Top Tech Voices Podcast S2 E2: Sustainable Tech & Innovations for a Greener Planet

oooo - Meccano meets Lego ... all you need is a couple of adapter pieces....

I disagree that we need a total solution before we start addressing the problem.

"A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." - Laozi     I like the laser focus recommendation.  Too many initiatives fails to even start because of "scope creep".  Energy is squandered on details so far down the line that - once again - nothing gets done.  I think one of Fionn's points is to advance the issue how you can and let the next person - the person who has a passion for that phase of the issue - pick it up from there.  I hear him say "I don't have to fix everything, but I have to fix what I can."

I also kind of chuckle at the guy that says to focus on a niche is involved in so many things.  I think he's a "solution evangelist".  He's trying to energize people to do something with their lives.  As for the guy in college... Gates, Jobs, Dell, Branson... passion can create more success than education.  I think Fionn knows this.

I agree that its needs acknowledged that a solution is needed with collected micro-plastic recycle, but it shouldn't be a road block. 

I know engineers in the recycle business that started out without a total solution implemented - because funds from collecting the recycled components was used to finish the process concurrently. 

My 2 first thoughts while listening to this episode:
1) The best solution about probably any problem is to attack it at the source and not just try to cure the symptoms. In the case of microplastics in the water, that means filtering them out gives everybody a longer and healthier lease of life. But the microplastics will never go away. We would need to find a solution to stop them entering the water in the first place.
Another example to the topic is https://theoceancleanup.com/. They are doing awesome work to remove garbage and plastic before it breaks down into microplastics, their biggest haul was 55 Tons out of the projected 100,000 Tons of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
2) An invention alone will never be the cure to any problem in the world when there is no economic benefit for the big corporations to implement it. There needs to be legislation to force it down the companies throats and the companies still will try very hard to find ways around it. And the majority of people will have to pay for it and still not get full benefit if the companies find their ways.

And Fionn Ferreira made it very clear that he is aware of those facts.

I also liked his take on AI, to use it for the tasks that it is really good at. Let it find the patterns in the data, because in the end AI is not intelligent yet, but just an advanced pattern matching automata. It is not capable of inventing new stuff based on existing information. At least for now.

gordonmx said:

As an example, what do we do with all the micro-plastic after we have filtered and collected it?  Do we burn it (i.e. the current method of deposing of unwanted waste) and releasing the byproducts into the air.

Sadly this is what has been happening for decades. You pay someone to collect it and then pay someone who either burns it or dumps it into the oceans. You then have to pay someone to clean up the oceans where it becomes infinitely harder and more expensive than if you had just kept hold of it in the first place.

Nice episode.

The guest has outlined his strategies and mindset for innovation. That is great. One thing that impressed me is his vision for education and reforms that are required for education that currently we have. Most people who are more into practical feel the same.  

It’s incredible to hear how Fionn’s journey started with a Raspberry Pi and Lego to solve a global crisis. It’s a perfect reminder to the element14 community that 'childlike play' [29:23] isn't just for kids—it’s the foundation of the world's most important inventions. We don't need a multi-million dollar lab to start; we just need a problem that annoys us and the tools in front of us.     

I always call my self a kid even if I am 15 and have no pressure of anyone to do any work. My mind crafts everything on its own

Finally watched the podcast after a long time, I hate exams, they ruin most of the time

Yeah it's fair to call 15 a kid.  Wear it like a badge of honor.

It's not exactly philanthropic, but combining activism, science and others you would say yes.
It's a difficult subject, that's why I express my opinions for something more tangible.
Plastic is widely used, probably the best cost-production option, but a real problem is both in the way it is used and in the person. Here's an example that can tell you something. For about 2-3 years I've been observing how at 6 AM people search through dumpsters for the "more visible microplastic" (surely no one knows what light spectroscopy is, I mean people of all categories), namely the bottles for which a small tax was introduced, but look how the financial situation changes the attitude of disinterest (still a general cause for pollution). Where people cannot voluntarily respect environmental protection, there are two solutions: either a fine or a reward (we pay to live sustainably...too early). Of course, that doesn't stop the proliferation of bubble bottles, seemingly forever floating, but look at how this man tells us about a helpful technology but faces a lack of money.
Billions of people can make a difference more than billions of dollars, what do you say?