We are in a very complex and difficult period, all the countries of the world have found themselves facing an almost invisible enemy: Covid-19. We have been in a sort of veiled war for many months now and as always in these situations, in addition to the human being, the environment is also affected. Many studies have shown that climate and environmental change can have a huge impact on the emergence of some infectious diseases.
Coronavirus emergency and environmental sustainability
The Coronavirus has caused an economic crisis that calls for a new development model, centered on a conscious use of resources, a circular economy and less impactful urban development.
Many examples can be cited, including Singapore, which will finance rooftop crops to increase food security; Italy, which intends to strengthen regional skills for a green economy; or the United States, which questions itself about atmospheric pollution. A study by the Harward University analyzes the possible correlations between the two phenomena at the national level. US government scientists estimated that COVID-19 could have killed tens of thousands of Americans early in the spread of the virus. Many of the pre-existing conditions that increase the risk of death in people with COVID-19 are the same diseases that are affected by long-term exposure to air pollution.
A truly sustainable path will require levels of ambition, coordination and mobilization of public and private finance. The coronavirus is a catastrophic health emergency that has triggered the worst economic crisis in a century. The risk now is that if we try to defeat this pandemic with the wrong political answers, we will also deepen the climate emergency. While everyone welcomes a significant drop in CO2 emissions during the pandemic, these benefits are transient, insufficient and impose too high a price on lives, jobs and economic growth.
However, let’s imagine that in this period we can use recyclable articles and materials to produce personal protective equipment. Would be great!
Alice Potts and her art.
An idea that came to Alice Potts, a London designer. The designer founded her eponymous brand in 2018 and, after a long experimentation, has created entirely biodegradable collections. In fact, all the creations are handmade with a sustainable bioplastic, obtained from food waste and flowers. The versatility of this material allows the designer to work it to obtain the most disparate pieces, characterized by a wide variety of textures. Her innovative studies have also led her to create crystals developed from human sweat.
The intriguing idea of this artist are the Bioplastic Faces, produced with waste and food waste together with flowers from London parks for the NGV Triennale. Potts made the visors as an alternative to the numerous personal protective equipment (PPE) made of single-use plastic. Named Dance Biodegradable Personal Protective Equipment (DBPPE) Post Covid Facemasks, the visors will be on display at the NGV Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
The designer created 20 face screens for the triennial, which each have a 3D printed top section combined with a biodegradable bioplastic screen. The color and exact structure of each shield depend on the food it is made of and the flowers it is dyed with. Once the visors are on display at the December Triennial, Potts will make the bioplastic formula as an open-source design available to all designers.
Additionally, Potts believes biodegradable face shields could be a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic face shields, which have begun to impact our environment as “covid waste.” The designer believes that as CO2 emissions rose again after falling during the lockdown, we also need to be more aware of our impact on the environment and started her project after her brother, a paramedic, reported that have a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the start of the pandemic.
These devices that help us and the surrounding environment should be increasingly present in our current world. We try to be like Alice Potts and her ideas: innovative and sustainable!
