Australia stands out as a global leader in promoting environmental sustainability. Notably, South Australia has taken decisive steps by prohibiting the use of plastic bags, implementing a carbon tax, and ensuring widespread access to government-provided recycling bins in households. However, a lot of our efforts to protect the environment happen in industries like construction, building, and mining, and not everyone knows about them. In this article, we'll talk about five great inventions from Australia that help the environment.
SkyCool has created and patented a roof coating that requires no maintenance. It's been highly successful in reflecting the sun's heat and releasing heat from inside airport terminals, resulting in a nearly 50% reduction in air-conditioning energy use. This coating, similar to water-based paint, is applied to a building's roof and effectively deflects heat, keeping it from entering the building.
Joinlox is an innovative and affordable method for securely connecting various materials, including plastics, steel, and sheets, even if they are different types of materials. It offers advantages over traditional welding or joining techniques and is applicable in numerous industries like construction, pipelines, automotive, and agriculture. Additionally, it's eco-friendly because it's reusable, reducing the need to replace and discard materials, and it's also cost-effective for transportation, thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The inspiration behind Joinlox came from observing the powerful way clams grip onto rocks, leading to the creation of this mechanical joining system, similar in principle to Velcro.
Tractile is a clever roofing system that does four things at once: it works as a roof tile, insulation, makes electricity, and heats water using the sun. It has special solar cells in each roof tile that turn sunlight into electricity and heat water. This means you get more electricity and free hot water when the sun is shining, saving you energy and money.
Studies have revealed that during the construction phase, as much as 10-15 percent of a building's materials can be wasted (Skoyles ER. Skoyles JR., 1987). Australian inventor Sam Turnbull introduced FlipScreen, a mesh attachment designed to affix to construction machinery. Instead of allowing small debris like woodchips and rubble to accumulate on the ground, FlipScreen gathers this waste in its mesh sieve, enabling it to be repurposed or recycled.
Biodegradable temporary coatings
The use of harmful chemicals in construction has serious consequences for the environment, especially aquatic ecosystems. These chemicals often end up in sewers, polluting our oceans and rivers and harming marine life. Additionally, they can reenter our bodies through contaminated food and water. To tackle this problem, John Gregory from goGreen Enterprises has introduced a biodegradable and environmentally friendly temporary coating. This innovative product can protect surfaces like bathtubs, countertops, and window frames during construction without using harmful chemicals. With its patented one4allTM coating, it not only saves money but also significantly reduces its impact on the environment.
At hone.pd, we team up with people and businesses who care about the environment, helping them be a part of the circular economy. Our group of passionate designers and innovators is on a mission to change the way things are made sustainably in Australia.
We provide different services to make your recycling idea come to life! Our skilled team can help with every step of the design process, whether you have a basic sketch or a detailed 3D model. hone.pd adopts a client-driven and collaborative approach to product design involving conceptualization, prototyping, usability testing, feasibility / cost analysis, Design for Manufacture (DFM) and product implementation strategy.