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A hybrid human-AI system for more efficient security – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

A hybrid human-AI system for more efficient security – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In the midst of a war for talent, security costs in real estate are rising. The good news, however, is that investment – including in new technologies – can help to keep these costs under control. AI is one such technology, and one area where it can help is in reducing the costs associated with monitoring security systems.

Animals, moving objects, and even the weather can trigger false alarms and, if these false alarms become repetitive, it can distract from real threats and necessitate large, labour-intensive, and costly monitoring centres. To combat this, startup promiseQ is harnessing advancements in AI to centralise video surveillance management and filter out false alarms.

Using computer vision and generative AI, the startup forwards only real threats to its customers. And on the rare occasions where the AI is uncertain whether a threat is real or false, the footage is forwarded to the company’s remote ‘crowdforce’ of expert human reviewers. The hybrid human-AI system has a fast learning rate, with the human feedback improving the quality of the AI continuously.

Meanwhile, a ‘Camera Integrity Check’ feature prevents equipment downtime, while ‘Privacy Zone Control’ enables companies to set parameters and exclude certain zones from surveillance. The system’s ‘Device Tree’ feature further enables companies to monitor multiple sites and cameras from a single dashboard. Finally, a reference picture of an area can be uploaded to the system, which is then continuously compared to the live footage to identify any deviations in real time.

Springwise has spotted other innovations boosting safety, including a security robot on wheels and computer vision tech that helps to prevent workplace accidents.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

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A next-generation propeller is quieter and more efficient
CategoriesSustainable News

A next-generation propeller is quieter and more efficient

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Though it suffered a decline during the pandemic, the marine vessel industry has been rapidly growing in recent years and is likely to continue on that trajectory, with demand increasing for cargo ships and recreational vessels. As demand grows, though, we need to find ways of mitigating the environmental impact of these vehicles, given that many boats are fuel-intensive and emit large volumes of CO2. And, the noise of boat propellers also disturbs, and can even harm, marine life. 

Now, Sharrow Marine has created the Sharrow Propeller, which helps increase speed and efficiency, produces less noise and vibration, and enables greater control of the vessel while docking and superior handling of tight turns even at high speeds.  

When it comes to boats, cavitation can be an issue – a process where, as the propeller spins, areas of high and low pressure are created at the blade tip, and the pressure changes create cavities of air that make bubbles. As the bubbles pop, it creates a lot of noise, and these multiple implosions gradually damage the leading edge of the propellor and erode the blades, impacting performance and potentially making boats unsafe over time. 

Instead, Sharrow Marine has created the loop-based Sharrow Propeller with its True Advance technology that – because it has no tip – drastically reduces or eliminates cavitation. The technology allows the Sharrow Propeller to achieve its maximum advance rate and efficiency much earlier than standard propellers. Because it is more efficient, boats with the Sharrow Propeller can travel at faster speeds with the same engine RPM (revolutions per minute).

Video source Sharrow Marine

In March, the company unveiled its Sharrow XO series, which brings the innovative technology to large outboard engines. 

Springwise has spotted many innovations in the boating industry, including a solar-powered passenger catamaran that causes no engine noise, and an autonomous electric ferry.

Written By: Anam Alam

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Tackling bubbles to make green hydrogen more efficient
CategoriesSustainable News

Tackling bubbles to make green hydrogen more efficient

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Hydrogen is growing in popularity as a clean alternative to methane. While methane is a fossil fuel, it is possible to generate hydrogen using renewable energy – what is called green hydrogen. This alternative fuel is produced through electrolysis, which uses electricity to split water molecules to generate pure hydrogen, with no harmful by-products. However, today, most hydrogen is produced using steam methane reformation, which requires fossil fuels and produces carbon monoxide as a by-product.

One reason why green hydrogen is not more common is that electrolysis is less efficient because it produces bubbles. But that may be about to change. Assistant Professor Pourya Forooghi from Aarhus University has begun a study that hopes to shed light on the physics behind the bubble formation.

