Toto's Pizza? Must be @HardwareAKL time! #HardwareAKL

Look who I found!
@parsley72
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Kicking things off!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Now we're talking to Kevin.

He spent his career making packaging until he realised the damage packaging was causing. So the started @friendlypak.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

There are over 200 landfills in the North Island that will likely get washed out with sea level rise.

What will we do about it?

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Looking at @friendlypak's compostable cups that completely replaced styrofoam cups in DHBs around NZ!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

And this foam packaging product made from plants. It's cheaper than styrene and... you can eat it!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Next @friendlypak are going after styrene chilly bins and packs.

They're awful. They never break down and there is tremendous human costs.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

@friendlypak
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Now showing us coffee and food bags that are home compostable.
@friendlypak
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

The supermarket is the next target.
@friendlypak can basically replace all packaging in a supermarket.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

How can we help @friendlypak?

We need to increase the waste levy. We're $10/ton for 13 years years. Most of Europe is 10x that. Waste companies say its cheaper to landfill things. So let's reverse that incentive.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

We're 20 years behind the rest of the world in terms of composting plants.

We need to do better.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

I love this a lot. An awesome example of a company making market competitive sustainable solutions.

How do we support that?

Lots of compliance costs go into certifying items as recyclable. $25k per test is a lot for a small company.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL @friendlypak – at Grid AKL

Recycling can never work:

Packaging is contaminated with food. It's not economic to clean it so it goes to landfill. Same as food - contaminated by packaging.

If the packaging is compostable it doesn't matter if it's contaminated.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL @friendlypak – at Grid AKL

Packaging is low value/high volume so @friendlypak isn't exporting products aside from the Pacific Islands.

Hopefully there is some IP they can export.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Shelf life is still a problem. The packaging generally has a shelf life of 2 years or so.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL @friendlypak – at Grid AKL

Now @ElyseWyatt_NZ is advocating for funding for @friendlypak.

I 100% agree. This is exactly the kind of stuff we need to be investing in and funding if we actually want to make a difference.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

Next up its @ElyseWyatt_NZ and Carly (?) talking about the weed industry...

The SEAweed industry.

Got into it looking at seaweed based bioplastic

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

If we cover 2% of New Zealand's ocean space we can completely offset all of NZ's annual carbon emissions.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

To offset the world's carbon emissions, we'd need to use 9% of the ocean to farm seaweed.

A mere 4 Australia's!

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Lots of benefits of seaweed and there is a lot we can do with it.

At Kelp Save The World they're trying to develop as many of these kelp uses as possible. Especially where it creates higher value products to make it more economic.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

If kelp makes money then every man and his dog will want to start a seaweed farm.

They want to create a ecological business model.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

We should get rid of the Pacific Garbage Patch and replace it with a Pacific Seaweed Patch instead.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

History of Kelp Save The World - started a few months ago as part of a climate change hackathon

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

There are legislative hurdles to easy seaweed farming. It's only been recently that the carbon sequestration impacts of seaweed have been shown, so it isn't on the governmental radar.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

Kelp Save The World's global domination plan:
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Looking at the carbon impact.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

We need to take big steps if we want to minimise the impacts of climate change.

This.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Who they need help from:
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

The Kelp Save The World team:
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Now its Ena who is talking about the Low Carbon Network.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

"We're all in this one canoe together"
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

"This climate change crisis isn't going to solve itself. If we wait for government and corporations it might be too late"
- Hanna
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Normal investment channels aren't going to fund these ventures. But we can do it ourselves"
Hanna - Popcorn Collective
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL

Now its Adrian pitching his super efficient heat pump.

Using nano-materials and black body radiation.

Talk to Adrian if that excites you or have s bucket of gold talk to Adrian or @ElyseWyatt_NZ.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Alvin has a background in designing cool robots.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Don't forget to enter your environmental innovations in the Callaghan C-Prize
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Now we're talking about Critical, who want to end plastic pollution.

And... Unemployment.

Transforming plastic waste into beautiful products.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

They partnered with Torpedo7 to turn old plastic bags into unique tables for their fit out.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Partnering with Allied to reuse their bubble wrap
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Working with with Sanford to turn old fishing nets into plastic pounamu.

They got one blessed and gifted to Prince Charles!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Pretty neat!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

More excellent stuff Critical has done.
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Now we're hearing about #RecyclingMadeSexy
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

"Check that out!" @parsley72
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Plastic pounamu!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Their values:
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Neato!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Critical is trying to create "products as a service" where they manage the whole lifecycle.

When one of their products is old or worn out they just take it back and make it into something new.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Excellent hearing from Rui.

Super super interesting.

@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

"To build a social enterprise, you have to focus on the enterprise as much as the social."
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

That wraps up another awesome @HardwareAKL! Thanks @ElyseWyatt_NZ for putting this together!
#HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Look at all this cool sustainable stuff!
@HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL

Mmmm... Delicious packing foam!
@friendlypak @HardwareAKL #HardwareAKL – at Grid AKL