I am not oblivious to the fact that when people see my name next to an article, their immediate thought goes something along the lines of, “Oh great. Here’s another article about how humans are a terrible species that is destroying everything good on Earth.” In this piece, I am going to share a few movements with you that will restore your faith in our presence on Earth. So, here is some happy news:
Around the world, golf course designers are building courses with pockets of the original habitat incorporated directly into the holes. For example, instead of using the energy and resources to make a man-made lake, engineers are simply leaving naturally-occurring habitat in the shape of a lake to act as a hazard. These pockets are called eco-islands, and native plants and animals continue their existence with the golf course around them.
Cemeteries are beginning to allow for “natural burials,” which involve no embalming or preservation methods. Instead, the morticians wrap the body in biodegradable materials and place them directly in the ground perhaps on a bed of woodchips or other natural substance. This choice has the intention of the body’s nutrients returning to the soil. Some cemeteries are taking this further in the natural process and planting a seed for a tree or shrub directly over the body for the cycle of nutrients to begin again alongside decomposition. Eleven cemeteries in Indiana offer this service. These are located in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Westfield and Crown Point.
Engineers, farmers, scientists, horticulturalists, contractors and interior designers are gathering to plan and begin construction on what are named vertical farms that do exactly what their titles suggest. These futuristic-looking buildings are rising as skyscrapers themselves with the intention of leading the urban agriculture movement. The buildings have solar panels and floors designated for everything from water purification to food production to public tours of the building. Projections include markets to purchase the foodstuffs that grew from seeds merely floors above the store.
A twenty-year-old CEO is launching the first passive ocean cleanup technology in 2016. The machine is a floating plastic collector that will filter natural ocean currents. The physics of the design prevent wildlife from entrapment. Eventually, The Ocean Cleanup aims to begin clearing The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an island-sized entanglement of millions of pieces of plastic floating in the ocean.
At the 2010 TED conference, Eben Bayer introduced an alternative to styrofoam made of 100 percent recyclable materials. This new substance is made of mushroom roots.
Though our current environmental state is not the best, it is not the bleakest either. These examples are a demonstration of environmental consciousness that we need to support if we want any hopes of a sustainable future. Many of these projects were start-up ideas and certainly unconventional. We may be under the impression that our individual contributions cannot make a difference, but regardless if this is true or not, our support of these organizations is beneficial. We must also continue to provide space for innovation to continue to combat environmental issues.
Dixon is a sophomore Environmental Fellow from Evansville, IN