The project, called Heat and Bubble Transport over Complex Solid Surfaces, will run for five years. The goal is to develop reliable modelling tools that can be used to reduce excessive bubble formation in electrolysis, as well as in other technical situations in which bubbles cause problems – such as chemical reactions and drag on ship’s hulls.

The use of hydrogen is ramping up, and Springwise has spotted frequent developments in the field. Recent innovations include the production of hydrogen fuel out of thin air, and a method for vastly increasing the storage capacity of hydrogen.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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Sealed – Energy Efficient Homes Without Cost or Hassle
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Sealed – Energy Efficient Homes Without Cost or Hassle

By Zarkon Group,

Are you someone who wants to make your home more energy efficient but gets stressed about the thought of the time and money involved? Sealed offers home energy renovation packages that take care of the logistics and financing, so you don’t have to. They focus on helping homeowners achieve a stress-free energy upgrade that significantly cuts energy waste in the home. Based in New York, Sealed has extended its services to New Jersey, Connecticut, the Philadelphia Metro Area, and the Chicagoland Area of Illinois – with more to come. They prioritize ease, affordability, and comfort for homeowners through powerful energy upgrades, including heat pumps, whole-home weatherization with insulation, air sealing, and smart home tech, without sacrificing quality – while putting homeowners first. 

The Sources of Renovation Stress 

Have you ever spent all afternoon searching for a decent contractor? Or maybe you have made what feels like a million calls that end up with you waiting on hold or even leading to a dead end. Perhaps you have passed those stages but still find yourself confused and unsure. Unsure about how you might pay or what they’re even talking about. When looking for a decent contractor to help improve energy efficiency within your home, many stressors seem to come along with what should be a harmless task. Sealed helps ensure you don’t have to deal with that nightmare process and can get directly to the dream results. 

Sealed Takes Care of it All 

“We will take care of it all.” Sealed believes in helping people achieve healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient homes, and they are committed to making it an easy process. Sealed actively takes away the stress of everything from finding contractors up to figuring out a payment method. Sealed provides certified home performance contractors, project plans, and coordination of all of the work. “We manage the installation process from scheduling to completion.” Their method is efficient and affordable. After a day or two in your home, Sealed takes care of everything, including the upfront costs. The energy that you save will help pay for the project. “If you don’t save energy? We don’t get paid”. 

The Sealed Process Step by Step

“At Sealed, we’ve designed a better process for upgrading homes. We prioritize ease, affordability, and accountability, without ever sacrificing quality”. The first step is to take the Sealed qualification quiz. It only takes a few minutes, and you will receive an immediate response as to whether or not you are a good fit for Sealed. The next step is to have an introductory call. On this call, there will be a conversation about the issues your home is experiencing and how they can best address them. This call is free, and there is no obligation to take the conversation further. After the introductory call, Sealed will conduct an energy profile analysis. This analysis entails a quick scan of the home’s energy strengths and weaknesses and past energy usage to understand better what upgrades your home needs. Once Sealed understands your house better, they will devise a project plan and timeline. Your home upgrade plan will include the project value and customized payment program. With Sealed’s payment plan, they can cover up to 100% of the project costs upfront. They’ll work with you to design your repayment terms to balance the low upfront costs with monthly charges that work for your budget. If you’re ready to move forward, you’ll sign your agreement. Next, your Sealed contractor will visit your home to verify that everything is properly scoped out. If any changes are needed, they will adjust the plan accordingly. Then, the installation process will begin. Based on the project plan and timeline, installation takes about one or two days. 

Energy Efficiency with Accountability 

Once the installation is complete, you will start receiving monthly bills. Sealed bases the repayment amount on actual energy savings from the renovations completed. If the home energy improvements don’t reduce your energy use, Sealed won’t get paid. So Sealed partners with the best home contractors and only suggests upgrades that will save you energy and money.

