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These 4 high-tech inventions are giving Mother Nature a fighting chance at a brighter future

“Industrialization is destroying the planet – technology is trying to save it.”

By

Mark Wales

By  Mark Wales
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robots, environment, high-tech, inventions, industry, planet, eco-friendly, green tech, green
Photo credit: Image via Canva – Photos by PhonlamaiPhoto’s Images and PharmShot – Robot ponders and river flows through a forrest.

As we continue to drive industry forward and the human footprint carves a lasting mark on the planet, a growing global crisis demands urgent answers. Solution may very much lie within the tools that created the problem. New technologyechnology is coming to save the planet.

Science continues to come up with new ways to help the environment. You might have heard of plastic eating algae. Maybe you know about giant machines pulling CO2 out of the air. But there are some new technologies and older ones that are showing unexpected value when it comes to protecting the environment.

drones, seeds, forest, illegal logging, wildlife, technology, soil monitoring, human footprint
Hands hold a tree in digital globe. Image via Canva – Photo by Peach_iStock

These are 4 high-tech inventions that prove we can help the planet and not destroy it:

Drones seed forests and monitor illegal logging

forest, deliver seeds, oak, wild cherry, native, volunteers, deforestation, illegal logging, tropical rainforest, Amazon
Drone over forest. Image via Canva – Photo by Justin Wolfert

Drones have been used for war, used to deliver packages, and now used to deliver seeds. BBC wrote about a project designed to expand the rainforests in the South West of Bodmin. In about 8 hours, drones were able to seed 11 hectares of land with 75,000 seeds of oak, alder, wild cherry, birch, and hazel; all of which are native to the area. The project officer Sam Manning was quoted, “Drones are potentially much faster and cheaper at dispersing seeds than volunteers.” Also saying, “… many potential woodland creation sites are either too steep, unsafe or remote for people to plant or scatter seeds.”

These mini flying machines are also fighting the battle of deforestation and illegal logging. Amazon Conservation describes themselves as, “an organization using science and innovation to protect the Amazon.” They use drones to monitor parts of the largest tropical rainforest in the world. Gathering information and evidence, they work with local communities and governments to protect this critical environment necessary for a healthy planet.

Biodegradable Sensors

As advancements in technology have allowed us to monitor the pollutants in soils, take important data on wildlife, and measure general soil health, an unwanted outcome has been electronic waste. The solution lies in eco-friendly, biodegradable sensors. It Direction writes, “These sensors decompose naturally, reducing the environmental footprint.” The sensors are composed of material like cellulose, silk proteins, and magnesium. The results are promising moving us toward a cleaner world.

At the University of Glasgow they’re creating screen-printed, biodegradable soil sensors to help farmers improve crop yields. Phys Org explains, “The project aims to develop a complete system where the biodegradable sensors are powered by solar cells and supercapacitors also made from sustainable materials, enabling a fully environmentally friendly solution for precision agriculture monitoring.”

Solar farms

solar farm, source of energy, sunshine, wildlife, Germany, vegetation, insects, hectare, animal waste
Solar power farm. Image via Canva – Photo by leonard78uk

Another relatively new, green technology that finally shows sustainable promise is solar energy. California uses solar power more than any other source of energy for the state. This past year it surpassed natural gas as the main provider of electricity, and that trend will continue.

An unexpected benefit is some solar farms actually create safe environments for wildlife. A large solar park in Brandenburg, Germany has created a flourishing breeding ground for Larks and other bird species. An article by pv magazine reports that 21 to 47 breeding pairs can be found every 10 hectares. Birds are nesting between the rows and sheep keep the vegetation short. The animal waste brings diverse flora and insects to maintain healthy diets for the birds.

