“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
Milton Berle
Rick Fox, former NBA player and actor, is taking on a new challenge. Along with his business partner, Sam Marshall, he’s on a mission to help solve climate change by building homes with a new type of concrete. These homes not only reduce heat-trapping emissions, but they’re also more resilient to extreme weather.
Traditional concrete exacerbates climate change because its main ingredient is cement. Cement requires huge amounts of energy, and creates CO2 while it is made. This really matters because cement is the second most commonly used substance in the world (after water), and is responsible for 8% of all CO2 emissions!
Taking on a new challenge
Fox grew up in the Bahamas, so he was moved by the devastation after hurricane Dorian tore through in 2019. While helping with the relief effort, Fox witnessed “the human and economic cost of climate change firsthand”. This inspired him to find a better way to build homes, especially for people living in areas vulnerable to extreme weather.
More resilient homes
Lots of companies are building low-carbon or sustainable homes, but Fox’s company, Partanna, is unique because they have built the world’s first carbon-negative home. Wait, negative? Yep. Their innovative concrete doesn’t create harmful emissions, and actually removes CO2 from the air while it’s made. In addition to being cleaner, these homes are more resilient because the cement blocks are stronger than others. To top it off, their product is made using industrial waste.
New technology is always more expensive in the early stages. Then, through technological improvements, costs drop. Carbon-free cement is in its infancy, and the cost will need to continue to fall for it to be scalable. The great news is numerous companies are hustling to make this a reality.
Innovations like these not only help us adapt to a warmer world, but they also get at the root of the problem – CO2 emissions. Once it begins to take off, clean cement is poised to be a game-changer.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.