UK McDonald’s net-zero carbon restaurant tries to make the environment a bit healthier

You might have guilty feelings when chowing down on that hamburger, but one McDonald’s restaurant in the UK might at least let you feel good about staying green while you’re there.

Fast-food and health are two words that never really got along well with one another, and it isn’t just about humans’ bodily health either. Sometimes worse than other restaurants because of their nature and their processes, fast-food chains have also become perilous to the health of the planet, particularly through their net carbon emissions. As one of the world’s biggest culprits, McDonald’s is trying to set an example and opened the first net-zero restaurant in the UK, though it still comes up short of being net-zero in the true sense of the word.

Designers: Scurr Architects and AEW Architects for McDonald’s

It’s no longer enough to just say that you’re using recycled materials for cups or utensils these days. Those are important first steps, of course, but not enough to earn you a “net-zero” badge for your building. For that, you’ll need to significantly reduce your carbon emissions in almost every aspect, including the construction, operation, and demolition of the establishment.

McDonald’s Market Drayton branch in the UK tries to check off a few of those boxes, particularly in the materials they used. Wall insulation is made from sheep’s wool, while parking lot kerbstones are each made from 182 recycled plastic bottles. Even the signage is made from McDonald’s own coffee beans as part of the company’s “circular waste solution.” All of these while retaining the same familiar design of McDonald’s restaurants around the world, or at least in the UK.

The day-to-day operations of the restaurant are also almost zero, with power being provided by two on-site wind turbines and 92 square meters (990 square feet) of solar panels. Strictly speaking, however, the restaurant can’t be considered truly net-zero because it doesn’t take into account consumption-based emissions, according to Dezeen.

It’s still an important step forward for the company as well as the UK’s net-zero carbon buildings thrust, especially considering how much foot traffic and how many customers a single McDonald’s branch gets on a single day. That said, it’s also just one in tens of thousands of McDonald’s locations around the world that still have to adopt the fast-food chain’s sustainable programs. It’s just the first step, of course, and McDonald’s plans to move forward in the years to come, including vegan, plant-based menus by 2025.

Photos courtesy of Anthony Devlin/PA.

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This 100% Hydrogen-powered autonomous road truck brings zero-emission transportation to freeways!





While the world is stressing over the carbon emissions of fuel-powered vehicles, the freight trucking industry remains neglected compared to two and four-wheelers. Renowned French manufacturer Gaussin known for its all-electric shifters is set to revolutionize the trucking industry with its upcoming skateboard platform for class 8 tractors and straight trucks ranging from 18 tons to 44 tons. The intelligent drive system will come in two different versions promising sustainable cruising minus the harmful emissions. The hydrogen-powered setup for long-distance transportation requirements or the electric-powered design for shorter distance transportation is the two different versions.

This versatile system means that truckers can go 500 miles on a single charge with the hydrogen-powered configuration and make a quick pit stop of 20 minutes when the power is about to run out. The all-electric configuration will offer a range of 180 miles on a single charge, with the option to swap the battery instantly. The new chassis is ultra-lightweight, with it being 400 kg lighter than the traditional chassis currently on the freight trucks. Depending on the client’s needs, the platform comes in varied lengths, height, and axle configurations to cater to the demands of the market. It will even have the option for autonomous driving, courtesy of the open interface.

According to CEO Christophe Gaussin, “With this hydrogen and electric skateboard, a world premiere, Gaussin reaffirms its pioneering role in the ecological transition and the development of low-carbon mobility solutions.” Given the future-forward motives driven by clean transportation initiatives of the company, another French company has already asked Gaussin to develop three different types of hydrogen-powered lorries for upcycling excavated soil from urban sites. These include 10×4 70-ton tipper vehicles (for on-site transport) operational for 10 hours on a single charge, cabin-less purported self-driving 10×4 tipper capable of hauling 25 percent more payload, and 4×2 44-ton electric-powered tractors for road transport. Gaussin said on its official website, “This first contract for Gaussin’s modular hydrogen and electric ‘skateboard’ and its version for public works carriers and tractors comes less than a month after the official presentation of this revolutionary vehicle.” The first batch of trucks is expected to arrive in 2022, and we look forward to seeing them in motion.

Designer: Gaussin





This 100% self-sustaining cabin is was placed in the forest without a trace of fossil fuels!

You know my love for cabins and sustainability, I am always searching for the best cabins to go live in once the pandemic is over and sustainable designs that can help slow down the climate crisis. I finally found a design that marries them both and this is the most perfect cabin to exist on my list – a 100% self-sustaining and sustainable off-the-grid cabin that focuses on enjoying as well as preserving the environment it is in! They invented an assembly architecture that is fully adaptable to the environment and doesn’t even need a boom truck to be transported because of the construction technology (through assemblies) – the team takes the materials anywhere even when the construction site is far from the car path.

