LEGO Bricks out of Recycled Plastic
再生塑料造积木——乐高用实际行动践行环保。
The LEGO Group is finally on its way to making its toy bricks (积木) with sustainable (可持续的) material. Not long ago, the company showed a model brick made of recycled plastic.
The new model, which uses PET plastic from waste bottles, is the first brick made of a recycled material to meet the company’s strict quality and safety requirements. According to the company, a one-liter PET plastic bottle provides enough raw material for ten 2×4 Lego bricks.
The model brick is the result of over three years of testing by scientists and engineers. “We are very excited about this important improvement,” said Tim Brooks, Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group. “The biggest challenge on our sustainability journey is using new materials that are as strong and high-quality as the old ones. With this model, we’re able to show the progress we're making.”
But don’t rush to your nearest toy store just yet. The team plans to continue testing and developing the PET material, which is expected to take at least a year. Another thing the company is testing is how the material can be colored.
“We know kids care about the environment and want us to make our products more environment-friendly,” Brooks said. “Even though it will be a while before they will be able to play with bricks made of recycled plastic, we want kids to know we’re working on it and bringing them along on the journey with us. Trying and failing is an important part of learning and innovation (创新). Just as kids build, unbuild and rebuild with LEGO bricks at home, we’re doing the same in our laboratory.”A special way to save the oceans
Covering about 70% of the earth’s surface, oceans are a beautiful part of the world. Many people like going to the seaside to enjoy the beautiful view (景色). 30-year-old American dancer and filmmaker Christine Ren is one of them. However, she not only likes oceans, but also cares about their future. In fact, recently she has created two films to get people’s attention to the protection of oceans.
The two films were both shot underwater. One film is about overfishing and called “Jellyfish Soup” and the other is about plastic pollution and called “Blind Spots”. Photographs accompany (伴随) the films. To create these works, a fully costumed Ren danced underwater.
“Organizing costumes and ideas as well as finding teams of photographers and proper shooting locations takes months,” said Ren. And when Ren finally got underwater for her shoot, the hard work really began: Ren must dive (下潜) to 10 feet below sea level to take photos, which was not only difficult for her but also for her photographers.
Although there were lots of challenges, Ren’s team had taken amazing photos underwater. In Jellyfish Soup, for example, she danced in a green costume among hanging hooks and artificial (人造的) jellyfish. In Blind Spots, she pushed a shopping cart (购物手推车) filled with plastic trash through the water. Ren shared her films and photos online, which drew people’s great attention to oceans.
“I truly believe that small ripples can create big waves,” said Ren. And surely, she has made more people join the act of protecting oceans!From plastic bags to amazing dresses
Many girls like fashion and want to be fashion designers in the future. Havlilah Koledoye is one of them. What makes the design student different from others is her focus on a different kind of fashion — sustainable (可持续的) fashion.
Havlilah comes from a small town in New Zealand. She used to study at Waiuku College. In 2015, she created a dress with plastic bags and it caught many people’s eye on the catwalk during New Zealand Fashion Week. Because of her love for fashion and design, she started studying at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design the next year.
The design student believes sustainable clothes made of plastic can be part of future fashion. To add structure to the designs, she also uses other recycled materials such as can tops from soft drinks. Havlilah said, “I’m just trying to reduce the waste by using it in my design as much as possible.” It took her a month and 150 plastic bags to complete her last dress.
Though many of Havlilah’s classmates used to think she was crazy, the young fashion designer is now getting more and more support. People in her local community have donated 300 plastic bags for her next design. “I’m glad that everyone is thinking of different ways to make plastic reusable,” said Havlilah.Water From Air
Israeli company Watergen has produced a device (设备) that creates clean water out of air. The device is called GENNY. It is small enough to be used in a home or office, but can create up to 30 liters of water a day.
The water that GENNY produces is not only clean enough to drink, but also cleaner than tap water (自来水). GENNY takes air in and passes it through a filter (过滤器) to remove dirt. The filter is powerful enough to work even in areas with high air pollution. The air then passes through a space where it is heated, cooled and changed into water vapor (水蒸气). The water is passed through several more filters, and minerals (矿物质) are added to make it healthier and better-tasting. When the water is ready for people to drink, GENNY sends out purified air, which is healthier for people to breathe.
As a company, Watergen tries to provide drinking water for people who do not have safe drinking water at home. Last year, it gave away lots of products to people in Brazil, Vietnam, etc. It also tries to help the environment by asking people to use as few plastic water bottles as possible. People can put the water from GENNY into reusable bottles to cut down on the use of plastic bottles.
Watergen’s technology is sure to help many people around the world, as well as help take care of our planet.
