Caltech's new Resnick Sustainability Center: A collaborative experiment in sustainability.

Fantastic work by the U of T Trash Team! 🌊 Impressive to see such dedicated analysis and methodical waste collection efforts in PortsToronto's Inner Harbour. Your systematic approach with Ebb & Flow demonstrates the real impact these aquatic cleaning operations can achieve - and those 163 large debris pieces collected over 12 trips show the consistent value of regular harbour monitoring. We're particularly excited to see examples like this where a single deployment can collect significant waste loads (2kg of plastic waste plus floating biomass removal in one trip). This type of data collection and consistent harbour maintenance is exactly what drives innovation in autonomous aquatic cleaning technology. Keep up the excellent work with the Toronto Inner Harbour Floatables Strategy. It's inspiring to see academic research translating into measurable environmental impact! 🦈 #AquaticCleaning #HarbourMaintenance #WasteCollection #EnvironmentalTech

🔬 Grado Zero Lab | From Space to Earth Our laboratory is the core of research and development: a place where technologies inspired by space exploration and bio-based innovation are transformed into sustainable materials and processes for everyday life. At Grado Zero Lab we develop: • Advanced and intelligent materials for insulation and dynamic comfort. • Bio-inspired solutions enhancing natural resources and circular economy principles. • Technology transfer from ESA and Horizon Europe projects into concrete industrial applications. 👉 Our mission is clear: turn research into real-world impact, building the bridge between science, industry, and sustainability. #GradoZeroLab #FromSpaceToEarth #Innovation #R&D #SustainableMaterials #TechnologyTransfer

📢 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 Excited to share our latest work in Ecological Engineering: "𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨" 🔗 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eErniCVh We present an innovative approach to designing and testing 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗳𝘀 made from r𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘆-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 (𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗴) within a 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 framework. 🤝 Collaboration between: Institut de Ciències del Mar - CSIC · Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) · Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) This work demonstrates how combining 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 can create scalable and sustainable solutions for marine habitat restoration. #ArtificialReefs #MarineRestoration #CircularEconomy #AIinMarineScience #OBSEA #3DPrinting #MarineBiodiversity

Imagine walking through a park at night lit not by buzzing streetlamps, but by softly glowing trees. That future might be closer than you think. Scientists have now invented glow-in-the-dark wood, made by infusing natural timber with bioluminescent fungi, a breakthrough that could revolutionize how we light our cities. This fungi-infused wood emits a soft, natural glow at night, offering a zero-energy alternative to traditional lighting. By harnessing the biology of light-producing organisms, researchers created a sustainable material that could illuminate pathways, benches, or even building exteriors, all without wires, bulbs, or electricity. It’s not just stunning, it’s eco-smart. Beyond aesthetics, this glowing wood could dramatically reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from outdoor lighting. As urban areas search for greener solutions, bioluminescent materials might just light the way, one glowing plank at a time. Source: Bioluminescent Materials Research Lab, 2025 | Fungal Engineering Science Reports

INFINITE DESIGN How can we support diverse landscapes and cultures as they work out their own ways to reintegrate our species into a pluriverse of millions of species within a vast, self-regulating, self-organizing planetary matrix known as Gaia? --- On October 25th, 2025, The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (CMPBS) in Austin, Texas will celebrate its 50th Anniversary as one of the world's leading research centers for innovative building materials and systems, lifecycle analysis (LCA), bioregional design and planning, and related fields. Congratulations to Co-Directors Pliny Fisk III and Gail Vittori and CMPBS staff, board, and interns as they shepherd CMPBS into its next fifty years! 🌟 Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration Details: https://lnkd.in/g24yZXEV As part of a book honoring this occasion, Buckminster Fuller Institute has contributed some thoughts on the intertwined legacies of CMPBS and Buckminster Fuller in the essay "Lenses for Infinite Design". Full text below and excerpts here: ____ For fifty years, CMPBS has been testing ecological design and planning protocols, policies, and prototypes at scales from building to planet. This includes significant work at the bioregional scale, a perfect scale to align cultural transformation with coherent groupings of ecosystems shaped by water, soil, climate, topography, geology, nutrient flows, and other influences. Now in 2025 there is growing momentum around a federated, decentralized response to the polycrisis that is centered around empowering territories, landscapes, and bioregions with protocols for regenerative storying, mapping, modeling, planning, governing, and financing. In the early 1970s CMPBS Co-Founder Pliny Fisk III was mentored by visionary inventor, futurist, and world historical figure R. Buckminster Fuller. Bucky developed Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science as a regenerative design discipline that could be applied at scales ranging from individual buildings to global industries, and from site to bioregion to planet. At each scale, an understanding of universal principles (e.g. ephemeralization or "more with less" and syntropy or "negative entropy") combined with a deep understanding of local patterns would ensure cascading benefits across the system and up and down in scale. --- Now imagine the Lenses for Maximum Potential Futures supported by a new kind of Artificial Intelligence, one that is Life-Centered ... Forty-one years after its founding, Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) is exploring this infinite design terrain, a strange and unexpected symbiosis of human, ecological, and digital intelligences. It is a marvelous thing that the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems continues with a vital life force after fifty years, and BFI looks forward to spontaneously collaborating with the Center over the next five decades in the service of life.

