Air purification and sustainability
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, all member states of the United Nations (UN) agreed to promote our prosperity on the planet and made a list of 17 goals to achieve before 2030. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are dedicated to the biosphere, human society and protection of the economy. Every choice we make has an impact on the planet and these guidelines help us track the direction we need to take, in order to develop in a sustainable way. Each of the 17 fields is delineated by scientific data that describes the actual issues and the possible solution to adopt in order to see the goal achieved. From individuals to companies, we are all responsible for the world we live in. The choices that we make and the support that we offer now, will have a significant impact in the future.
U-Earth's commitment
U-Earth was born to create much more than a product. U-Earth was born to create a cycle. Its mission is to create a world without pollution and guarantee that every human being has access to clean air. This is why we collaborate with companies, factories, healthcare, and hospitality, as well as public spaces such as airports, parks and stations so that they can offer a healthy environment to their users. Working with a primary asset like air means being committed to human and environmental health. This is why U-Earth commits to 6 of the 17 sustainability goals.
SDG 3: Good health and well-being
The third SDG objective is guaranteeing health to everybody at every age. Air quality is a crucial element for our health, especially if we consider the pollution rate around the world. To the UN, taking care of human health also means “reducing the number of deaths and diseases from dangerous chemical substances and pollution”. By cleaning the air in indoor spaces, where air can be 5 times more polluted than outdoors, U-Earth allows people to breathe pure air every day. Highly polluted places such as factories that deal with fabrics and solvents are another big issue that put people’s health in danger.
According to the United Nations, another crucial aspect of human health is “putting an end to pandemics of transmissible diseases”. Purifying the air from viruses and bacteria means drastically reducing the diffusion of transmissible diseases such as, among others, SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. In places like clinics and hospitals, purifying the air means protecting medical personnel and fragile patients to whom exposure to viruses and bacteria can be very dangerous. Clean air in every public place is a form of prevention to avoid the problem at origin, limiting cross-contamination and pollution-linked diseases.
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
SDG 8 concerns promoting long-term economic growth, providing full and productive employment, and ensuring that it is inclusive and sustainable. In short, the provision of a good job for everyone around the world. We target those who work in highly polluted areas such as industrial factories and hospitals but also city-centre offices. Many workers are in danger without knowing it, the '9-5ers' that work in the offices of big metropolitan hubs, unknowingly exposed to indoor pollution that can be up to five times worse than outdoors.
Providing these people with pure air means helping their lungs to be strong and healthy and allowing them to work in a healthy environment. When we think about environmental sustainability it is important not to forget economic sustainability. Adopting a U-Earth bioreactor means reducing the electricity and maintenance costs, thereby allowing companies to grow in a sustainable way. The economy, together with human and environmental health, is one of the three pillars for prosperity. This is why U-Earth has been nominated by the Solar Impulse Foundation as one of the 1000 solutions to protect the environment and support the economy.
SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
SDG 9 covers constructing a resilient infrastructure, promoting innovation, and fair, responsible and sustainable industrialisation. Pollution rates and environmental damage brought us to associate production with unsustainable practices - producing equals polluting. Today we can change all that by cleaning the environment as we produce. Every U-Earth bioreactor disposes up to 3.5kg of pollution every day. Once the indoor environment is clean, the bioreactor then begins to purify the air outdoors as well. Purifying the air in this way means not only reducing the environmental impact but also cleaning up the planet without having to lift a finger.
Investing in science innovation in one of the main activities to reach SDG9, especially if we consider scientific innovation as a step towards sustainability. The origins of U-Earth can be traced to a scientific community of expert biologists thirty years ago. They theorised a system to capture and digest pollutants, and the work has been perfected and validated every day since. Promoting innovative ideas that can improve our quality of life means supporting those companies who invest in research and put science at their foundation.
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, long-lasting and sustainable. Every year, the UN publishes a report on happiness, coming to conclusions on the happiest countries in the world. Finland is always near the top thanks to their government policies which are specifically aimed at increasing happiness levels. One of the government initiatives was to set up public saunas where people can combine free time with a healthy activity.
U-Earth's vision comes from this same principle. Every area where a bioreactor is active becomes a certified Pure Air Zone that you can track through an app (coming soon). The idea is to create places where people can relax and breathe pure air while listening to specific music and guided meditations. We want to give people a break, a place where they can dedicate some time to themselves, a possible meeting point between friends and, of course, a healthy place for their lungs. A city that decides to build these areas for its citizens' wellbeing makes a good decision for the environment, cleaning it from pollution and becoming a case study for the entire world.
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
In high-income countries, the average ecological footprint is 13 higher than low-income countries. The difference is that we can decide what and how we consume. We have got used to the idea that we are too small to make a difference but the reality is that our actions have huge consequences. By making conscious choices every day, we can really make a difference.
U-Earth wants to give you more choices. If a company manages to clean its environment, they would become sustainability heroes. The more companies that decide to make an ecological impact, the more choices consumers will have. Producers and consumers are parts of a cycle and they are equally responsible for the consequences of their actions. We have the power and responsibility to choose companies and decide our actions based on their merits to the world.
SDG 13: Climate action
Climate change is causing environmental disasters that prove a problem to human life on Earth. Scientists already talk about being past a point of no return and the necessity to act now is more urgent than ever. Greenhouse gas emissions are the direct cause of climate changes. Today, every production activity that doesn’t make sustainable choices has a potentially irreversible effect on the global climate. These same activities can provide an ecological turning point too however, with the only choice being to adopt a bioreactor. This would help to clean the environment, capture and digest the pollution being produced and mitigating the impact upon their ecological footprint.
Acting for the climate means creating awareness and promoting health initiatives, which is where U-Earth comes in. To work with air quality, we need to first focus on creating awareness. Pure air is a primary need but not everybody is aware of it. After all, it was not too long ago that cinemas, restaurants and even hospitals allowed people to smoke within their walls. Nowadays that would be unimaginable!
The pandemic has revealed that what is in the air plays a big role in our everyday life. Just because we can't necessarily see the pollutants or contaminants, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. Creating awareness is the starting point towards a cleaner, healthier world for all.
