Scientists believe that life on Earth started nearly three billion years ago. At first, humans were the foster child of nature. They looked at the massive forest around him in awe, fear and respect. Unlike other animals, humans didn’t have any claws or sharp teeth. We were not strong enough to fight the wild, but had been gifted with a brilliant mind. With time, we created new things that gave us immense power to control everything. We were not afraid of the wilderness, rather, it became a mere source for profit. Profit took the centre stage and in this quest for wealth and power, we destroyed nature.
As a result of our exploitation of natural resources, the Earth’s climate is changing. We are now at a critical juncture with respect to the issue of climate change. One of the major reasons for all these environmental issues is the emission of excess of carbon dioxide.
When we hear the words ‘environmental innovation’, we usually think of the efforts and steps we take to protect greenery, renewable energy, and other natural resources. Even though all these initiatives share some characteristics, like minimising waste, the term ‘environmental innovation’ stands for something more than this. Through this, businesses and nature are made equal benefactors.
We can say that practices under environmental innovation are financially-sound, eco-friendly and provide an enormous boost to a company’s net profit. Environmental innovation methods lower costs, increase revenues, and ensure a steady supply chain by embracing plausible sustainability practices like using energy-efficient facilities and constructions, investing in low-carbon tech, supply chain practices, etc. These innovations can increase business value.
Now, many of the innovators and businesses are paving the way to build a green future. For instance, Xerox has adopted environmental innovation and has been successful in substantially reducing water and emission of greenhouse gases. The company invested in technologies that reduced the carbon footprint of their operation, and thus, were able to reduce energy usage, cost and production of waste.
They worked on a sustainable paper cycle with the help of their costumers and suppliers. They followed paper-sourcing guidelines and also offered environmentally-sound paper, thus, paving way for a green and healthier future. Also, they shed emphasis on methods that would eliminate the release of dangerous air emissions for their products, and produced waste-free products and services for their costumers.
Using Biochar, also known as green coal, is a good way to reduce carbon emission. It is made by burning organic material from biomass, through a process called pyrolysis. It can store carbon safely and for a longer duration, as compared to other processes such as through a plant or tree. It is a good way to control the problems created by greenhouse gas emissions.
Another method to reduce carbon is by depositing iron dust in the ocean. Depositing iron dust in the ocean water triggers the formation of algae called plankton, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When the algae die, the whole of carbon sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Using an electric or hybrid car can reduce the production of carbon dioxide to a significant level. Also, the use of hydrogen cargo ships can help in a zero-emission journey across the ocean.
Do you care about the environment? Wish to make a change? Have an idea to resolve issues? ELP is your chance.
We are excited to launch our first edition of the Ecochirp Launchpad Program 2020 (ELP2020). ELP is the game-changer for all the budding enviropreneurs. It is a 12 weeks launchpad programme for youth-led environmental solutions. This virtual launchpad programme has weekly learning modules that include webinars, mentoring sessions and weekly tasks, which will support you to launch your idea into a validated business plan.
Apply at: https://lnkd.in/g_GUPCx
About the author: Radhika R is a student of Christ University, Bangalore. She is pursuing her Masters in English with Cultural Studies. She completed her UG in English Literature from Kerala. Her areas of interest are mythology and arts.