Award-Winning Solar-Powered Aircraft Ushers in a New Era of Zero-Emission Travel

Carbon-neutral flight seems to quite literally be on the horizon with this conceptual falcon-shaped aircraft. The eponymously named Falcon Horizon embraces the boundless potential of solar power with a uniquely designed body that additionally helps with lift and allows the aircraft to navigate the skies. Departing from conventional aircraft design, this concept harnesses the advantages of flying wings, drawing inspiration from the efficiency of birds of prey.

Designer: Laszlo Nemeth

In an era where solar-powered manned flight is not only possible but actively under development, the aviation industry carries a weighty responsibility to chart a sustainable course. Falcon Solar minimizes the need for cumbersome batteries, leveraging solar energy not just for propulsion, but also for shaping the boundary layer around the wing, unlocking heightened efficiency. The solar panels extend from one wing to another, covering a massive area of the airplane, and therefore providing it with the power it needs to complete its journey. The delicate balance between propulsion and boundary layer manipulation yields superior overall performance.

As we witness the dawn of a new age in aviation, Falcon Solar stands as a testament to the potential of clean, renewable energy sources to reshape the skies. Although just a concept for now, its innovative format speaks to the collective aspirations of a world seeking greener horizons, while propelling us towards a future where the sky truly knows no limits. Explore the future of flight with Falcon Solar – where innovation meets sustainability.

The Falcon Solar is a winner of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept for the year 2023.

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Apple’s ‘Carbon Neutral’ Mission Explained: The Tech Giant’s Ambitious Plan for the Planet

Last night’s 80-minute keynote saw the launch of four new Apple products – the Watch Series 9, Watch Ultra 2, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Pro… but arguably the biggest focus of the event wasn’t on a product – It was on an initiative. Apple spent well over 20 minutes talking about its commitment to the environment, its focus on reducing its global impact, and even formally unveiling its ‘Carbon Neutral’ program.

The segment even had a 5-minute short film starring Octavia Spencer as ‘Mother Nature’ visiting the Apple HQ for a status report on their mission (how they got her to act in it despite the SAG AFTRA strike is a separate question entirely). It marked a unique shift for the company, which usually has spent more time in its keynotes talking about cameras or Apple’s unwavering approach to user privacy.

‘Carbon Neutral’ isn’t just Apple’s biggest climate initiative, it’s probably the biggest by any company in the world – and Apple clearly wants everyone to know that. The short film with Spencer (you can watch it above) was an informal way of letting people know exactly how much Apple’s doing to “permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere”. This pretty much influences every single part of Apple’s operations, from the energy used to run the building, stores, and server rooms, to the materials used in the products and their packaging (even down to ensuring their suppliers are carbon-neutral), and also the way the products are shipped by sea instead of by air. Apple additionally ensures its products have a high trade-in value, so there’s a better chance they’ll get recycled instead of thrown in the trash. It’s a complex system that they’ve executed pretty well, if we’re to take them for their word… and it shows how only a company as big and influential as Apple could have pulled it off. So what exactly IS Carbon Neutral?

What IS ‘Carbon Neutral’?

Tim Cook made a bold claim to make Apple carbon neutral by 2030, and to mark this journey, Apple has designed a new symbol that will now feature on product displays and packaging moving forward. A green flower created using the ‘leaf’ of the Apple logo, the Carbon Neutral mark indicates that a product has a carbon-neutral impact. Which means, for every unit of that product manufactured, Apple has already minimized its carbon footprint down to zero. Why Apple would do this is a layered question, but it’s the “how” that’s MUCH more interesting.

How is Apple Reducing its Impact?

Most of Apple’s products are made using recycled materials. The company’s invested billions of dollars in designing systems and robots that can disassemble old, damaged, or sub-par products with staggering efficiency. Almost every ounce of aluminum used in Apple’s gadgets comes recycled from a previous gadget. The company’s even committed to using 100% recycled cobalt on its iPhone 15 batteries, and 100% recycled copper in the logic board. New tech from flagship models makes its way down the chain to budget models as time goes by, ensuring nearly a decade’s worth of recycling and repurposing that saves the environment and saves Apple a whole tonne of money. The company even ensures its headquarters, stores, and server rooms run entirely on renewable energy, and that its suppliers operate using clean electricity.