The latest cabin by the company is called Krul and is developed to perform independently of passive systems. The interiors are designed in a way to allow maximum natural sunlight, especially during winters to keep it naturally warm as much as possible. The orientation of the structure also maintains breezy natural ventilation even during summers. The water harvested or used is naturally treated through a worm-based Lombrifiltro system – think of it as biomimicry of our natural ecosystem. It provides enough for reuse (shower to WC), sanitation, drinking water, and sewage system. The wood used is treated with the best product on the market, certified without chemicals, and the best sealing technology in the world Rothoblass. The cabin completely eliminates the need for fossil fuels, external services, and bills!

ZeroCabin wants to change the habits of its occupants by providing the tools to live sustainably. “It is not about ‘what happens if the water-scarce,’ the questions these days should be ‘if the waters scarce, are my habits according to the water available in the place where I live? If the solar energy is not enough, are my consumption habits according to the energy available?” adds the team when talking about the thought process behind the design. All ZeroCabins regardless of the modality you buy (turnkey or DIY) have a structural base that allows optimal capture of their only two inputs, just like trees: sun and rainwater. The cabin maximizes functionality oversize but includes a wide range of modifications you can do based on the land you want to put it on and as long as it is aligned with their environmental guidelines.

Additionally, the company also encourages all cabin owners to be a part of their 100% ecological tourism network. Every cabin kit sold finances planting of native trees according to the reforestation campaigns. “We do not seek to make houses with character, spatiality, or identity … our architect is nature and its rules, and from there we create something for you. The result is a respectful mutualism that will not break the limits of the environment and in gratitude, you will be able to live without accounts happy of life for the rest of your life,” says the team with utmost love for their work and their efforts to help the environment. ZeroCabin is a home that adapts to you and the planet seamlessly.

Designer: ZeroCabin

This eVTOL ambulance designed to airlift critical patients will commence in Australia in 2023!

Come 2023 and you could be seeing the Australian skies dotted with emergency responder eVTOL aircraft. This dream will become a possibility as innovative Australian start-up AMSL Aero has developed an eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft in collaboration with their research partners – the University of Sydney, autonomy; sensing specialists Mission Systems, and Australian aeromedical company CareFlight. Dubbed Vertiia, the pod-shaped aircraft takes flight courtesy of the eight transitioning multirotors mounted on the upper tail and the lower front. For now, the manned aircraft can reach a speed of 300 km/h with autonomous capabilities to come when fully ready. It’ll have a dynamic range of 250 km on the battery-powered drivetrain while the clean hydrogen-fueled powertrain will enable 800 km with the option of quick refueling.

According to CareFlight Co-founder and CEO, Andrew Moore, the strategic partnership with CareFlight for use of Vertiia by 2023 as an air ambulance aims to provide convenient, low-cost connectivity for remote regions that are devoid of any airstrips. Andrew added by saying that it is the most efficient eVTOL in the world as “it also creates a tremendous opportunity to provide zero emissions air transport solutions.” Unlike conventional aeromedical planes, Vertiia will transport patients directly from any location to the hospital, sans the time lag which is important for critical patients. This will be vital for airlifting people during bushfires or transporting patients in far-flung areas for preventative healthcare and testing. On top of that, it’ll be a safer option than helicopters, will cost as little as your hatchback, and will be easy to maintain. To cut it short Vertiia will be a much affordable, accessible, safer, and reliable option!

The University of Sydney has had a pivotal role in bringing the eVTOL aircraft to life with their valuable inputs in development. University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Michael Spence, said; “We are incredibly excited to be collaborating with AMSL Aero on the development of Vertiia, a technology which has the potential to rapidly decarbonize air travel and improve patient transport. My team has used computers to design and algorithms to optimize the aircraft structure and its propellers. This will ultimately allow AMSL Aero to reach their ambitious range and speed targets for Vertiia.”

The future-forward aircraft is already in the pre-flight prototype stage and has been formally launched by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack at Bankstown Aerodrome. The project is in line with the Australian government’s National Aviation Policy Issues Paper on Emerging Aviation Technologies and Vertiia has become a reality as a result of the $3 million federal government Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grant. Vertiia is currently being built at AMSL’s aerodrome at Bankstown Airport, and shortly test flights will commence at its facility in Narromine Airport in regional New South Wales.

The Deputy Prime Minister McCormack said: “What we’re seeing here today is a revolution in aeromedical support. In the Northern Territory, for example, an aircraft that travels at 300 kilometers per hour, as Vertiia does, can reach 98 percent of the population.”

Designer: AMSL Aero in collaboration with The University of Sydney, MissionSystems, and CareFlight