Yidian: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! The pervasive issue of aquatic plastic pollution, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans annually, has garnered worldwide concern. These plastics degrade into microplastic fragments, posing a significant threat to marine life and humans. Microplastics, measuring less than five millimeters in diameter, disperse widely across vast geographical areas, making their collection an arduous task.
Arpit: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! The major hurdle between today and a clean energy future is our ability to store energy cheaply, and in large amounts. This is because sun and wind are not always present. Existing solutions do not scale and are expensive. This is known as long duration energy storage problem. Our technology scales to store and supply energy continuously for months in a cheap non-toxic "solid fuel". Once charged, it retains energy with zero loss in time, and can also be transported from one place to another where energy is needed.
Robert: Thanks for having me, Spiffy. As much as 40% of food produced in the United States is wasted. When food ends up in landfills, it emits methane gasses that are 34 times worse for the environment than carbon dioxide. Such emissions disproportionately impact urban lower-income communities in terms of health, proper housing conditions, and overall quality of life, according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment. All the while, as of 2020, 38 million Americans—that is one in nine of us—remain food insecure. In households with children, the frequency increases to one in seven.