The packaging for newer products is made smaller so as to efficiently ship larger quantities in the same space, and Apple’s also increasingly opting for sea-shipping rather than air to lower their emissions. The company is looking to eliminate plastic from its packaging by the end of next year, has effectively phased out the use of leather because of its climate impact, and claims to have reduced its water usage by 63 billion gallons (don’t ask me how much water Apple currently uses). Whatever carbon Apple DOES produce gets minimized by its initiatives, like planting forests in Paraguay and Brazil, restoring the mangroves in Colombia, and the grasslands in Kenya.

This year, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra Series 2 are the first ever products to come with the Carbon Neutral logo on them, signifying that up until the point that you buy them, they have zero climate impact.

Is it all Hype?

It’s worth noticing that all this comes at a time when Apple’s being forced to switch from Lightning to USB-C, and to adhere to removable battery protocols for their devices by the EU in the years to come. Apple’s AirPods are also known to be ridiculously difficult to recycle and absolutely impossible to repair, prompting this young YouTuber to design his own repairable AirPods Pro case. Some would also raise the point that all these initiatives get baked right into Apple’s pricing, which is significantly higher than other companies. In a way, Apple isn’t paying for these initiatives out of their own pockets… It’s passing the price onto the consumer, which most people seem ready to pay.

It’s easy to dismiss all this as posturing, and a lot of it probably is just that because Apple’s data is somewhat vague, to begin with… but it’s also a brilliant marketing tool to make Apple stand out even more against a backdrop of technology that can often be seen as ethically or environmentally corrupt. We’re increasingly learning about the harsh conditions of cobalt or rare-earth-mineral mining that help create the technology we so readily use, so Apple’s stepping ahead of it all to show that they still “think different” even after all these years.

That being said, even if it IS all hype, it’s hype in a good direction. Apple doesn’t operate within a void – how it operates affects the way the entire tech industry operates too. When Apple forces TSMC or any of its raw material suppliers to switch to clean energy, that means Google, Samsung, LG, etc. are also being positively affected by the decision. A switch to plastic-free packaging makes that particular manufacturing method and its adjacent materials available to other tech giants too. Sure, we can’t expect the entire technology industry to go carbon neutral by 2030, but Apple makes up a significant chunk of that industry – so its rising-tide effect definitely lifts all boats… although I wonder if other companies would be comfortable using Apple’s Carbon Neutral logo or its evaluation system!

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This net-zero home produces no waste or carbon – aesthetics & sustainability co-existing in architecture!

Architects and designers all over the world are trying their best to incorporate sustainability in their work. Biodegradable, carbon-neutral, eco-friendly, etc. are not just trends or buzzwords, these imply that we may have potential solutions to reduce the load on our planet and slow down the climate crisis. Sustainable structures create an impact on an ‘architectural’ scale and that is why I am fascinated by Baboolal, a net-zero home that produces no waste or carbon. Baboolals stay in North Carolina and they realized that their entire community lives in the exact same cookie-cutter houses that consume excess energy and they knew they wanted to create change by setting an example.

Architect Arielle Condoret Schechter was up to the challenge of designing their dream net-zero home. The home had to be well-insulated, air-tight, and energy-efficient because to reach a net-zero energy bill, the structure has to produce as much energy as it consumes.  Therefore Babool house features a photovoltaic array on the roof to generates solar power. It is also covered with a white cool-roof membrane and the windows are triple-glazed and protected with deep roof overhangs to prevent energy loss.

The Babool house also had to be a functional place for the parents, children, and their pets along with being sustainable. The core is an open, airy, and inviting central common family area while all of them have their own private bedrooms to retreat to. The spacious floor plan includes a gourmet kitchen, elaborate dining, and living areas, as well as deck access across the back of the house. It also has a study/music room, laundry room, pantry, and a two-car garage. To bring the outside scenic landscape in, the architect added operable glass doors to reduce energy loss and increase the visual spaciousness. The design encompasses a progression: one enters the house from the south which opens up into the main living space looking out into the natural views in the north creating a powerful indoor-outdoor connection.

