The world is good

2021-06-21 09:57:06 AI system is spotting California wildfires as soon as they start

With a historic drought deepening across the Western United States, many residents, officials, and first responders are nervously awaiting an inevitable severe wildfire season. When it comes to wildfire, quick detection is key and even a few minutes can make the difference between homes saved and lost. ALERTWildfire is an AI that helps detect forest fires as soon as they start.

ALERTWildfire uses a series of cameras on towers placed throughout fire-prone regions. Images from these cameras are fed through an AI detection system to immediately identify a developing fire. The system’s 21 initial testing sites are all located throughout Sonoma County where the 37,000-acre Tubbs Fire in 2017 was the most destructive in California history. 

Although the system uses AI to scan the tower images, the system also delivers image updates from each tower to dispatchers at the county’s fire emergency center every ten minutes to add a layer of human confirmation. So far, AI fire notifications from ALERTWildfire have preceded 911 calls from residents by as much as ten minutes. 

Developed by Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, the program is becoming more accurate over time. The AI system is still learning what fires look like and how to, for example, differentiate between smoke from a fire and steam from a geyser field. Researchers estimate that the system needs to “see” at least 70 real-world blazes to reach a full understanding of the region’s fire landscape. 

Eventually, the program’s developers hope to install 850 ALERTWildfire cameras across six Western states to significantly decrease wildfire severity. They believe that with time, AI can even be trained to analyze fire-prone landscapes and burn scars to predict which areas are most likely to burn that year. Open / Comment

2021-06-20 11:09:49 Open / Comment

2021-06-20 11:09:42 Mr. Trash Wheel is keeping Baltimore’s Harbor free of trash

Trash interceptors have become an increasingly popular tool in our efforts to help prevent plastic waste from escaping into the ocean.
One such Mr. Trash Wheel One is a trash interceptor with googly eyes that has been scooping rubbish out of the Jones Fall River in Baltimore since 2014.

John Kellet, the creator of the original Mr. Trash Wheel, said he got the idea for the installation after he witnessed the overwhelming amount of trash that ended up in the harbor after it rained. After the city showed enthusiasm for Kellet’s idea, he secured funding from a nonprofit to eventually install Mr. Trash Wheel in Baltimore’s Harbor. Since then, the installation has intercepted over 3 million pounds of trash, making the harbor not only cleaner and more beautiful but also a nicer home for local wildlife as well as waterfront businesses.

The interceptor employs a rather straightforward technology: Powered by waterwheels and the river’s current — with solar panels for backup on slower days — the vessel collects debris through floating barriers using an array of trash-scooping rakes. The collected debris then travels on a large conveyor belt out of the water and into a large dumpster. A small crew then easily removes and empties the floating bins when they get full.

The installation also has an internet connection, allowing Kellet to see what’s happening on the vessel via webcam and take action if needed. He can also switch on pumps remotely from his phone to push water onto the wheel so it never stops gobbling trash.

Alongside having its own name and a cute face with large googly eyes, Mr. Trash Wheel has an online media presence to increase his profile and make him a city attraction. This has been working well so far, with people coming to visit the installation, taking selfies, and helping spread the word about supporting a clean environment.

Currently, four different wheels sit in Baltimore’s rivers, all relatives of Mr. Trash Wheel, and soon more will be helping clean other cities across the world. Open / Comment

2021-06-19 10:28:14

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2021-06-19 10:28:10 Eco-Warrior Makes Toys, Mosquito Repellent, and More With Recycled Cigarette Butts – The Most Littered Item

An eco-warrior has made an impressive amount of money by making toys, keyrings, mosquito repellents, and organic compost from old cigarette butts. 26-year-old Naman Gupta was inspired when he saw a huge pile of cigarettes left after a party, and wondered how many were dumped across the world on a daily basis. So now he runs a company which installs bins in cities to collect butts, which are then recycled and made into anything from cushions to key rings.

Best of all, he says his company has made over one million dollars since 2016, and he has recycled 300,000,000 cigarette butts—the equivalent of 100,000kg. Naman was in his third year at Delhi University studying commerce when he decided he wanted to start the first cigarette recycling company in India—CODE Effort. The then 21-year-old found cigarettes are the most littered object in the world, and the plastic in the filter takes up to 12 years to degrade. It also forms microplastics in the process, which can inhibit plant growth in soil, and are highly toxic to aquatic life.