Robots restore coral reefs

coral reefs, robots, underwater robot, debris, algorithms, marine life, hydrothermal vents, advanced battery technology
Launching the underwater robot from the CS Responder. Image via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic – Photo by The Official CTBTO Photostream

Underwater drones are making a difference. Recent breakthroughs have robots replanting coral, removing debris, exploring hydrothermal vents, monitoring marine life, and operating in environments to deep and dangerous for human divers. Marine Biodiversity & Sustainability describes these new robots as operating more energy-efficiently and utilizing advanced battery technology that allows them to work longer.

Artificial intelligence executing advanced algorithms, allows the submerged robots to identify various types of waste and perform precise collection of debris. The article further states, “In pilot programs across various marine environments, automated cleanup systems have shown the ability to collect up to 500 kilograms of marine debris daily, operating with minimal human intervention and reduced environmental impact compared to traditional cleanup methods.”

Final Thoughts

We’ve been doing a lot of poisoning to this planet. Often we forget the damage we cause because the convenience is so high. The simple truth is most of us are completely incapable of making any radical changes. Changes that are necessary to turn things around.

Outside of signing a petition, marching against poor policy, or boycotting criminal polluting companies, the fear is there’s little for us to do. The hope is young aspiring scientists and experienced experts seeking to leave positive legacy, can create the technology that will right the wrongs. As long as we look toward healthy solutions, there is always hope.

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    Photo credit: Canva – What you flush away could help your garden grow.
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    How D.C.’s ‘humanure’ fertilizer creates lush gardens and big profits while improving the environment

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    D.C. Water sells the biosolid fertilizer under the brand name Bloom, and it’s already proving to be a success. Bloom has been used throughout the Washington, D.C., area by customers including Catholic University, Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the Franciscan Monastery. It’s also used on numerous lawns, school grounds, community gardens, and golf courses.

    Success by the numbers

    The numbers underscore D.C. Water’s success. To date, nearly 400,000 tons of Bloom have been sold across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, generating $13.6 million in revenue. D.C. Water originally estimated it would take 20 years for Bloom to pay off its investment. But thanks to strong demand from institutions, landscapers, and local garden centers, the utility is now on pace to recoup that investment in just 12 years.

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    None of this would matter if human biosolids weren’t effective at improving soil. “Humanure,” a term coined by Joseph Jenkins, refers to compost made from properly treated human waste. Because human feces can contain disease-causing pathogens, it must be handled carefully. After all, we call it “waste” for a reason.

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    According to NASA, wildfires have doubled worldwide due to climate change. Throughout the globe, governments and environmentalists have been trying to find ways to curb the fires. One particular national park in Spain has found a solution that has been keeping them fire-free for over a decade: donkeys.

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    Having donkeys or other livestock graze in such areas was once more common in agriculture prior to modern farming. Some argue that the machinization of farming and urbanization have reduced the number of grazing animals. This in turn allows more vegetation growth that become dry spots for more wildfires to occur.

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    In the United States, California has been using goats in a similar function. The group Fire Grazers Inc. has been contacted throughout California to bring hundreds of goats to eat dried vegetation. Much like donkeys, goats are built to eat rough and dry brush. This includes certain plants such as star thistle that are painful for human hands to grab.

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    Beyond birds and mice, free‑ranging cats eat a surprising number of insects

    Cats’ wild diet goes far beyond birds and mice

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    Christopher A. Lepczyk

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    It’s pretty commonly known, and not very startling, that free-ranging cats eat birds and small rodents. But the degree to which they eat insects might surprise you.

    We are biologists who for many years have been trying to figure out what feral or outdoor-roaming pet cats eat outside.

    When domesticated cats – Felis catus – live freely in the wild or are allowed to hunt outside the homes where their owners live, they are an invasive species, which live in every ecosystem of the world except the continent of Antarctica. We wanted to know all of the species they eat – and to what degree free-ranging cats are eating endangered or threatened species.

    Examining reams of research

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    Most of the species cats eat are not in danger

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    Many of the cat studies we reviewed did not report on how many individuals of a given species cats ate, so it was unclear what the total amount of insects was or how many calories cats are deriving from insects.

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