The Help We All Need 

How does the existing housing stock reach zero emissions by 2050? It’s a big job, but Sealed is one of many startups that offers the opportunity for everyone with an existing home to get on the path to zero carbon. Given the federal government’s lack of action, the innovation of private companies, such as Sealed, powered by investor capital, is a great way to reach that goal. By offering the technical resources and financing that homeowners need, companies like Sealed may make it possible for almost all homeowners to get on the path to zero. 

 

–  By Anna Jennissen, Editorial and Events Intern with EEBA. Anna is pursuing a BA at the  University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Strategic Communications and Sustainability.

Special thanks to Sealed for editing and reviewing this article.

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Energy Efficient Building Suppliers Make It Easy 
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Energy Efficient Building Suppliers Make It Easy 

By Zarkon Group,

Energy-efficient building is much more than a fleeting trend: Around the world, the negative effects of climate change can no longer be ignored, from rising global temperatures to poor air quality caused by pollution. According to NASA scientists, reducing carbon emissions is crucial to turning things around. Further, it must be done on a global scale and within every industry, including home construction and renovation. 

The good news for home builders and remodelers is that energy-efficient, low carbon construction and remodeling isn’t out of reach, no matter your budget or geographic location. Today’s energy-efficient building suppliers are making it easier than ever to achieve net-zero emissions by providing state-of-the-art energy-efficient products and technical advice. Regarding material choice, there are a variety of sustainable options out there, even for homeowners working with a modest budget. 

No matter your architectural vision for an energy-efficient low carbon home, choosing a building supplier that can provide the energy-efficient products and materials you need can make all the difference. Here are a few standout companies in sustainable construction and renovation that you can order from wherever you live.

EEBA/Ecomedes                                                                                                                            

Sourcing and specifying sustainable building materials just got easy at EEBA/Ecomedes.

EEBA.Ecomedes.com is your comprehensive source for top-rated brands and sustainability certifications that you need for residential construction. Easily search by product category, brand, certifications and ecolabels, or greenest products to streamline how your teams source and specify. Once products are selected, easily review all product data and compare competitors. You can also add products to a project and start to calculate impact and evaluate how those selected products help you achieve your project’s preferred rating system.

ecomedes is providing solutions for building owners and designers to save time and money while making  environmental, social, and governance compliance easy. You can get started today at eeba.ecomedes.com.

Small Planet Supply

Founded in 2009, Small Planet Supply is an industry leader in sustainable building supplies, zero-energy education, and technical support while promoting social responsibility. The company was built on the backbone of the Passive House movement, which is widely recognized as the world’s leading standard in energy-efficient construction.  Small Planet’s catalog is full of innovative, sustainable products, including ThermaCork 100% natural cork insulation, created in-house by Small Planet. 

They have two warehouse locations, one in Tumwater, Washington, and one in Vancouver, B.C.,  and typically ship orders within the same or next business day. Shipping rates and carriers are dependent on customer location and package weight. Discounts may be available to local customers that are close enough to take advantage of the company’s reduced-cost truck delivery, which reduces emissions.

Rise

As a certified B Corp and a member of 1% for the Planet, Rise has high standards for home improvement product recommendations and endorsements. Rise Approved Manufacturers are judged on a variety of criteria, including whether the company can verify all of their environmental claims and the quality of the work environment where products are manufactured. As an “education-first” marketplace, the company also offers online home sustainability courses for eco-conscious builders at an affordable rate, starting at just $19 per course.

At Rise, energy efficiency is part of the entire purchasing process, and shipping is always carbon neutral, no matter your destination or order size. Rise achieves carbon neutrality by purchasing carbon offsets, and the company retains transparency throughout by providing tracking information and delivery updates via email. 

When ordering directly from Rise, new and existing online customers can take a 10% shipping discount by entering the code RISE10 at checkout. Shipping is available in the contiguous U.S. states and Canada. Canadian customers should place orders at Rise’s Canadian website. 