Naman receives up to 6,000kgs of cigarettes every month, which are deposited into waste receptacles called VBins outside street vendors and paan shops. The vendors receive a fee per kilo of butts they collect. His factory workers split the butts into three parts—the filter, paper, and leftover tobacco. The filter—made of a plastic called cellulose acetate—is shredded, chemically treated for 24 hours, and then made into stuffing for cushions, soft toys, and squishy keyrings.
The paper and tobacco are turned into compost which is sold to farmers and growers, or domestic mosquito repellents. The waste water produced in the process is also re-used, and fabrics used to make the plushies are sourced from local suppliers.

CODE Effort, which stands for Conserving Our Depleting Environment, is currently looking into using cigarette filters to create air purifiers to tackle air pollution. Smoking in India is such a taboo that he doesn’t always receive support, even with an environmentally-friendly initiative. Naman said: “There were a lot of critics—the problem of waste as a whole is an underrated topic, not everyone is very keen in discussing climate change and waste management. “I believe and have faith in God that if you are serving society he will help us overcome all the hurdles and take us to success.” Open / Comment

2021-06-18 10:51:10 Open / Comment

2021-06-18 10:51:01 This Single Tree Could Restore Degraded Land, Create a Biofuel Revolution, Power Cars, and Feed Families

Pongamia is a 15-25 m tall tree species native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. It can grow in rocky, sandy, limestone soils, and the roots can withstand slightly salty water. Also, plants tolerate short-term frosts, drought and heat up to + 50 ° C. Degraded soil, like the kind which can be found on the boundaries of agricultural land, suit the pongamia just fine, and it improves the quality of the soil as it’s a nitrogen fixer. Indonesian forestry experts see this tree as a potential landscape restoration and a future for bioenergy.

A number of big challenges are bearing down on the Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and the government has to find ways in which it can restore 14 million hectares of degraded land to keep its promise to the UN, while also developing a green energy sector worth 23% of total grid contributions in just 5 years.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and Environment’s Research is looking into pongamia for mass tree planting as they believe this special oil can be used to power a biomass energy revolution, as well as offering a new crop for local communities to thrive off of economically, and even use as food.

Modern extraction methods confirmed the oil’s potential as a biofuel crop, with one study finding 44% more oil per seed extracted than traditional methods. When combined with 5% gasoline, it can power diesel engines in vehicles without compromising performance. This is key as many of the more remote Indonesian islands are powered by diesel generators.

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is working to see if pongamia plantations are suitable for abandoned mining land and degraded peatlands, the latter being one of the most carbon-rich soils on the planet, and ideal for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. Recently this was done in Central Kalimantan Province on Borneo. CIFOR planted the trees a year ago, and so far they are growing faster than other similar species. This suggests they may be particularly tolerant to harsh conditions, and would then be especially promising for restoration and rehabilitation of degraded land. Open / Comment

2021-06-17 11:12:43 Open / Comment

2021-06-17 11:12:32 Save children from malnutrition by playing LifePack video games

The Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF) in collaboration with social impact agency Hive has launched a new initiative called LifePack that uses video games to address severe malnutrition, the cause of almost half of worldwide deaths of children under the age of five.

For every 25 cents raised through the LifePack initiative, one ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) packet is given to a child in need. These packets are comprised of peanut butter and condensed milk, require no preparation or refrigeration, and contain 500 calories. According to the ECF, a child on the verge of death can be saved by consuming just three RUTF packets a day for six to eight weeks.

To participate, you can find the ECF’s free retro-style Super Mario Bros game on their website. As you advance through the levels, RUTFs act as power-ups in the game. This translates to real-life as each time you play, a malnourished child receives a RUTF packet that gives them an actual power-up that just may help them survive another day.

The foundation guaranteed funding for its goal of 10,000 plays for 10,000 packets, but the positive response was overwhelming, so that target was hit within 26 hours of the game’s launch. In the coming weeks, the organization expects to announce more fundraising partnerships.

Tilting Point is the first game developer to support the cause and has pledged the proceeds from in-game gem packs in SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off directly to LifePack. All of the proceeds raised through LifePack’s other video game partners will go straight to the purchase of RUTF packets, which will then be distributed in eastern African communities by Action Against Hunger, a global nonprofit whose main goal is to fight malnutrition.

Hive co-founder and partner Erin Thornton says that the objective behind this project went beyond saving children from malnutrition. Ultimately, the team behind the LifePack initiative wanted “to create a piece of compelling communication that would educate the audience on malnutrition; highlight the lifesaving treatment available, and ultimately begin to unite the gaming industry to provide more of it.” Open / Comment

2021-06-16 13:11:39 Open / Comment