat. This could aid in the construction of energy-efficient homes. Researchers hope to develop a biodegradable version. This would increase the eco-friendly credentials, and the material would become an alternative for plastics, glass, or (maybe) even cement!Increase your eco-friendly credentials by purchasing from Custom Earth Promos. "We prepared a material that is multifunctional—it can transmit light very well and also it can store heat. We combined these two functions in a single material." Céline Montanari of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden Montanari will be presenting this work at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Orlando, Florida, this spring. To produce this material, previous work was built upon; the lignin was removed from balsa wood. Lignin is component that gives wood its strength and color. Acrylic was introduced into the remaining tissue to fill the pores left over from the lignin removal and the hollow vessels that carry water. While acrylic is water repellent, it is not biodegradable. Montanari said this not only helped maintain the wood's structure but also restored its strength and improved its optical properties. The end result was a frosted-looking wood-based material. This time around, acrylic was mixed with polyethylene glycol. The polyethylene penetrates wood well but has another crucial feature as well: when heated, it absorbs energy and melts; when later cooled, it hardens and releases energy in the process. The team says that this means their material, which would go from semi-transparent to transparent as it heats, could be used to make buildings more energy-efficient. Energy captured from the sun during the day would later be released into the building's interior. "If you take 100g [about 3.5 ounces] of this transparent wood material with the polyethylene glycol inside, it can absorb up to 8,000J [Joules] of heat, which corresponds to what a 1W [watt] bulb could produce in two hours."Céline Montanari of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden She added that different types of polyethylene glycol melt at different temperatures. This means that the team could tweak the wood's properties according to its application(s). Materials that can trap and release heat in this way are not a new idea in construction. Various types are available as an innovative form of insulation to reduce energy consumption and costs. The team says that their approach is different, however, as the natural material reduces the need for oil-based materials and related CO2 emissions. Montanari says there is plenty of work to still be done. This includes: replacing the acrylic with a biodegradable alternative for certain ...