This week's good news: 3D printing yeast, click-to-cancel subscriptions, and more...
Hey fam,
Have you heard of the new 3D printing material that’s made out of yeast instead of plastic?
The story goes that a professor named Malgorzata Zboinska had a fascination with combining architecture and living materials, so she led a team of researchers from Chalmers to see if they could turn leftover industrial waste into new materials.
Since typical construction uses a massive amount of resources and energy, they worked on a more circular approach to architecture and after a lot of hard work, they created a jelly-like hydrogel that can be 3D printed. Uniquely, it was made of baker’s yeast, wood fibers, algae, plant-based glycerol, and water.
It works by heating the yeast to deactivate it, then mixing the ingredients together, 3D printing at room temperature, leaving it to try, and turning the beautiful bio-based result into almost any shape needed for screens, wall panels, partitions, or potentially a replacement for synthetic textiles.
But this Engineered Living Material stands out even more since it can be rescued from other industries like brewing or agriculture, it can biodegrade after usage to be more circular, and it might be the first step towards developing more complex substances that are self-healing or purify the air.
Further research and testing has to assess strength, safety, and performance, but maybe this is the future of 3D printed architecture?
What else is going right in the world:
An all-female music festival for a good cause
Olivia Rodrigo is putting on an all-female music festival to raise money for organizations that advocate for women and girls. It’s called Daisy Chain Fields with a mission to inspire meaningful change, drive progress, and uplift nonprofits.
I partnered with Climate Power to break down why this is awesome, but also how we can go even further and take urgent action to protect live events like these that are becoming less reliable due to an unpredictable and dangerous climate. Watch the video if you’re interested!
Click to cancel law
New York City announced a new “click to cancel” rule on all subscriptions, making them the first US city to legally require all of your subscriptions be as easy to cancel as they were to sign up. This will save residents hundreds of millions of dollars in junk fees starting on October 1st, and will end predatory subscription traps. (NYC press release)
136 acres of Indigenous LandBack
The return of 136 acres of land back to Indigenous nations along California’s Mendocino coast took place, marking the first time land managed by the Department of Transportation was returned to its ancestral owners. The Tribes will now manage and protect the sacred site, permanently. (Alex Wigglesworth|LA Times)
NY pauses data centers
New York became the first state to pause all new hyperscale data centers for at least the next year. The pause is called a moratorium which has now stopped any new state permits, in an effort to allow enough time to develop a robust framework that protects prices, the environment, and communities. (NY State Release)
Our community took action
🥗 dearykoos volunteered at a food bank and handed out 290 boxes of fresh food!
📖 I’m hosting a book club next Friday at 11:30am ET! It will be on Instagram live together with the Environmental Defense Fund, focusing on the book Sea Change, and the author and main character will join us. If you want to join…
Get the book on: Torrey House Press
Mark your calendars and see you next Friday at 11:30 am Eastern Time on Instagram :)
+ Bonus stories!
Is your city on the list of the most livable cities in the world?
Apparently scientists made a solar reactor that consumes plastic bottles and burps out clean hydrogen.
International Skinny Dip Day is not only hilarious, but also raised thousands of dollars for the Fistula Foundation charity.
Have a win or good story to share? Let us know in a comment! And I’ll see you next week for much more.
This newsletter was written by Jacob Simon. Over 1.5 million people are in our community across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can say hi on LinkedIn, or by hitting reply. Brand illustration by Andrea Miralles. Thanks for helping spread some positivity, and see you next week for more.