“Our driving concept for the Baboolal residence was the Japanese principle of ‘Shakkei’ – borrowed landscape or scenery. The north side of their property is adjacent to a gorgeous grassy meadow which is part of a neighbor’s property. This north side is the dominant view from the Baboolal residence, so we are ‘borrowing’ this view. Borrowing the landscape is not just a Japanese design principle, but also one used prominently in British landscape design since the 1700s,” said Schechter. The home’s layout seamlessly flows from one zone to another. The modern aesthetic and net-zero strategies combine to make the Baboolal home beautiful, energy-efficient, sustainable, and carbon-free!

Designer: Arielle Condoret Schechter

This natural eco-friendly deodorant will safely biodegrade with its packaging in 10 weeks

Every aspect of the Wellow deodorant was designed with a cradle-to-grave mindset. Whether it’s the ingredients inside the container, the container itself, or even the information printed on the container with ink… the guys behind the Wellow realize that a product shouldn’t just make its users happy, it should make the planet happy too. Meet Wellow, a solid deodorant made from hand-poured natural ingredients (with zero sulfates, parabens, toxins, or unwanted chemicals), encased in a paper tube made from 95% recycled paper, glued with water-soluble adhesives, and printed with plant-based ink. The fact that it’s a solid deodorant means it also uses 80% less water than liquid deodorants, and lasts much longer too.

Striking a balance between traditional and modern, between self-hygiene and planet-hygiene, the Wellow deodorant bases itself on an au-naturel recipe that uses only nature-based ingredients like shea-butter, coconut oil, beeswax, arrowroot powder, and 6 other environmentally safe ingredients in its deodorant-base. The sticks are safe enough for your skin, providing 24-hours of odor-busting protection, and are safe enough for the soil too (you can quite literally compost the entire Willow in 10 weeks). Willow’s scents include Activate Charcoal, Coconut + Vanilla, Bergamot + Citrus, along with a scent-free option for people with sensitive skin or noses. The entire deo-stick comes packaged in an all-paper tube, made from 95% FSC-certified recycled paper, and lasts through 3 full months of daily use before running out. When it does, feel free to just throw the tube into a compost pit or even in your backyard. Nature will absorb the ingredients and break down the packaging into dirt in just under 70 days.

Designer: Wellow

Google says it offset all of the emissions it has ever generated

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Adidas and Allbirds team up to make environmentally friendly shoes

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Your hand sanitizer may have 60% alcohol but is it carbon negative?

I have never really paid attention to the ingredients of a hand sanitizer before the pandemic which taught me that the Bodyworks glitter ones really won’t help and I have to look for ones that have 60% alcohol or above. Obviously, the AIs of the worldwide web picked up on my searches and I ‘came across’ the world’s first carbon-negative hand sanitizer made by New York-based start-up, Air Co. I am all about sustainable living and a carbon-negative sanitizer was exactly what I needed to replace the glitter.

The pandemic caused an exponential increase in the demand for sanitizers, and in a bid to help health professionals as well as every regular person, all the alcohol brands switched from making their usual products to making sanitizers. Air Co. actually made the world’s first carbon-negative vodka by using captured CO2 instead of yeast to make alcohol and now it is following suit by switching from vodka to sanitizers but, their method still remains the same – sustainable distillation + innovative technology that removes CO2 from the air and replaces it with oxygen. They use the CO2 emitted from nearby factories, mix it with water during their production process and then distill it, all using solar energy. “It is inspired by photosynthesis in nature, where plants breathe in CO2, take up water, and they use sunlight to make things like sugars and other higher-value hydrocarbons, with oxygen as the sole by-product. Same thing with our process: The only by-product is oxygen,” says  Stafford Sheehan, one of the cofounders of Air Co.

The Air Co. sanitizer is 70% ethanol (their technology’s main output) and they are working with local officials to donate these bottles to the institutions that need it the most. Their actions reflect the brand’s two-part tagline – Almost impossible. Goods that do good. Air Co’s sanitizer is one-of-a-kind because of its undeniable benefit to the environment and positive impact that ripples beyond just keeping us virus-free. The brand is proud of using scientific methods to design products that would leave a lasting impression on people, be it their gluten-free, sugar-free, impurities-free, carbon-negative vodka or their hand sanitizer which is also crafted from the same air. Check out the running ticker of how much CO2 they have removed from the atmosphere – it is PRETTY impressive!

Designer: Air Co.