The coolest sustainability innovations

There’s never been a cooler time to be a climate hero.

Let’s not try to put a dress on this mess: the world is facing some serious problems related to our climate, our food, our wildlife, basically every single element of our Earth that fosters our existence. 

But there’s good news! Men and women from every corner of the globe are prioritising sustainability in business when it comes to the travel sector via sustainable innovations. 

4 of the coolest sustainability innovations in travel

From sustainable swimwear to rooftops full of gardens, these sustainability innovations are unique and ultra cool.

#1: Masarà’s Sustainable Swimwear 

The problem: A sea overflowing with plastics and dump overflowing with synthetic threads

The fix: Recycling plastics into sustainable swimwear

Sustainable swimwear isn’t the revolutionary sustainable innovation of the century, but recycling discarded material — particularly oceanic plastic — is a good start. While plastic-based fibers are used by a variety of major clothing labels, companies like Masarà are taking this upcycle trend to the next sustainable level. 

Masarà’s beachwear reuses nylon waste from fishing nets, carpets, and other pre-and-post-consumer waste sources. Their packaging is completely recyclable, but it’s their garment tags that really set them apart: an ecological paper made from excess algae in endangered lagoon environments. 

#2: A robotic jellyfish that eats aquatic waste and oil

The problem: Waterways continue to collect pollution

The fix: An innovative robotic aquatic waste removal solution

Oceanic pollution constitutes a sea of problems, but we can’t forget that all waterways are seeing dramatic increases in contamination. Both natural water sources like rivers and streams, as well as artificial lakes and ponds, are filling with plastic, petrochemicals, and more. 

And the Jellyfishbot by IADYS is doing its part to remove it.

This autonomous aquatic robotic device is designed to clean-up and contain water waste, including both solid waste like garbage and liquid pollutants like oil. Also able to be controlled remotely, the Jellyfishbot can operate in any waterway, from dams and water treatment plants to aquariums and amusement parks. 

With a variety of uses across virtually any industry, the Jellyfishbot enables public and private entities like marine and civil industries to proactively limit their aquatic waste production, while also leveraging the data collected from the robot to visualize and map pollutant levels. 

#3: Copenhagen grows green roofs in the city

The problem: Urban development creates carbon emissions, traps sunlight

The fix: Smart cities featuring sustainable construction materials, methods, and management 

The cities keep growing while the forests still shrink. Gray spaces overtake greenspaces, but in Copenhagen, the city is trying to reintegrate nature into their concrete jungle. 

Green Roofs approaches sustainable construction and sustainable architecture from a new angle: above. This climate-adapted urban design initiative created in 2008 integrates vegetation-covered construction atop buildings throughout the city. These Green Roofs absorb rainwater, reduce city temperatures, create habitats for plants and animals, and increase the functionality of these urban structures. 

#4: Alight’s Carbon Footprint Calculating Booking Engine

The problem: Increased carbon emissions throughout travel

The fix: Offsetting upcoming carbon emissions when booking a trip 

Where we stay, how we get there, and what we see, do, and eat all generate carbon emissions, typically an amount exponentially more than we would have generated by staying home. It’s one thing to swap a cab for walking when we arrive at our destination, but how much emissions have we generated by that point?

To combat as much of a traveler’s carbon footprint-creating itinerary as possible, Alight’s Carbon Footprint Calculating Engine instantly offsets the carbon emissions a traveler will create during their trip.

Travelers can book their accommodations at hotels featured on Alight’s platform, many of which were designed with sustainable architecture and sustainable construction processes. The traveler can then add their mode of transportation, including plane, train, bus, boat, or car, to see a comprehensive carbon calculation.

When booking, Alight lets the traveler either select from a variety of Carbon Offset Projects or contribute directly to a Sustainability Action Initiative, both of which then take the actions necessary to offset the exact carbon emission calculations their total journey creates.  

Image Credit: Getty Images, Johner Images

Got a problem with air travel emissions? The train is your solution

Train travel can significantly reduce the amount of carbon emissions travelers create compared to flying. 

Trainline’s app lets you see your sustainable choice in action: your profile tracks your train travel and highlights how much more CO2 emissions you would have created if completing the same journey in the sky. 

Download the app today and let it be a constant reminder of the many sustainability innovations you have access to right in your pocket.

Header Image Credit: Getty Images, pixdeluxe