5 Inspirational Green Initiatives from around the World

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic, and companies, cities and individuals around the world are looking into how to make eco-friendly initiatives part of our daily life.

Below we take a look at 5 sustainability initiatives from around the world we found inspiring. 

1. Zéphyr Solar

Zephyr are solar powered balloons created to facilitate humanitarian intervention through access to energy in a crisis situation. 

Developed by Cédric Tomissi and Julie Dautel and their start-up EONEF, the eco-friendly generator can be deployed in under an hour, fly up to 30 days at a time and is capable of withstanding winds of 43 mph. The balloons can be used for a variety of sustainable initiatives, such as measuring air quality or observing wildlife. 

2. The Green Building Initiative

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is an international effort dedicated to improving building performance and reducing impact on the climate. They provide a certification program (the Green Globes® and the federal Guiding Principles certification) for commercial buildings that adhere to their strict environmental standards. The goal of the initiative is to establish a standard of best practices for green building globally and provide an unbiased assessment tool for sustainability requirements.  

3. Paper battery

At number three is a paper battery with a water switch developed by researchers to be used to power single-use disposable electronics. 

The battery could have applications in environmental sensors, medical devices and smart labels to track packages. As the materials it’s made from – paper and zinc – are biodegradable, they believe the battery could help reduce environmental impact of single-use electronics. 

4. Solar glass

Solar glass is photovoltaic (PV) that can be integrated into a building, and hence varies from traditional PVs which are usually added on top of an existing structure. It is designed to replace conventional building material such as roofs, facades and windows to generate power efficiently. 

The fact that it can be integrated into a building, rather than added on top provides an incentive for developers concerned about aesthetics and functionality of a building. 

5. Smog Free Tower

The Smog Free Tower, designed by Daan Rossegaarde, is the world’s first smog vacuum cleaner. Measuring 23 feet high, the tower sucks in polluted air, and through a process of ionizations, cleans it before releasing the air. 

The tower not only cleans air, but the collected smoke particles are recycled into jewelry – you can contribute to production of clean air by buying a Smog Free Ring!