So, it’s been a long rainy and very damp week down here in the Carolinas. I’m not sure who declared that February was going to be winter month, but Mother Nature is certainly delivering. Still way better than the snow and ice that is hitting most of the country, but it would be nice to see the sun. The general greyness, combined with it coming up on almost a year since I have been to the airport just seemed to make this week drag on and amplify the day to day stress at work. Thankfully, I did come across a couple of articles this week that were optimistic and interesting that I thought I would share.
Artificial Island in Denmark
Fast Company has an article about how Denmark is building an artificial island about fifty miles from their coast that will house the world’s first clean energy hub. Once completed among hundreds of wind turbines, the island will provide clean energy to three million homes. This is all part of the country’s desire to phase out fossil fuel production by 2050, even though Denmark is the largest oil producer in the European Union. The ultimate goal is also to create green hydrogen with a zero carbon footprint, which can be used to create ammonia to run cargo ships or combined with synthetic fuels to power airplanes. A second hub is being planned for the future, as Denmark works to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. You can read the full article here. I am fascinated by the innovation in these areas that come out of Northern Europe/Scandinavia, as they seem to be continually pushing the world forward in terms of sustainability. I was so impressed when I visited there eighteen months ago, and Copenhagen will be one of my first stops once international travel makes sense again.
Replacing Plastic Bottles with Paper
Again from Fast Company (I do read a lot of other publications, but they just always seem to have the most interesting pieces), is an article on how Coke is testing plastic alternatives to replace the millions of tons of plastic it currently produces each year. A new paper bottle will roll out for a test in Europe this summer, and the new bottle is made by Paboco, a Danish startup that has also spent time collaborating with Carlsberg on a paper beer bottle. (Another Northern European endeavor – there really is a trend here). The bottle will be formed out of a single sheet of paper fiber and the label will become something printed directly on the bottle rather than a separate piece. Eventually, the bottle will be lined with a plant-based material and the cap can be made of paper, making everything 100% recyclable. Imagine all current plastic packaging being replaced with renewable materials that can be recycled or composted without harm. You can read the full article here. Hopefully, consumers embrace these new technologies as we move forward and we can start to wean ourselves off of our utter dependence on fossil-fuel based plastics as quickly as possible.
That’s it for this week, hopefully the sun will make an appearance in the coming week.
The Free Range Viking
The Free Range Viking 