🌡️ "Your Building Designs Might Be Failing in 2050" – New Episode Out Now! Ever wondered if the climate data you're using to design buildings is reliable? I just dropped a game-changing episode where I break down our latest research that compared 3 different climate prediction methods – and the results were eye-opening! 👀 Here's the crazy part: Some methods predicted 3X more overheating risk than others by 2080. Yet the design strategies that work best? They stayed surprisingly consistent. 🎧 In this episode, you'll discover: Why your current climate assumptions might be wrong The ONE facade strategy that works no matter what How to make confident design decisions despite uncertainty Real trade-offs that could save (or cost) you big Perfect for your commute, gym session, or coffee break! ☕ 🎬 Prefer video? I've also created a visual breakdown with charts and case studies that make this super easy to understand. Whether you're an architect, engineer, or just passionate about sustainable design, this episode will change how you think about building for the future. 📝 Got research you'd like me to turn into a podcast/video? Share your published work in the comments – it might be perfect for our next episode! Whether you're an architect, engineer, or just passionate about sustainable design, this episode will change how you think about building for the future. 🎧 Listen on Spotify: [https://lnkd.in/e2vXAP_y] 📺 Watch on YouTube: [https://lnkd.in/ekvenEJE] Drop a 🔥 if you're ready to future-proof your designs! What's your biggest climate design challenge? Let me know in the comments – might be perfect for the next episode! 👇 #Podcast #Architecture #ClimateDesign #SustainableBuilding #FacadeDesign #BuildingPerformance #ArchitecturalPodcast #DesignPodcast #ClimateChange #FutureProofing

Science never fails to fascinate me. Dutch engineers have come up with a solution for urban air pollution. They've created concrete that grows moss. Buildings become living, breathing ecosystems. Here's how it works: - Bio-receptive concrete - engineered with porosity, water retention, and nutrients that moss loves. - Rhizoids, not roots - moss attaches without damaging structures. No invasive growth, just natural adhesion. - Works on existing buildings or new construction. Self-sustaining, the moss thrives on rain and humidity alone. Zero maintenance. The impact is immediate: - Absorbs CO2 and particulate matter from the air - Cools surfaces by retaining moisture - Reduces urban heat islands by 5-7°C in summer - Covers surfaces within months Dutch cities like Leiden are already testing this on schools and housing blocks. But here's where it gets exciting: What if every surface in our cities worked for us? Shopping centres with living walls that purify air while customers browse. Transport hubs where waiting areas actively clean pollution from thousands of daily commuters. Residential developments where every building contributes to neighbourhood air quality. Office blocks house workers whilst creating healthier environments for them. It’s inventions like this which give me hope for cleaner cities, and a cleaner world. Every wall becomes an air purifier. Every structure becomes a carbon sink. Every development actually contributes, rather than take, take, take. The future of cities isn't just smart. It's alive.

Ever envisioned a 3D biodegradable artificial reef enhancing biodiversity and improving water quality along HKUST’s coastline? Led by Dean Take from Team Orz, Prof. @Larry Li and @Tsz Kin Lee (as special advisor), this project plans to deploy 3D-printed biodegradable reefs to improve water filtration, boost marine biodiversity, and restore oyster populations along HKUST’s shoreline. Crafted from eco-friendly materials, their innovative engineering design also enhances water flow, improves nutrient delivery, supports larval settlement, and increases resistance to sedimentation. With such an integration of hydrodynamic modeling, material science, and marine biology into its design, this project seeks to turn HKUST’s coastline into a living lab for real-world solutions. Join us in celebrating this joint research from an external team from HKSTP - Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, together with one of our own researchers, to form this incredible team as they take bold steps toward restoring our oceans! Read more about this project on our Living Lab website to learn more (https://shorturl.at/OZqkA) #LivingLab #Sustainablesmartcampus #Sustainability #Innovation #MarineRestoration #OysterReefs #HKUST

Collaborative Team from Virginia Tech, George Mason University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory Wins Top Awarding in 4-VA A multidisciplinary research team representing Virginia Tech, George Mason University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory has been awarded a 4-VA collaborative research grant to explore data-driven strategies for improving the performance and upcycling potential of construction waste materials. https://lnkd.in/eDnEXAUD

🌿 The greenest SAGA Workshop took place recently at the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture, right in the heart of Budapest’s largest green park, Városliget! Within the framework of the ICARUS Convention #34, the National Archives of Hungary hosted a hybrid event that brought together nearly 150 participants (100 in person, 50 online) for a truly inspiring experience. The convention once again showcased the power of collaboration among European archives. As part of the programme, we proudly organized the SAGA Workshop (Sustainable Archives and Greener Approaches), focusing on how archives can embrace environmentally conscious practices while ensuring long-term preservation. Discussions centered around microclimate boxes, risk analysis, and innovative sustainability tools. The presentations covered a wide spectrum — from preservation risks in a changing environment and war damage, to greener practices in archives and across broader cultural heritage sectors. Conservation methods and adaptive approaches were explored, all responding to today's most pressing environmental and social challenges. Three green takeaways were carried forward: 🍀 Sustainability begins with awareness. 🌳 Resilience grows through collaboration. 🌍 Change starts with shared knowledge. Learn more about the SAGA Project here https://go.mtu.ie/4kZG6Sx Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union    🌎 SAGA Project Partners include: Munster Technological University (Ireland) represented by Technology Enhanced Learning at MTU and Clean Technology Centre, MTU Ministerio De Cultura (Spain) Desarrollo de Estrategias (Spain) Historical Archives of the European Union (Italy) Institute of Molecular Biology SAS (Slovakia) Direção -Geral do Livro, dos Arquivos e das Bibliotecas (Portugal) Fundacja Ochrony Krajobrazu (Poland) National Archives of Hungary National Archives of Malta Technology Enhanced Learning at MTU Clean Technology Centre, MTU National Archives of Hungary The National Archives of Malta Ústav molekulárnej biológie SAV, v. v. i. / Institute of Molecular Biology SAS Foundation for Landscape Protection Historical Archives of the European Union Grupo DEX