The bunches of bananas that we buy in stores grow off of a central trunk-like structure, known as the pseudostem. And while that part of the plant is typically discarded during harvesting, it may soon find use in a plastic that biodegrades and is fully recyclable. According to Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW), the growing of bananas is […]

New York City has introduced a bill that will rank and grade large buildings according to energy efficiency. The Local Law 95 implemented by the New York Department of Buildings will require structures that are 25,000 square feet (2,322 square metres) and over to report publicly on their data energy and water use. The protocol, which will come into action […]

Norwegian architect Snøhetta has pledged to only design carbon-negative buildings, meaning their projects will generate more energy than they consume over their lifetime. The firm plans to make the shift over the next 20 years. Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Thorsen said the firm was making the move because the need to respond to climate change “feels so bloody urgent”. “For the […]

Designer Shaakira Jassat has created a rain-catcher that is slim enough to fit on the outside of buildings in dense urban environments. The Aquatecture panel is designed to collect rainwater as it trickles over the openings in the structure before pumping it into a building’s grey-water system. Jassat, who is the founder of Studio Sway, was inspired to create the […]

Homes are getting smarter and smarter every day, but sometimes automating the inside your house depends on knowing exactly what’s going on outside. So instead of just opening up an app that gives generalized information, why not get an accurate reading using cutting-edge tech right at your doorstep? Well, that’s where the Tempest weather station comes in. WeatherFlow’s Tempest is […]

In a move that could help feed the world’s ever-growing population, researchers at MIT have developed a silk covering that allows seeds to grow in high-salinity soils. In addition to providing protection from salty soils, the silk coatings are treated with bacteria that naturally produce a nitrogen fertilizer, enhancing the potential of the seeds to germinate and grow. The research […]

Although chemicals, foods and other odorous substances are often sold in recyclable plastic containers, sometimes the smells absorbed by the plastic make it unsuitable for recycling. A new process, however, is claimed to get the stink out. Developed by Prof. Andrés Fullana and researcher Andrea Cabanes, from Spain’s University of Alicante, the technique reportedly removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that […]

According to Queen’s University Belfast, breweries in the European Union dispose of about 3.4 million tons (3.084 million tonnes) of spent barley grain every year. That could be about to change, though, as scientists at the university have created a method of converting that waste into useful charcoal. Led by Dr. Ahmed Osman, the researchers devised a process that begins […]

Given the current worldwide push for water conservation, it’s certainly ironic that people are still flushing great quantities of the stuff down their toilets. They may soon be using up to 50 percent less, however, thanks to a slippery new toilet bowl coating. Developed by scientists at Pennsylvania State University, the liquid-entrenched smooth surface (LESS) coating is applied to standard […]

“We believe everybody should have access to fresh food,” Michael Choi, CEO of Ponix Farms tells me over the phone. Ponix is a New York City-based “food utility company” — only up and running in Atlanta, so far — that creatively uses hydroponics technology to grow produce in solar-powered container farms, not unlike shipping containers. Ponix’s primary goal is to establish […]