Spotted: The World Bank estimates that the cost of health damages associated with air pollution exposure worldwide is $8.1 trillion (around €7.7 trillion) – equal to 6.1 per cent of global GDP. Indonesia has some of the world’s most polluted air, a public health challenge that led clean air technology experts Nafas to set up networks of local air sensors to help communities better manage their health.
The Nafas app is free to use and provides real-time data on the current quality of the air. Users set their preferred locations and can sign up for alerts when conditions change. Using a green, yellow, and orange colour-coding system, Nafas makes it easy for families to decide when to travel or spend time outside. For users interested in more detail, the platform also provides in-depth articles by experts covering the latest air quality news and research.
Nafas combines its proprietary technology with Airly air sensors to build its network. Airly sensors are designed for outdoor use and are robust enough to withstand high temperatures and significant quantities of rain. Nafas experts calibrate each sensor for its particular location, and the company invites businesses and other organisations to financially support and physically host a sensor.
From schools and transport to retail and hospitality, all industries are affected by the health of their employees and customers. With more than 180 sensors already installed in Jabodetabek, Nafas is well on its way to providing hyperlocal air quality information for neighbourhoods and families. The company plans to continue expanding its network to increase the density of its coverage and its ability to map changes across some of the country’s most populous cities.
Air quality has become so poor that innovators are creating cleaning products for every area of life. Examples in Springwise’s database include light-sensitive concrete that cleans the air in road tunnels and a lampshade coating that combines with pollutants to transform them into harmless compounds.
Promotion: technology brand HP has launched a series of large-format plotters that are energy-efficient and aimed at architects who use printers during their design process.
HP‘s latest ranges, such as DesignJet, are engineered to have a low-environmental impact while maintaining the “outstanding printout quality” of HP products.
HP’s large-format plotters are aimed at architects
The brand’s large-format DesignJet plotters are specialised printers that generate documents up to A1 in size, without losing out on ink quality or causing additional costs.
According to large-format printing channel manager Colin Easton, they are ideally suited to professionals working in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) who require technical printouts and want to reduce the environmental impact of their creative process.
The DesignJet series is engineered to be highly energy efficient
“For AECs, sustainable design practices start from within the office and opting for a plotter which has the least environmental impact but still delivers outstanding printout quality,” HP’s Easton said.
“It’s even more crucial for AEC firms which rely on precise and accurate technical printouts of their designs,” he continued.
The printers are constructed partly from recyclable elements
HP’s large-format DesignJet plotter series has been developed by the brand in collaboration with AEC professionals looking to become more sustainable.
While being energy efficient, the brand claims the plotters also embody principles of the circular economy.
For example, DesignJet printers are constructed partly from recyclable elements as well as recycled plastic. The plotters also rely on carton-based ink cartridges, rather than plastic-based alternatives, for ease of recyclability.
According to Easton, the brand hopes that its “plotters could be considered an essential tool for AEC professionals that enable them to bring sustainability into every day of their work”.
They are also built with recycled plastic
“As the world’s desire for sustainability grows to help combat climate change, architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals are proactively looking to explore ways to embed sustainable and regenerative practices into their designs, processes, and services,” he concluded.
“HP is committed to providing the tools AEC professionals need to focus on what’s important – their vision, their customers, and the quality of their work – while also giving them peace of mind that they’re reducing their environmental impact whilst printing, helping to build a greener, healthier, more equitable future.”
To find out more information about HP’s DesignJet printer range and compare each model side by side, visit the brand’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for HP as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
Spotted: Calling itself a Guardian of the Air, Peruvian startup qAIRa combines static and mobile monitoring for the most up-to-date air quality information. Constant data streams help urban planners and transport managers track the environmental effects of their work, while alerting area communities to the best times of day to be outside.
With devices for monitoring indoor and outdoor air, as well as a system of drones for tracking larger areas and changing conditions, qAIRa brings diverse data together into a single platform that makes it easy to see, at a glance, any areas of concern. The platform is open source, and the company encourages feedback and suggestions for new applications of the collected data.
The system measures particulate matter, humidity, temperature, UV radiation, noise, and more, and the outdoor devices are either solar or electric powered. Already working in several locations in Peru, the company is exploring funding options to help expand availability of the platform nationally and internationally. An educational module for schoolchildren is currently being developed.
Springwise has recently spotted several other innovations focused on air quality including an air quality app that empowers users through education, air quality data for building management, and smarter, cheaper industrial air monitoring.
There is no shortage of research demonstrating how vital education is for a wide variety of social and economic outcomes. For example, one additional school year can increase a woman’s earnings by 10 to 20 per cent, and each year of education reduces the risk of conflict by 20 per cent.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of young people completing upper secondary school increased from 54 per cent in 2015 to 58 per cent in 2020. While these figures demonstrate progress, this rate of improvement actually represents a slowdown from the preceding five-year period. And even before the pandemic, projections showed that only 60 per cent of young people would be completing upper secondary education in 2030, indicating a pronounced deceleration in educational progress.
If progress was slowing even before COVID-19 swept the globe, early indications suggest that the pandemic has had a significant detrimental effect on educational outcomes. Figures from UNICEF show that school closures have resulted in 2 trillion hours of lost in-person learning globally. And the impact is likely to be felt the most in low-income countries, with the United Nations expecting a spike in school drop-outs in the coming years.
Against this backdrop, efforts to improve access to education for all age groups are more important than ever, and innovation can play an important role.
Access to schooling
Access to schooling is an obvious place to start a discussion of innovation and education. But the years before a child reaches school age are particularly important for their development. Despite this, only one in five children are enrolled in pre-primary education in low-income countries. In Uzbekistan, educational authorities are using converted buses to bring pre-school classes to the most remote communities.
Participation rates improve once a child reaches primary school age, even in low-income countries. Nonetheless, access to schools can be challenging in many regions, with children required to walk for hours to attend lessons. A non-profit in Madagascar is addressing this issue with 3D-printed schools that can be located closer to homes.
University-level education is the most exclusive of all, with affordability acting as a key barrier to access. For example, in some Southeast Asian countries, the average cost of a university education is nearly double GDP per capita. A Singapore-based startup aims to provide students with affordable financing options by partnering directly with universities to offer subsidised installment plans.
Diversity and inclusion
Education is not only about ensuring children attend class, it’s also about creating an environment where students from all backgrounds can thrive. School can be particularly challenging for migrant children who face cultural as well as language barriers. For example, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are over three years behind non-migrant pupils on average. One Danish startup has developed a language-learning app that helps migrant children navigate differences between their own culture and the culture of their new home.
Learning differences
Inclusion is also of critical importance for students with learning differences. According to UNICEF, only 36 per cent of adolescents with disabilities complete lower secondary education. In response, innovators are developing tools that are tailored to the needs of non-traditional learners. One personalised learning platform offers tailored programmes, and connects students with educators who can provide individualised support. Meanwhile, another startup has developed a voice-based learning app that is specifically designed for those with reading and writing difficulties.
Adult learning
Education isn’t only about children. Target 4.4 within SDG 4, focuses on the importance of technical and vocational skills for youth and adults. On-the-job training is one focus for innovators. For example, a Paris-based startup has leveraged artificial intelligence to develop a human-first employee learning platform.
Adult learning is particularly important for those who find themselves displaced as a result of wars and natural disasters. One language-learning platform is connecting refugees and those from other marginalised groups with employers in the digital economy. The goal is to help disadvantaged candidates break into a sector they might have previously considered out of reach.
Words: Matthew Hempstead
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