Yo and Hello!
As I mentioned in my introductory post, a big driver behind me creating Moss by KP was to increase awareness / education around sustainability and sustainable action.
With the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow, Scotland (a place I called home a few years back), several world leaders convened to discuss the myriad of problems and solutions available to us. Regardless of your leanings on Climate Action, this conference sheds light on both changes to current activities and future initiatives. This means there is an abundance of opportunity discover, create, and share on Climate Action.
A big part of this years focus included cutting methane emissions, tackling deforestation, phasing out coal and driving clean technology with several countries, including the US, EU, Russia, India, and Brazil all planning to announce fresh targets in a journey towards net zero emissions. However, something interesting in all of this rhetoric is the absence of a big driver in emissions – the material used in making everyday things!
Now, depending on how much you’ve read on Climate Change, this may or may not be a surprise to you – making things like cement, steel and plastic contribute to 31% (Gates) of total global greenhouse gas emissions. This means that not only should we care about how our actions impact the environment but what we surround ourselves with and why we do!
This brings me to the moss preservation process, how it is different than living walls.
First of all, persevering moss requires getting living moss from ethically sourced farms. and treating them with a mix of water and glycerol. What is glycerol? Glycerol is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. It is generally obtained from plant and animal sources where it occurs in triglycerides, esters of glycerol with long-chain carboxylic acids. Combined with water, soaking living moss in the solution helps transfer water out of the moss cells and replaces it with the glycerol, preserving its look and texture for 10-15 years.
Secondly, what is a living wall and why how is preserved moss different? Living walls have been all the craze for a few years now. With the rise in biophilic design (foreshadowing a future post?!), green space has been increasingly implemented in non-traditional locations with the use of living walls. As oppose to preserved moss, living walls are still alive. This has a tonne of positive advantages, which I’ll get into in another post, but it comes at a cost. These walls need to be maintained, watered, and trimmed which can take up a lot of time AND resources. In addition to the amount of water required, sunlight (or manufactured sunlight) can be costly and less sustainable.
With all that said, what am I / Moss by KP doing to help make our world more sustainable?
- I only use preserved moss from certified BCorps
- My frames are all wood and recycled or up-cycled
What are some ways you can implement sustainable action and surround yourself with the beauty of nature?
Chat soon!
Kyle
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