Eco-Building Products

Much like Rise, Eco-Building Products offers a variety of innovative products and manufacturer recommendations to customers across the U.S. and Canada. Following a lucrative venture in the world of coffee shops, owner Jim Barnes established the company in 2006. Barnes is a dedicated environmentalist and former recipient of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action council’s “Environmentalist of the Year Award.” 

The Eco-Building Products online catalog features green building products and materials at all price points, suitable for eco-conscious DIY home builders and contractors alike, with a wide array of solar energy options. Eco-Building Products is also a good resource for energy efficient van conversion and tiny house supplies and materials. In addition, visitors can find plenty of resources and building tips on its Tiny House Hub. 

At Eco-Building Products, based in Elberta, Michigan, shipping is offered within the contiguous U.S., although international customers may make a special order by calling customer support at (231)-399-0700. 

475 High Performance Building Supply

At 475, customers looking to achieve zero emissions and/or meet Passive House standards have many products to choose from, such as energy-efficient hot water systems and thermal insulation. The company website also provides helpful knowledge resources for the DIY builder in the form of videos, ebooks, and on-demand courses. 

The exclusive North American distributor of Pro Clima air-sealing products, 475 High Performance Building Supply, offers shipping throughout Canada and the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Curbside pickup of select materials may also be available to customers in the following cities, home to 475 High Performance Building Supply warehouses: \

  • Brooklyn, New York
  • Hillsboro, Oregon
  • Ridgefield, New Jersey
  • Waterbury, Connecticut

Going directly to local suppliers is one of the best ways to reduce emissions related to shipping and transit. 

Energy Efficient Products Available At Your Fingertips

Considering all we know about climate change and how every one of our actions can make a difference, there’s really no excuse to look the other way, because no matter where you live, the products and the know-how for taking action are at your fingertips. So when you plan your next remodel or new construction project, be sure to focus on reducing both operational and embodied carbon. Then utilize these companies that supply the energy efficient products and know-how needed to get your home, business, and life on the path to zero wherever you are. 

 

By Amanda Winstead      

Amanda Winstead is a writer from Oregon with a background in communications. She writes on science, business, and many more subjects. She can be reached on Twitter at amandawinsteadd

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in



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Thermally efficient t-shirts reduce the need for heating and air conditioning
CategoriesSustainable News

Thermally efficient t-shirts reduce the need for heating and air conditioning

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Materials science company LifeLabs has developed a new generation of thermally efficient textiles. Wearers of the company’s CoolLife t-shirts experience a continual reduction of body temperature by three degrees Fahrenheit. The fabric is recycled, engineered polyethylene, a material that is transparent to infrared wavelengths, allowing heat to easily flow away from the wearer.

Wearing the company’s CoolLife or WarmLife clothing can help to reduce reliance on cooling and heating systems, both of which contribute significant amounts of emissions. Continuous cooling of three degrees of body heat can make a huge difference throughout the day and night, making it easier to target the use of HVAC systems for limited amounts of time and at the most efficient rates. Indeed, LifeLabs suggests setting the thermostat two degrees warmer in the summer and two degrees cooler in the winter – this, the company claims, can save up to 153 pounds of carbon dioxide per person per year.

The brand’s in-house technology saves water, heat, steam, chemicals, and plastic through its dedicated sustainability processes that track the energy footprint of every article of clothing. The clothing is 74 per cent recycled content by fabric weight, and manufacturing improvements have reduced water consumption by 70 per cent. For packaging, the company uses reusable fabric garment bags and other environmentally friendly materials.

From cooperation amongst brands to leverage recycling technology at scale to collections embedded with climate change data, the fashion industry innovations Springwise is spotting are helping to make sustainability the norm. 

Written by: Keely Khoury

3rd May 2022

Email: help@lifelabs.design

Website: lifelabs.design

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