Solutions

submitted by Albert Gomez

conceptualdevices.com

GLOBE / HEDRON is a bamboo greenhouse designed to organically grow fish and vegetables on top of generic flat roofs. The design is optimized for aquaponic farming techniques: the fish’s water nourishes the plants and plants clean the water for the fish. Using this farming technique, GLOBE / HEDRON is optimized to feed four families of four all year round.

GLOBE / HEDRON is designed to be manufactured and retailed at a low cost. Easy-to-set-up units can be combined to scale up food production capacity.

Using a geodesic dome, the load of the fish tank rests on the frame of the greenhouse and is redistributed to a larger surface. Because of this design, the aquaponic farm can be housed on more roofs without any structural building adaptation. The dome structure is designed to be built with bamboo, so that it is biodegradable and organically farmed.

May 14 - 23, 2012

Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic species, is the world fastest growing food sector.  Aquaculture is also called the “blue revolution” because it has demonstrated its ability to decrease malnutrition, reduce poverty, generate wealth and contribute to economic growth in many countries.  Tilapia is the most farmed aquaculture product and its world production has gone from 830,000 tones in 1990 to 1.6 million tones in 1999 and 3.5 million tones in 2008. The overwhelming success of tilapia farming is because the fish is very hardy, prolific, fast growing, disease resistant and does not require extensive knowledge to breed and grow.

Living Labs Global co-founder Sascha Haselmayer addresses the crowd in Rio de Janeiro

submitted by Albert Gomez

good.is - by Zak Stone - May 4, 2012

In a megapolis like Mexico City, any planning initiative that moves citizens from cars to busses will pay off in reductions to traffic and air pollution. A major deterrent to using public transportation in the city? Comfort, according to Dr. Julio Mendoza, director of Mexico City's Institute of Science and Technology. Many would rather drive than experience that particular breed of public transportation-pegged anxiety: waiting helplessly on the street corner for a bus that feels like it won't ever arrive.

After participating in the Living Labs Global Award program, a competition designed to help cities solve planning challenges, the Mexican capital may have found a fix. In February, Mexico City and 20 other LLGA participants around the world put out an open call to companies to pitch solutions to important but fixable problems.