A sneak preview of a potential solution featured in the SandStories book
Before I talk about the ‘what’, I’d like to share the ‘why’. When I started SandStories.org, it seemed like a huge leap of faith. I had given up a stable career in the Learning & Development sector in India to pursue a Masters in Environment & Development at King’s College, London. What I discovered during the course of my research on sand mining left me disillusioned, anxious and even depressed about the state of the world and the kind of world we were building for future generations. Taking action was my way to reconnect with hope and a sense of agency, both of which are needed more than ever, as we step into a crucial decade for humanity.
Sand and gravel are the most extracted commodities on Earth after water. Indiscriminate extraction has numerous social, political, economic and environmental impacts. The construction sector is a major consumer. In fact, sand and gravel comprise 60 - 75 percent of the total volume of concrete. Yet one rarely hears architects, engineers and others in the construction sector talking about this problem. Sand is a non-renewable resource. Can we truly address the climate emergency and transition into low-carbon cities without addressing the elephant in the room? Can we build ‘smart cities’ if we remain oblivious to how sand is being sourced? I think not.
The UNEP released a report in 2019. Key highlights:
We are spending our sand ‘budget’ faster than we can produce it responsibly
Increasingly, sand is being produced through environmentally damaging extractive practices in sensitive terrestrial, riverine and ocean ecosystems
The main limitation to responsible sand extraction is not technical; it is an awareness and governance issue
The scale of the challenge inherent in sand and gravel extraction makes it one of the major sustainability challenges of the 21st century
We have a truly challenging task ahead of us. The good news is that there are already many promising solutions. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Biohm, a company that has inspired me greatly with their thought leadership, creativity and courage to follow their convictions. I love their ability to ask different questions and their willingness to go wherever the answers lead. I was intrigued to learn that they aspire to develop ‘plant-based concrete’. To me, that sounded more like a description of a diet rather than construction material. I was delighted to learn that the products they have developed so far, transforms agricultural and organic waste into useful building materials. Waste products like coffee chaff, corn husks, orange peels, cocoa husks and ground blue pea flowers are all transformed into beautiful construction products which are not only aesthetically pleasing but also rigorously tested to meet and exceed industry standards. Win-Win all round.
One of the products they have developed is mycelium (mushroom-based) insulation that out-performs almost every other natural and synthetic insulation product on the market. Biohm is now working with the social enterprise the Onion Collective to build the world’s first community-led bio-manufacturing facility, that will divert 150 tonnes of waste from landfill and sequester 16 tonnes of carbon every month. The facility will be a catalyst for economic regeneration in the coastal town of Watchet, West Somerset, UK. Oh, did I mention that have they have also been awarded almost £300,000 for a plastics research facility to research, develop and commercialise Mushrooms that Eat Plastic? Exciting times ahead!
Watch the video below to learn how Biohm is changing the future of our built environment, slowly but surely.
If this resonates with you too, you can follow their work here. You might also be interested to know that they are going to host an equity crowdfunding campaign soon. You can register your interest here. Leave your comments below to share what you think about their radical approach and if you’d like to hear more stories about other companies working on solutions to the looming sand crisis.
DISCLAIMER: It should be fairly obvious, but this is not meant to be financial advice.