Carbon perfection
January 04, 2020
If you want to watch this message instead of read it, here's the video. (also, the "Behind the Scenes: Carbon XPRIZE Showcase" playlist is LIVE. Check out the 7-video series here)Imagine that the products you use every day were made of carbon pulled from the air. Just like Star Trek, the product appears in your hands just as you need it.
The problem is nothing is made like that today. Millions of things are produced every day without thinking about carbon. It turns out we don’t live in that ideal world yet.
I’ve been struggling with this since we shipped our first batch of planters.
The solution to this dilemma is to make more products out of carbon. To build as close as we can to that ideal, but not to wait for perfection. As J.P. Morgan said, "Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther."
I launched Negative for us to go farther together. So how do we make these bracelets today? Well it turns out the best way to capture carbon from the air is in Switzerland. The best company to convert that carbon dioxide into solid form is in Canada. The best maker to turn those materials into carbon negative bracelets is in Lithuania. And the best material to hold onto that carbon is green cement rather than clay.
That’s why I’m sharing this journey with you. I want this ideal world where we can create products made of carbon from the air. We get there by building, creating, and discovering together. You have to take the first step to get to the next step.
When you find yourself in conversations about carbon or climate, remember that this isn’t about perfect. We’re far from perfect today. Let's figure this out together so we can build that better world, where we can create everything we need with the carbon we have.
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