It’s going to take emissions reductions and plenty of technical innovation to reach net zero emissions by 2050. At Tomorrow’s Air we’re fans of all the solutions and thanks to @lowercarboncapital were able to highlight exciting new innovations designed to reduce emissions in all aspects of our lives, not just travel.
First up, a food waste solution
- The Kitchen Bin looks just like a regular trash can, except it weighs 50 lbs and at night it churns your dinner scraps into odorless food grounds. The grounds can be picked up by and fed to chickens. Taking into account production, energy usage and shipment emissions, this circular food system prevents 521.1 kg CO2e from entering the atmosphere per household per year. Imagine the climate impact of multiple Kitchen Bins at the hotel or lodging of your next vacation. Find the Kitchen Bin on instagram @mill, and read all about why the kitchen bin is different from a regular composter, in our article on food waste here.
A new way to fight deforestation
- Cultured Oil, a cooking oil that shares all of the positives of vegetable oil: high smoke point, neutral taste, healthy fats; but none of the negatives: deforestation, biodiversity loss, chemical runoff, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions. Vegetable oil production is one of the leading causes of deforestation. CA based startup, Zero Acre Farms, makes cultured oil by fermenting sugar, using 87% less land than canola oil. Follow them on Instagram @zeroacrefarms to learn more!
Meatless meat
- Mosa Meat is‘the world’s kindest beef burger.’ The slaughter-free beef is made from real meat cells that come from a lab instead of a field. Different from veggie burgers or plant-based sausage, it looks, tastes, smells just like real beef but with 96% fewer carbon emissions. Meat production contributes to ⅕ of all human produced greenhouse gasses, and this cultured meat a.k.a cell based meat represents a new innovation that can revolutionize our food system. Learn more @loambio
Promoting plant growth through microorganisms
- Healthy microorganisms inside us promote health and nutrition in humans, and the same goes for plants. Australian company, Loam Bio, coats seeds with microbes to promote plant growth, resilience, and carbon drawdown. With widespread application it has the potential to remove 8.5 gigatons of CO2 annually. It’s a win, win, win for the plants, the farmers, and the atmosphere.
Electric plane update
- In January 2022 Heart Aerospace, a Swedish electrical aircraft developer, successfully conducted their first test flight. In 2024 they plan to test their first full-scale 19 seat passenger plane prototype, and by 2026 they hope to have commercial service on short-haul flights (under 400 km) up and running. Decarbonizing aviation starts with short haul flights. They account for 40% of aviation emissions and can be 50% more carbon intensive than long-haul flights. Heart is developing the ES-30: a 30 seat fully electric airliner with zero operational emissions and the potential to become the new normal for regional flights. Find them on instagram @heartaerospace
Enzymes stand in for oil in common products
- Solugen is cleaning up the chemicals in the products we use every day. The Houston-based startup uses enzymes instead of oil to make products such as bio-based hydrogen peroxide or wastewater treatment solutions, all in the world’s first carbon-negative molecule factory. The chemicals industry relies heavily on fossil fuels, and Solugen’s high-performance eco-friendly products mark a significant step in the quest for a greener and cleaner chemical industry. Learn more @solugenbio.
Kelp to de-acidify the ocean
- Meet Running Tide, a startup based out of Maine on a mission to rebalance the natural carbon cycle and de-acidify the ocean. Running Tide tackles this astronomical task through a combination of projects including growing kelp, sinking terrestrial biomass, and farming shellfish. The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink, and if taken care of, has vast potential to restore our climate.
It’s going to take emissions reductions and plenty of technical innovation to reach net zero emissions by 2050. At Tomorrow’s Air we’re fans of all the solutions and love the feeling of hope and optimism that comes from focusing on solutions to help restore our climate.
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